Customer Reviews

Life Goes On

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gerry Rafferty has a new album out - after nine years. An event to get down on your knees! Alongside newly edited tracks from his last three albums (1992-2000) the sticker says Six New Songs. They turn out to be three hymns, 'Kyrie Eleison' and the two Christmas pieces 'Adeste Fidelis' and 'Silent Night', which had been available on Rafferty's former home page years ago. 'Your Heart's Desire' is a new recording of the B side of 'Shipyard Town'. 'Because' and 'The Maid Of Colmore' are interesting new discoveries indeed, a Beatles cover and a Celtic traditional respectively. All titles are carefully instrumented and carried a long way by Gerry's soothing voice.

Mind you, there is not a single new composition among them! After nine years! That's a pity really, as Gerry is one of the most gifted songwriters there are. And if Rafferty must warm up old material (twelve songs altogether), why not the rarer single B sides 'Big Change In The Weather', 'In Transit' and smoothy-jazzy 'When I Rest'? All of them titles that have never been out on CD. That makes one want to cry big tears. Tears reflecting Rafferty's former glory.

This collection boasts a number of fine tracks from his past 3 albums plus 6 unreleased songs, including the wonderful "Your Heart's Desire." Also, there is a re-working of "Another World" with some different lyrics. In the spirit of Christmas, there are a couple of Christmas carols that are beautifully sung. A cover of the Beatles "Because" is probably worth the price of this CD alone. Hopefully Gerry will be recording new material in the coming year and this CD serves to complete his prior Greatest Hits/Best Of packages.
Overall, 4/5 stars.

There are three categories of tracks here: new cover songs (most of which were previously available as free downloads); re-issues of previously released tracks; and re-edits of same. My advice in a nutshell: Buy the downloads of any tracks you don't have, but skip the $35 import price. I'll review these categories in reverse order:

First, let me stress that the "re-edits" are just that: They are EDITED versions of these songs--not remixes, not extended versions, not remasters. Ever hear the radio edits of Gerry's hits "Baker Street" or "Right Down the Line"? And don't they make you want to puke? If not, maybe this is for you. But as a fan who already has the long versions of these, my question is, "WTF?!"

Second, the standard re-issues. This is NOT a "Best Of" by any measure. Look, I like "Love and Affection," but can anyone argue it's among his stellar tracks? Same with "Waters of Forgetfulness"--which, ironically, is not listed as a "re-edit," but does sport a slightly extended opening. If you're really interested, again, I recommend just the download, and only to hardcore fans who MUST have everything.

Finally, the "new" songs. As I mentioned, many of these were made available as free downloads from Gerry's website (which, at the time of this writing, appears to be defunct). So if you don't have them, I guess you could collect them here. But don't expect these to be stellar songs.

None are Rafferty originals. (Ironically, a download-only track from his website, "Imagination," is not included on this disc, even though it would probably be of greatest interest to his fans.) Of the songs he chooses to cover, well... A Christian chant ("Adele Fideste") and an Xmas song ("Silent Night")? Pretty tame stuff. Sure, "Because" is a great song, but Gerry's version is SO CLOSE to the Beatles version, what's the point? If you have the Beatles version, there's no point in picking up what is essentially a duplicate but with Gerry doing the vocals.

So what have we got? Lame covers, lame edits, no new originals, not even a good "Best Of" collection. It fails on every level. I recommend instead getting the albums from which the older stuff were drawn; not only will you hear better songs than are included here, you'll get them UNEDITED.

I AM crying, as Gerry Rafferty IS one of the best pop music songwriters in history - yet he is "missing in action" or, more likely, "missing out of action". Gerry, you got the shaft from United Artists Records and subsidiaries as far as ever getting the proper promotion you deserve for some of the best songs ever written in the 20th century (Get It Right Next Time, Baker Street, Right Down the Line, etc...). I hope that you come back and bless us with one more album of your original material - I know you've got it in you my friend. Even your covers of Christmas music (on this collection) prove you still have that stellar smooth soothing voice that one can listen to all day without tiring. I would like to give this 5 stars, but we are longing for your original songs again my friend, not just covers. The Beatles' show in Las Vegas should use your version of "Because" on this CD, because yours is better!
America needs you Gerry Rafferty, to show the young aspiring songwriters, like my offspring, how to write great pop music with great lyrics, great instrumentation, and a great voice to back it up; all well-engineered into a musical masterpiece that you can understand.
We miss your artistry Gerry - more music - please! We beg of you, and we miss you here in America!

It has been about five years since Rafferty's last release "Another World," so this treading-water mishmash of re-issues from several earlier recordings, re-edits of some earlier tracks, and a few other songs that were available as free downloads from his now-defunct website comes as rather a disappointment.

The re-issues are fine, but real fans will already have them. The re-edits don't change the orignal songs to any great extent, although "The Waters of Forgetfulness" has an evocative, eastern-sounding intro that was not on the original recording (from 1994's "Over My Head") which improves the song's atmosphere but hardly merits a re-release. The other re-edits have different running times, but even though I am very familiar with the original versions, I would be hard-pressed to determine what changes have been made. They're all fine songs, but we've heard them.

This leaves the tracks that were originally free downloads from the late, lamented website. There are, as I make it out, six of these. "Kyrie Elieson" and "Adeste Fidelis" are multi-multi-tracked Gerry producing the effect of a choir of Gregorian chanters. "Because," the Beatles tune, is also given the multi-multi-track treatment, and it's gorgeous, fully a match to the original recording. "Your Heart's Desire" is a fine song, one of his strongest from the late 80s, when it was recorded for but not released on "North and South." If you liked that recording, you'll love this song dating from those sessions. "The Maid of Culmore" is a traditional Scottish song, and Rafferty's recording makes me wish he had followed through on plans to do an all-traditional recording.

A few of the web downloads are inexplicably not included here. I'd rather that they would see the light of day than the straight, unchanged re-issues that take up too much of this CD. He had a new "film noir" version of "Keep it to Yourself" from the second Humblebums album, released in 1971, another traditional song--"She Moved Through the Fair"--that was a modal, mystical folk club staple in the 1960s and beyond, and a version of "Fever" that almost outdoes Peggy Lee's definitive version, with a slinky, jazzy cool feel that is immensely appealing. There was also a forgettable instrumental, remnent of a plan for an all-instrumental project.

Sorry to go on so much about what's not on here, but if a place-holder release was all that Rafferty was able to come up with, even that could have been a bit better than this disappointment. I hope this is a deck-clearing maneuver to make way for the kind of tastey and tunefuliscious pop music that has been his hallmark for decades now. He doesn't release recordings very often, and it's too bad this one is something of a miss.

If you are a fanatic, you will want this. If not, try "Another World," "North and South" or even "City to City," which holds up beautifully after all these years.

Love this CD. Was quite impressed with the range of tunes on this CD. Gerry as a great singer, songwriter!

Still waiting for the sequel to SLEEPWALKING. Come on Gerry!

"......When are you gonna let go...... WAKE UP TO THE REAL..........?? "

This new music is long overdue from one of the greatest singer and songwriters of the modern day. Gerry continues his his usual style with this CD and the music is similar to other albums Rafferty has produced. The one odd song on the album is the Christmas Song "Silent Night" which Gerry sings great, but I just found it a little strange on this album?? I really enjoyed his updated versions of previously released songs. The "remixed" versions are fantastic. For fans of Gerry, you will truly enjoy this album. Even though Gerry is now in his 60's, his voice still remains a masterful vocal talent and he should be encouraged to produce even more music in the future. I personally would love to see a "Greatest Hits LIVE DVD produced". There are very few LIVE performances through the years from Gerry and a LIVE DVD which spanned the ages with all his Greatest Hits would be incredibly well received across the globe.

Thank you Gerry!

Gerry Rafferty is a legend and a master of his art. This is a "Must Have" for ANY collection regardless of your taste in music. Whether you are into grunge punk or classical, though Gerry's style fits in neither of these genre's, you will find yourself appreciating his works and feeling proud that you have included him in your life.