Gig review: Firefest (Friday) 2012

As with my inaugural visit last year to the 3-day melodic rock festival that is Firefest I again found myself in Nottingham’s Rock City for the opening Friday night only. This year the line-up for the remaining days didn’t excite me enough to book the whole weekend, which I suppose is an improvement on 2011 where other circumstances prevented me (needlessly, as it turned out, to my immense annoyance!) from catching the likes of Steve Augeri and Unruly Child (to name but two). This time around there were again four acts to take in on the Friday alone, the first two of whom I knew not the first thing about before entering the venue...

2011 opened with an astounding set from Serpentine, who instantly became my favourite ‘new’ band, so this year’s openers, Lionville, had the weight of expectation on their shoulders. While they only had a half-hour slot for a 5-song set, they made the most of every second and got proceedings off to a suitably stunning start.  One of the exciting things about Firefest is the black curtain that shrouds the stage at all times  – you never quite know what’s going to be revealed when it is dropped (especially if you’re unfamiliar with the bands!), and in this case what I saw shocked me into the realisation (expressed inwardly only, I hasten to add...), ‘Cor, that’s Lars (Säfsund) from Work of Art, that is!’. That was the first thing I noticed, the second was keyboardist Alessandro Del Vechio’s Kansas t-shirt - endearing to a Wheathead like myself - and the third (these were all in quick succession by the way!) was that they were brilliant. Lars is simply one of the great vocalists working in the genre today, and to see him was a joy, not least because Work of Art were the band I’d most wanted to see out of the rest of the weekend’s acts (but not enough to justify another day’s worth of ticket/hotel/etc!).  Not content with having one amazing vocalist in the group, band founder/guitarist Stefano Lionetti (who didn’t come up with the band’s name, believe it or not) also proved to be no slouch in the vocal department, and when the two harmonised it was especially magical. Suffice to say I was very impressed and would never have guessed that this was, in fact, the first time the group had ever played together in a live setting! Within hours of my return home the album was ordered (with a second to follow when their sophomore effort is released next month). (10/10)

Lars Säfsund

With Lionville having (almost) matched Serpentine, I was worried that 2011’s pattern would continue, which would mean second band Dante Fox would be the major disappointment of the night. My fears were quickly proven unfounded as they delivered further blasts of hook-laden melodic rock of the finest order one after the other. After seeing The Reasoning and Touchstone a week earlier, this set, featuring yet another excellent female lead vocalist in the form of Sue Wiletts, seems to confirm that I’ve been cured of my aversion to the female of the species in rock bands (though I may go into remission should I ever accidentally catch Curved Air live again!). Guitarist Tim Manford may not have the look of a rock God, but his playing was some of the best of the night (no mean feat). Their new mini-album Lost Man’s Ground was released at Firefest to tie in with their appearance, but while I didn’t get a chance to pick one up (more on this in a moment...) it will certainly be joining the collection sooner rather than later! (9/10)

Sue Willetts

Next up were Ten - a band I had heard of, but was unfamiliar with until the release of last year’s Stormwarning album, their first after a five-year hiatus. Sadly, it wasn’t represented in the setlist, although two tracks from the brand new Heresy and Creed album were showcased to keep the set up to date. With only 50 minutes stage time (and the largest discography of any band on the bill) it was inevitable that something had to be missed and the old favourites (well, old favourites for those who knew them, that is!) certainly went down a storm. The line-up underwent a fairly major overhaul late last year, but the end result is good for all, with the inclusion of new guitarist Dan Mitchell perhaps the best thing about it of all. Leader Gary Hughes’ reputation is built more on his songwriting and production skills than any virtuosity in the vocal department (in fact he has quickly become one of my favourite songwriters, and the news that he is to work with Serpentine on the writing of their third album is some of the best I’ve had all year) and while there were no significant sound issues at any point of the night, in Ten’s case I saw the keyboards being played a lot more than I actually heard them in the mix, which combined with the lack of a Stormwarning track or two, made this the disappointment of the evening for me. As ‘disappointments’ go  it was almost too mild to notice, and there was certainly nothing that would put me off seeing them again – quite the opposite in fact! (9/10)

Closing the show were Tyketto – a legendary group in melodic rock fan circles, but knowing that and actually being able to track down their pair of classic albums from the early 90s are two entirely different things, so it wasn’t until the release earlier in the year of the long-awaited new album Dig in Deep that I finally added the Tykes to my collection. Fortunately they played a few tracks from that album (three of the best in fact: Faithless, Here’s Hoping it Hurts and Let This One Slide) so I didn’t have to go the whole night without hearing a single familiar song! Again it was the old favourites that most were there for though, and based on a first hearing it was readily apparent that their reputation was well-deserved. As had also been the case with the unfamiliar (to me) Ten songs, most of Tyketto’s classics had instantly memorable choruses,and other suitable ‘sing along’ moments, so I wasn’t the lone silent voice in Rock City for too long. Everybody knows why this band never became huge (horrific timing), but it’s still a shame that more people aren’t familiar with them, especially as Danny Vaughn is one of the finest frontmen I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing. He certainly seems more than content with his lot (the whole band were clearly having a blast – actually the same was true of every band on the bill), so maybe there’s something to be said for never breaking beyond ‘cult’ status anyway. With a reception as rapturous as they received on this occasion you’d be hard-pressed not to be chuffed – and that is a large part of the Firefest experience for fans and bands alike. (10/10)

Danny Vaughn

 

Now in its 8^th year under the Firefest moniker this event is a well-oiled machine – turnaround times between acts is an ultra-tight twenty minutes and technical difficulties are remarkably rare. The only organisational point I’d query was the decision to close the merchandise stand early (and with no announcement until it had already happened) so those of us planning to spend up large on our exits who weren’t coming back for the rest of the weekend (and they must have known there’d be some as all three nights sold out at different times of the year!) were left without a chance to part with our cash.  A kind soul at my hotel provided me with a programme at least (be grateful dear reader, as without it I’d just be making up names for half of the musicians mentioned above!), but the inevitable stack of CDs eluded me. Ah well. Presumably this decision had something to do with the merch being downstairs instead of at the back of the main room, as it was last year. That seemed like a perfectly good idea to me at first, but if it really was the cause of the early closure I may have to revise that opinion! But this is a minor quibble – the night was all about the music and on that front it succeeded completely. Overall I’d rate it more highly than last year’s Friday night – while nobody quite reached the Serpentine and Jimi Jamison level of amazingness, the remarkable consistency of all the bands gave this year’s line-up the edge. Now, how will they try and top that this time next year...? (Overall rating...you guessed it - 10/10).

Gig Reviews - Marillion's 'Sounds That Can't Be Made' Tour

Having had a recent bout of the ‘not really from these parts’ disease, where you get all nostalgic for things you’d never known or done in the first place (in this case GCSEs, which have been big news in Blighty recently) I set myself the below challenging essay topic (I hope I pass!):

Compare and contrast the following gigs:

1)    Marillion in Cardiff, Sunday 09 September

2)    Marillion in Sheffield, Friday 14 September

3)    Marillion in London, Sunday 16 September

It had looked for a while that I might not be up to travelling for this tour, then that I mightn’t be able to go even to the local London gig, but the evil NHS doctors who’d threatened further surgery in September were vanquished by the good NHS doctors who prevented the need for it, leaving me free to take in the first tour in support of a new album the band had undertaken since my arrival in the UK in 2010.

That album – the magnificent Sounds That Can’t Be Made – wasn’t to be released officially until the final day of the tour (the 17^th), but most fans in attendance had pre-ordered direct from the band (a system Marillion effectively invented) well in advance and those copies were despatched from Marillion HQ (just!) in time for the majority to have received them by the time the tour kicked off in Cardiff. The choice of material from the new album was impeccable, with the four tracks that currently make up my favourite half of the album (Gaza, Power (listen below), The Sky Above the Rain and the sublime title track) being showcased. If that doesn’t sound like a lot of time being devoted to new material remember that this is Marillion, so  two epics and two shorter, more instantly accessible songs (still over six minutes each themselves) constituted around a third of the gig.

Marillion are noted for putting their audience (and themselves!) through the emotional wringer and both Gaza and The Sky Above the Rain continue this tradition, though in very different ways. Gaza is a 17-minute+ visceral plea for an end to the cycle of violence begetting violence in the district, told from the point of view of a Palestinian child, and featuring some of the heaviest musical sections the band have ever unleashed. The Sky Above the Rain, meanwhile, finds the band in more familiar territory lyrically, detailing a relationship seemingly beyond the point of no return, but with a more optimistic outlook emerging at its climax than many past songs have featured -  possibly a result of frontman Steve ‘h’ Hogarth’s change in outlook in recent years (see also the entire Essence volume of 2008’s Happiness is the Road). This doesn’t stop it joining the long list of Marillion songs capable of making grown men get a bit teary in public...(of course I don’t mean me...erm...). 

Both were even more powerful in a live setting, although the ‘false start’ with Splintering Heart’s programmed intro being played only for the stage to be ‘bombed’ seemed a little too gimmicky to me to really work as the intro to as hard-hitting a song as Gaza; certainly the pyrotechnic-free Sheffield version worked better in my book, though that was a decision clearly made for health and safety reasons (tiny stage in a potential death-trap of a venue) rather than artistic ones!

The rest of the setlist focussed heavily on their more recent output (2004 on), which, for a band that is touring behind their 17^th album and peaked commercially with their 3^rd, might seem odd to the casual observer, as might the fact that they only played two of their 20+ top 40 singles. Few attending a Marillion gig these days would expect (or want) it any other way and all three audiences showed suitable appreciation to every classic (of any vintage) that came their way. While there was a time the band avoided performing any Fish-era material, perennial favourite Sugar Mice got an airing in the encores, although the split between how much h sang himself and how much of a crowd-only singalong it became varied from night to night. 

It’s impossible to name highlights without listing the whole set, so I’ll only say that it was wonderful to have Real Tears for Sale representing the Happiness album and while some fans have suggested that the likes of Neverland and Fantastic Place have been overplayed in recent years (an assessment it’s actually quite easy to agree with when looking at past setlists), for me at least, any thoughts of wanting them rested evaporate instantly upon hearing the opening notes. That said, these were only my 9^th, 10^th and 11^th Marillion gigs (yep, they’ve finally left Toto in the dust!), so I may yet do a coalition-style u-turn on this issue in the future! 

With keyboardist Mark Kelly’s recent hearing problems (which he detailed in his blog HERE), the stage positions of the band members have changed this year, with guitarist Steve Rothery and bassist Pete ‘Tremendous’ Trewavas swapping sides to get Rother’s amps as far away as possible. Kelly, who has been side-on to the audience for years is now facing us directly (which must have been a shock to the system!) but it’s great to be able to see all the facial expressions and exchanged glances going on between the band, from one position (just left of centre is the ideal spot for me – closest to h, but with the ability to watch Rothers work his magic during his solos and more), although Ian Mosley sadly remains as hidden as ever behind his drum kit!

While the set only varied slightly between performances, taking in multiple gigs in this way proved beyond a doubt that no two shows are the same. While the band had publicly stated that they’d be opening with Gaza the rest of the set was anyone’s guess in Cardiff, which is always a thrilling situation to be in, not least when you’re hearing songs being performed live for the very first time. That said, there were a few technical gremlins (as h said, ‘It’s great to be at the first night of the tour...you can say “I was there when that went wrong, and that went wrong and that went wrong...”!) most notably the sudden absence of keyboards during most of the This Town trilogy. Despite this throwing everybody off just a tad (‘He’s lost’ said h, at one point as Ian played one prominent fill a good few bars early) they managed to keep the damage to nose-to-tail minor rather than full-blown train wreck – and the crowd loved it. It was also the only night I heard h use what has almost become a catchphrase at his solo gigs...’Shall we have a chat?’ (although the answer was we didn’t really have time, ‘cause he’d gone all Stevie Nicks on us earlier in the night and faffed about with at least one pointless costume change too many!).

By Sheffield – the fifth night of the tour – the new songs had bedded in, and were already sounding like old favourites, the technical hitches (and costume change issues) were largely resolved and the band were basking in the rapturous reception the new album had been receiving. h, who is what you might call eccentric at the best of times, was absolutely, delightfully, mad as a box of frogs on this occasion. From his between song banter (including his birthday wishes to fans ‘on behalf of the beat combo’), to whatever it was he was trying to do to Mark (who discovered that it’s not possible to play keyboards and run away from the band’s token lunatic at the same time!) at the beginning of Neverland he was more entertaining than ever – though some were a little disconcerted by his behaviour. After making no sense whatsoever in his spoken introduction of The Other Half he stopped to ask if he sounded drunk, to which a resounding cry of ‘YESSSSSSSS!’ was the crowd’s response.  I don’t reckon he was though (and I’ll leave it at that...) and his emotional engagement and vocal delivery throughout the songs was as consistently excellent as ever.

Sadly, as mentioned above, the venue was (to be kind to it) a bit of a hole and the audience were split into those at the front who had a great time, and those at the back who couldn’t hear the talking (sadly this included at least one of those birthday celebrators) or the quieter musical passages and couldn’t see much of the stage at all. Luckily I was towards the front, and I would rate this show my favourite of the three – apologies to those who suffered a less pleasant experience – I don’t mean to rub salt into the wound!

h in London

I’ve read a lot over the years about how London audiences are subdued and unforgiving compared to those in the rest of the UK, but the Forum gig proved this to be utter poppycock – it was one of the most buoyant audiences I’ve ever had the pleasure of being amongst (well, apart from the 16-year old girl who sat on the floor throughout....what was that about??) – and on a Sunday night too! Neither h’s vocals or the sound generally seemed quite as sharp as the other nights to my ears, but nor was there anything wrong with them. The band certainly seemed to be enjoying having space to move around in again after the cramped set-up of Sheffield and might well have played all night had they not been recording a live album on the night (ready for punters to collect as they left, if they so desired), which meant a strict limit to two hours and sixteen minutes. I’m still not sure how I’ve so far managed to convince myself that I don’t really need to buy it (but if you’re not as daft as me you can order it HERE for a limited time only!). Ending with Estonia (dedicated to Neil and the rest of the Marillion-loving Armstrong family) was a slightly downbeat finish to my week on the road, but proved my emotional buttons were still being pressed right up to the very end.

Along with seeing three gigs and going to a couple of places I’d never been before, one of the deciding factors in precisely which gigs to attend was the chance to see three different support bands. The Reasoning, Mr. So and So and DeeExpus all put in fine performances, and while there wasn’t much between them, it was The Reasoning who impressed the most – despite my general and irrational dislike of female-fronted rock/prog/music of any genre. It was sufficient to prompt me to preorder their forthcoming Adventures in Neverland album in any case, and showed them to be in fine form after a difficult year (this was the first gig for their new guitarist, brought in to replace a predecessor who hasn’t been seen since March). None of the bands were a match for the headliners though, who reminded me during each song, just why they are my favourite band, and the fellow fans I met along the way (turns out I have another fan living about half a street away from me!) only added to the experience. Therefore all three gigs can be rated no less than varying  shades of 10/10.

Setlist:

Gaza

You’re Gone*

This Town/The Rake’s Progress/100 Nights*

Sounds That Can’t Be Made

The Other Half#

Neverland

A Voice From the Past

Power

Fantastic Place

Real Tears for Sale

The Sky Above the Rain

The Great Escape

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­-----------------------------------------------

A Few Words for the Dead

-----------------------------------------------

Sugar Mice

*positions swapped after Cardiff

#Not played in London

Extra tracks closed two of the shows, with Between You and Me and Estonia featured in Cardiff and London, respectively.

PS I’m well aware that Marillion are not everyone’s cup of tea, and I have no bones with that (I just pity them what don’t get ‘em!), so in the name of balance here is a (thoughtful) largely negative review of their Wolves gig.

Album Review: Robert Lamm - Living Proof

Despite his key role in Chicago’s early success, Robert Lamm was, in some ways, a victim of their ‘faceless’ status and has never received the recognition he deserves as a songwriter and performer in his own right. Indeed, despite his first solo album (Skinny Boy) coming out during Chicago’s mid-70s commercial peak it sank without a trace and he didn’t resume his solo career until the mid-90s. Sadly, a songwriting renaissance coincided with a severe decline in recording activity for the band he helped launch to superstardom with songs such as Beginnings, 25 Or 6 to 4 and Saturday in the Park, hence the marked increase in solo activity in recent decades. This late-career burst of creativity is clearly far from over, judging by this latest effort.

With the exception of 2003’s well-received Subtlety and Passion album, which featured Chicagoesque horn arrangements, and guest spots from most of the then-current line-up of the band, Lamm has generally used his solo work to explore different styles and textures, and on Living Proof, while there are a handful of songs that would fell at home on a classic Chicago album (opener Out of the Blue being the most obvious example) for the most part the territory explored here is closer to the urban sophistication of In My Head – the album that, until now, was my favourite of his solo output.  

As Lamm’s liner notes (available to download from www.robertlammsolo.com, along with the song lyrics/credits, etc) make clear the gestation period of some of these songs was decades rather than days, and the fact that he’d previously abandoned some of the ideas that have finally come to fruition on this album is a lesson for all artists to never throw anything away. Several tracks had been submitted for inclusion on various Chicago albums over the years, some in drastically different versions, but at least one (I Confess) was submitted (and rejected) for Chicago XXX which is astonishing, as it is quite possibly the best song any member of Chicago has penned in decades. If Chicago ever return to the studio to record music that isn’t Christmas-themed (chance would be a fine thing) this simply has to be a contender, despite its inclusion here.

While it was once unusual to see a Lamm-penned tune with a co-writer credit, the opposite is now true and on this occasion there are multiple co-writes from long-term collaborator Hank Linderman, as well as more recent acquaintances Trent Gardner and Zosia, all of whom bring different things to the table and help to provide a tremendous diversity to the material. Tantalisingly he also mentions Peter Cetera as one of the writers he sent song ideas to for this album, but doesn’t give any indication of what response, if any, was received.

Zosia actually turns out to be something of a secret weapon on this album, appearing as a vocalist on all three of her contributions and expanding her presence throughout the album from backing vocalist (on Arise)  to duet singer (on the tremendously catchy Those Crazy Things) to sole vocalist on first bonus track Liquid Sky. She is very much a worthy successor to Lamm’s previous duet partner, the late Phoebe Snow.

To my mind Lamm was always Chicago’s most consistent – and overlooked – vocalist, and his voice has only changed slightly over the past four decades; the warmth that was always its defining characteristic is present as ever  - even the ‘gruff’ voice he employs for much of On the Equinox doesn’t hide this – though it does demonstrate a rarely-seen versatility (though this has been evident on record since at least Chicago III and I Don’t Want Your Money).

While I’ve casually referenced my absolute favourites on the album above, there isn’t a weak moment to be found - without exception all of the songs here will echo in your head for days after listening.

The album ends with a second bonus track - namely a remix of On the Equinox - but this is not a slightly-altered reprise of the ‘official’ version – it really does feel like a completely different song. As a preview of the upcoming ‘Songs of Robert Lamm’ remixes album on which it will be featured alongside other drastically re-worked classics from the Lamm songbook, old and new, it bodes extremely well.

With a total running time of around 40 minutes (including the two ‘bonus’ tracks) this is an album that definitely leaves you wanting more (and as a result I often replay both Those Crazy Things and I Confess once I’ve finished the album as a whole), which is how it should be. Overall this is definitive (one might say living...but one won’t!) proof (if any were needed) that, whatever is happening with his ‘day job’, Lamm’s creativity is undiminished – while the work included here would obviously reach a much wider audience if released under the Chicago banner, I’ll happily take the undiluted approach doing things on his own allows him for as long as he cares to write and record. Fans of early Chicago in particular or (cliché warning) great music in general, need to check this out. (9/10)

PS - I don’t generally bother with samples myself, but if you’re wanting a preview of the album here you go!

Album + Gig Review: Ian Anderson - Thick as a Brick 1 and 2

It’s not often sequels are attempted in rock music, and it’s even less often that they are worthy successors to their classic originals – but Ian Anderson’s belated follow-up to Jethro Tull’s classic Thick as a Brick (cunningly titled Thick as a Brick 2, or TAAB2 for the perennial texters amongst us) is a delightful exception on both counts. Of course, although it’s a direct sequel, it follows a very different path to the first. As a quick refresher for those who don’t know these things by heart, the original album is a single track (divided into two parts, a hangover from the days when vinyl was king), based on the epic poem of the same name as written by the (fictional)  8-year old Gerald ‘Little Milton’ Bostock. The sequel’s lyrics do not derive from an imagined later work by Bostock, but are instead comprised of musings on various paths Bostock’s life may have taken (‘What-if’’s, maybes and might-have-beens’) in the forty intervening years (we’re told he is now 50, so there has been a bit of fudging of his precise age along the way –– somehow I’m slightly bothered by this, even though he isn’t real – may need to get my head examined if further distress should ensue from this trivial matter…). 

As the original album had not been performed in full since the accompanying 1972 tour, and said tour had become the stuff of moderate legend, the announcement that it would be given the special anniversary treatment was greeted with enthusiasm by many, even if they were confused as to why Anderson would be performing it as a solo artist. Cynics would say that the decision not to tour under the Tull name is a cheap ploy aimed squarely at getting Mr Anderson a larger cut of the proceeds – well, that’s as maybe, but by distancing it from the band it has also allowed him to present it in a different manner to what might have otherwise been expected – particularly the addition of Ryan O’Donnell on ‘theatrics’ as well as handling a fair-sized chunk of the vocals, would have seemed out of keeping within the context of a Jethro Tull performance . It’s no secret that Anderson’s voice is not what it once was (neither’s mine though, and I’m only half his age, so what can you do?) but it was astonishing to hear O’Donnell sing parts of the first TAAB and sound uncannily like Anderson in his younger days. As the new album is all sung in Anderson’s ‘new’ voice, the shared vocals didn’t seem quite as necessary for the second half of the show, but it did provide consistency and it has to be said that the dishing out of lines to O’Donnell was clearly thoroughly thought through (try typing that ten times quickly while drunk…). It’s not as if Anderson was coasting either, he still sang plenty himself, and ably juggled guitar and flute right throughout both sets. Indeed, while O’Donnell and the other supporting musicians (particularly keyboardist John O'Hara) were exemplary, Anderson was still the undisputed star of the show throughout (not least during his on-screen appearances as Bostock’s psychiatrist or St. Cleves resident ‘Tufty’, inviting us to ‘an evening of progressive rock music…mustn’t call it ‘pop’!’ which opened the first and second halves of the show, respectively). 

While I knew Thick as a Brick from radio, live performances and the 3 minutes that appears on The Very Best of Jethro Tull I only acquired the full album a few weeks before the release of the sequel, so unlike many, I’m sure, I was by and large equally familiar with both albums. When the tickets were released many months ago we were promised other ‘Jethro Tull classics’ and there was no mention of the sequel – however there didn’t seem to be anybody in the audience who was too bothered about the change of plans (though there’s bound to be the odd chancer threatening to take the promoter to trading standards); indeed the applause during the second half of the show was positive proof to the contrary, this wasn’t a crowd sat impatiently suffering through new material while awaiting ‘the hits’.

If you happen to be anywhere near the subsequent dates of the tour then you should definitely get yourselves a ticket; either way the album (both of them, in fact) come highly recommended. Sadly the packaging of the sequel is a bit of a disappointment compared to the intricate original (which it apes) - even the CD reissue, which is significantly cut-down from the original LP, boasts far more detail within its sleeve – including the lyrics. Albums being released without printed lyrics in this day and age is a particular bugbear of mine – if you’re generally a digital listener you might as well go straight for the (legal!) download, really. Packaging quibbles aside, this is a superb effort and essential listening for all Anderson, Tull and prog fans and seeing it performed live, in full, is the icing on  apretty massive cake. (9/10 for both albums AND gig)

TV Review: Gerry Rafferty night on BBC4

Who could have predicted that when, a little over a year ago, Gerry Rafferty – singer-songwriter extraordinaire (and subject of my very first blog entry) – passed away that the BBC would devote an evening to commemorating his life and career? Certainly not me, and while I can’t help but wish that this kind of treatment had been afforded Rafferty in his lifetime, any belated attention his back-catalogue receives can only be a good thing.

The evening began with documentary Right Down the Line, which follows Rafferty’s life and career in a more or less linear fashion, and featured remembrances from a wide selection of friends, family and fans, not to mention Mike Stoller (of legendary writing/production team Leiber and Stoller, who had the misfortune of trying to tame Stealers Wheel in the studio – although the results they achieved speak for themselves).

This programme originally aired on BBC Scotland last summer, so the interviews were clearly recorded relatively quickly after his passing, which makes for quite a raw experience at times, as several interviewees are unable to continue talking at various points during the film. Certainly I recall watching this the first time with a perpetual blur in the eye, but this second viewing was somewhat easier, although the footage of the Rafferty clan singing Whatever’s Written in Your Heart at his funeral did me in again...

Early on in the programme the myth that Baker Street’s famous sax riff was written by the saxophone player himself (fans don’t even mention him by name anymore, which is a shame really - while the man may be a delusional and/or lying tit, he did contribute some amazing performances to each of Gerry’s three biggest-sellling albums) is well and truly debunked, as Rafferty’s original demo – clearly featuring that famous riff played on electric guitar -  is played (the full demo is now available on the expanded collector’s edition of City to City which emerged late last year) and sets the scene for a tale of a man many describe as a perfectionist, who would pay the closest attention to every conceivable detail in his music – and be completely disinterested in playing the ’industry game’ to promote it – seeing some of the promotional clips he was forced to endure in the early days of his career, it’s a policy that’s all too easy to understand!

Most of those interviewed have a great deal of interest to say and offer real insight into Rafferty’s reclusiveness and artistry (even if every single one of them have abiding memories of Gerald that involve excessive alcohol consumption – I suppose that is to be expected, after all). Certainly the likes of Joe Egan, John Byrne, Billy Connolly and Rab Noakes have a lot to offer to a programme of this nature – not only did they each work closely with Rafferty in the early (Humblebums/Stealers Wheel) days, they all to a man remained close friends with him right until the end. Indeed Rab appears (along with Rafferty’s daughter Martha) to have taken on the role of guardian of the Gerry Rafferty legacy, and has already demonstrated that it’s in more capable hands than ever before.

Contributions from Martha and Gerry’s older brother Jim offer a glimpse at the private side of the man, while the likes of Hugh Burns and Betsy Cook (mainstays of his studio band for many years) explain his working methods – all participants clearly have the utmost respect for the man and his music, even while acknowledging his darker side, such as Cook’s relating how he would pick random targets (i.e. people) to attack mercilessly for no apparent reason. And drink. A lot. Courtesy of a 2001 interview Gerry is present himself, and comes across as laidback and avuncular, but also as a man who always doubted some aspects of his own talent (though fortunately John Byrne is on hand to forcefully rebut Rafferty’s assertion that he didn’t really have a way with words).

The ‘fans and admirers’ contingent don’t really add much, by comparison, essentially appearing to talk about their favourites of Rafferty’s less commercially successful period, so we have Val McDermid relating the sublime North and South to her own life at the time, only for Tom Robinson to bleat on a bit about the follow-ups to N+S being a ‘return to form’ (in fact most of Robinson’s comments tended to annoy me more than anything, on reflection, but I’ll get over it!). 

Following the documentary was a compilation of highlights from the Gerry Rafferty Remembered concert at this year’s Celtic Connections festival. Led again by Rab Noakes and Martha, and backed by a band including Betsy Cook, Mel Collins and Hugh Burns (seemingly being played by Patrick Troughton!), a wide variety of guests performed selections from the Rafferty songbook.

This show also had its premiere on BBC Scotland, but in an hour-long slot, rather than the ninety minutes presented this time around. This extended version was a vast improvement, as the original seemed a little City to City-era-centric, whereas the longer programme had time to offer a greater number of selections from across his fascinating career. As a result a couple of tracks from Gerry’s Humblebums and Stealers Wheel days were featured, not to mention an excellent selection of material from his solo debut, the fabulous Can I Have My Money Back? Of course there wasn’t time for everything, so there was nothing to represent Rafferty’s last few albums (unless Her Father Didn’t Like Me Anyway counts).

Among the many highlights were Canadian Ron Sexsmith’s renditions of two Rafferty classics (Right Down the Line and Days Gone Down) which were hit singles in North America, but not the UK, Jack Bruce’s powerful vocal on Waiting for the Day, and the rousing finale of his two most famous songs – Baker Street and Stuck in the Middle With You, the latter of which featured one of the most crowded stages I’ve ever seen as all involved with the concert returned one final time. Perhaps the single most affecting performance though came with Family Tree which, like the funeral footage from the documentary, was performed by Martha and many of her cousins (and was one of several songs shown that demonstrated the immense talents of Rafferty’s nephew Mark), revealing once and for all that sometimes these things just run in the family.

Also of note were the stripped-down acoustic performances, such as Rab’s reading of Moonlight and Gold, James Vincent McMorrow’s take on My Singing Bird and especially Rab and Mark’s duet on Mary Skeffington – you could have heard a pin drop during any of these. Of course nobody present – as articulated on stage by Barbara Dickson – would not have preferred to be at an actual Gerry Rafferty concert, but there weren’t many of those even in his lifetime – and unlike some of those interviews for the documentary, enough time had passed for this to be a truly joyful celebration of the man and his music.

Despite the extended nature of the show, there are still performances that have yet to be aired, so hopefully these will be included on the planned CD and DVD release.

As one final added bonus the evening ended with an episode from the first series of Singer-Songwriters at the BBC which features Gerry’s appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test. While it’s not the strongest instalment of this excellent retrospective series it’s well worth a look, especially for Gerry and Steve Forbert’s clips, and rounded out a fine tribute to one of Scotland’s greatest recording artists of all time.