Two Side of Stealers Wheel

Gerry Rafferty : Night Owl

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In June of 1979 Gerry Rafferty released Night Owl, his follow-up to the Platinum-selling album City to City. In the title track, a U.K.#5 hit, Rafferty reveals his demon addiction to drink which would be his eventual undoing.  The entire album is lushly produced and so gorgeous to hear that you must listen closely for Rafferty's growing dissatisfaction with life as a millionaire rock musician. Richard Thompson plays on a couple of tracks.

From the same issue of Smash Hits that gave Night Owl a 7/10.

Joe Egan : Back On The Road

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Rafferty's ex-partner from Stealers Wheel, Joe Egan also released his first solo album around this time in 1979. Out of Nowhere also features smoothly produced, folksy tunes that a Smash Hits reviewer defied anyone not to like. This album also scored a 7/10. Absolutely charming, though not enough to keep Egan in the game. He would retire in the early 80's.

40 Year Itch : Looking Like a Long-lost Sheep

Woody Allen, Love and Death, 1975

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   When they harmonized together, childhood friends Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan sounded like two Lennons singing through clenched teeth. This is the title cut from their third and final album, as fine as anything else they recorded together. By the time it was released the duo had already broken up for good. This song could be heard as Rafferty's final farewell to Egan. ("I've got to save myself, right or wrong"). Three years later, Rafferty would break out with his City to City album.

Also on this date in 1975: The SNACK concert

   Bob Dylan joins Neil Young and The Band on stage at Kezar Stadium for a benefit concert Bill Graham organized to raise $200,000 for San Francisco public schools. Santana, Tower of Power , The Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Starship and Jerry Garcia and friends also performed.

40 Year Itch: Stealers Wheel

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  When they harmonized together, childhood friends Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan sounded like two Lennons singing through clenched teeth. With Beatlesque melodies, producing by songwriting legends Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and the Fab Four's fave engineer Geoff Emerick at the controls, Stealers Wheel's debut album, released in October of 1972, hits that sweet spot for fans of well made pop. One problem. Rafferty had already left the band by the time album came out.Then, in 1973, the band's first single, "Stuck In The Middle With You", sold a million copies and  hit the Top Ten in the US and UK. Suddenly the band was in demand and Rafferty had to be convinced to rejoin the Wheel--which he described as "a fucking shambles" -- for another album.

The debut opens with "Late Again" which showcases their harmonies.

The video for "Stuck In The Middle With You" was shot after Rafferty returned to the band. The Dylanesque voices were kind of an inside joke. The song itself is about Rafferty and Egan getting caught at a table with managers ( Clowns to the left of me) and record company execs ( Jokers to the Right)

Our deep cut is "Outside Looking In", another cut that appeared on a Stealers Wheel hit compilation I bought in 1978 after Rafferty's City to City hit the top of the charts.