"Baker Street" is a song written and first recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty (16 April 1947 – 4 January 2011). Released as a single in 1978, it reached #1 in Cash Box and #2 in Billboard – where it held for six weeks. Additionally, it hit #1 in Canada, #3 in the United Kingdom, #1 in Australia and top 10 in the Netherlands. The arrangement is known for its haunting saxophone solo. Rafferty received the 1978 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
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Named after the London street of the same name, the song was included on Rafferty's second solo album, City to City, which was Rafferty's first release after the resolution of legal problems surrounding the formal break-up of his old band, Stealers Wheel, in 1975. In the intervening three years, Rafferty had been unable to release any material because of disputes about the band's remaining contractual recording obligations.
City to City was the first album I ever bought on my own. A friend had a copy given to his father by a radio station, and after hearing it, had to have my own. It is still a favorite of mine, as well as several of his later recordings.
ReplyDeleteGreat tunes bring great memories - always! Thanks Gerry
ReplyDelete"Baker Street" is second only to the original mix of Steely Dan's "FM" for the best `70s rock `n roll sax/guitar tandem. I think the whole sound/aura of that song was the precursor for the principle music we heard on the "Miami Vice" TV show a few years later.
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