Rest in Blue

Rest in Blue
Rest in Blue
Studio album by Gerry Rafferty
Released	September 3, 2021
Genre	Soft rock, folk rock, blues rock
Length	63:24
Language	English
Label	Metanoia Music/Parlophone
Producer	Martha Rafferty; Rudy Tambala;
Gerry Rafferty chronology

“The vocal was so outstanding, he loved traditional music and sang it so well. I wanted it to sound the way I remember him which was around the table singing with some of his friends or with family.”

—Martha Rafferty on emphasizing the vocals on her father's cover of "Dirty Old Town" for Rest in Blue.^[1]

Rest in Blue is a 2021 album from Scottish soft rock musician Gerry Rafferty, compiled from recordings made shortly before his death.

Recording

Rafferty began work on an album in 2006, alongside 2009's Life Goes On, but did not complete it prior to his 2011 death. His daughter Martha took the recordings her father made and combined them with some demos going back to the 1970s to compile this release.^[2] The younger Rafferty chose to complete this album as a tribute to her father and emphasized traditional music for this collection,^[1] while also including a majority of the tracks the elder Rafferty intended for his follow-up album.^[3]

Reception

David Quantick of Louder Sound scored this album 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "a wide-ranging final chapter two" and "a suitable memorial to a much-missed talent".^[4] Another 4 out of 5 stars came from James McNair of Mojo, writing that "Rafferty sounds better than ever" with his clear vocals on this recording, in contrast to more overproduced recordings in his lifetime.^[5] The Scotsman's Fiona Shepherd again gave 4 out of 5 stars to Rest in Blue, stating that it is "no dusty relic, rather it is a timeless treasure which confirms there was much more left in the tank, from symphonic pop to country gospel".^[6] In Uncut, Mark Beaumont gave this work a 7 out of 10 for being "a revelation" and "evidence that his melodic powers were undiminished even as he down-spiralled into tormented addiction".^[7]

Track listing

All songs written by Gerry Rafferty, except where noted.

"Still in Denial" – 3:02
"Full Moon" – 5:26
"Sign of the Times" – 3:31
"You Are All I Want" – 4:44
"I Still Love You" – 4:07
"Wild Mountain Thyme" (Francis McPeake) – 4:51
"Slow Down" – 4:53
"It’s Just the Motion" (Richard Thompson) – 5:47
"Look at Me Now" – 5:20
"Dirty Old Town" (Ewan MacColl) – 5:35
"Lost Highway" – 4:38
"Keeper of My Soul" – 4:00
"Precious Memories" – 3:56
"Stuck in the Middle with You" (Joe Egan and Rafferty) – 3:36

Personnel

Gerry Rafferty – vocals, backing vocals, guitar, percussion

Additional musicians

Frank Bogie – guitar
Richard Brunton – guitar
Scott Bryant – violin
Hugh Burns – guitar, arrangement
Alan Clark – Hammond organ, piano
Kenny Craddock – keyboards, Hammond organ
Nico Ersfeld – viola
Tommy Eyre – piano
Mo Foster – bass guitar
Liam Genockey – drums
John Giblin – bass guitar
Bryn Haworth – guitar, slide guitar
Katie Kissoon – vocals, backing vocals
Rebekah Lesan – cello
John Logan – string arrangement
Kirsty Main – violin
Colin McKee – violin
Rab Noakes – backing vocals
Samuel Omalyev – viola
Andy Patterson – bass guitar, claps, tenor guitar, mandolin, percussion, vocals, bass programming, percussion programming, engineering, mixing
Daniel Pioro – violin, band leader
Graham Preskett – piano
Mark Pusey – drums, percussion
Mark Rafferty – harmonica
Martha Rafferty – percussion, arrangement, production
Paweł Rosak – piano
Cameron Smith – cello
Maria Turowska – violin
Abigail Young – violin

Technical personnel

John Byrne – artwork^[2]
John Cavannah – engineering
Neil Costello – engineering
Oscar Dash – engineering assistance
Roy Dodds – engineering
Billy Foster – engineering assistance
Barry Hammond – engineering
George Oulton – mixing assistance
Dan Priest – engineering
Miles Showell – mastering
Seb Stone – engineering
Rudy Tambala – percussion programming, mixing, production
Bob Whitney – engineering

Chart performance

Rest in Blue peaked at 63 on the Swiss Hitparade chart^[8] and at 73 on the UK Albums Chart.^[9]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Purden, Richard (August 28, 2021). "10 years after his death, Gerry Rafferty's daughter releases a posthumous album tribute to her dad". The Herald. ISSN 0965-9439. OCLC 29991088. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Gerry Rafferty – Rest In Blue Available September 3, First Single "Slow Down" Available Now". Rhino Records. September 3, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Sexton, Paul (August 31, 2021). "Gerry Rafferty: Bipolar alcoholic, industry misfit – and one of Britain's most treasured musicians". Culture > Music > Features. The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. OCLC 185201487. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Quantrick, David (September 3, 2021). "Gerry Rafferty: Rest In Blue album review". Reviews > Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
^ ^a ^b McNair, James (October 2021). Bulley, Jenny (ed.). "Filter Albums". Mojo Filter. Mojo. No. 335. p. 93. ISSN 1351-0193.
^ ^a ^b Shepherd, Fiona (August 30, 2021). "Album reviews: Gerry Rafferty | Kanye West | LOTOS". What's On. The Scotsman. ISSN 0307-5850. OCLC 614655655. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
^ ^a ^b Beaumont, Mark (October 2021). "New Albums". Uncut. p. 30. ISSN 1368-0722.
^ ^a ^b "Discographie Gerry Rafferty" (in Swiss French). Hit Parade. n.d. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Gerry Rafferty | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. n.d. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

External links

Official website
Rest in Blue at Discogs (list of releases)
Rest in Blue at MusicBrainz (list of releases)

[herald-1] Purden, Richard (August 28, 2021). "10 years after his death, Gerry Rafferty's daughter releases a posthumous album tribute to her dad". The Herald. ISSN 0965-9439. OCLC 29991088. Retrieved October 12, 2023.

[rhino-2] "Gerry Rafferty – Rest In Blue Available September 3, First Single "Slow Down" Available Now". Rhino Records. September 3, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

[ind-3] Sexton, Paul (August 31, 2021). "Gerry Rafferty: Bipolar alcoholic, industry misfit – and one of Britain's most treasured musicians". Culture > Music > Features. The Independent. ISSN 1741-9743. OCLC 185201487. Retrieved October 13, 2023.

[ls-4] Quantrick, David (September 3, 2021). "Gerry Rafferty: Rest In Blue album review". Reviews > Classic Rock. Louder Sound. Retrieved October 13, 2023.

[mojo-5] McNair, James (October 2021). Bulley, Jenny (ed.). "Filter Albums". Mojo Filter. Mojo. No. 335. p. 93. ISSN 1351-0193.

[scot-6] Shepherd, Fiona (August 30, 2021). "Album reviews: Gerry Rafferty | Kanye West | LOTOS". What's On. The Scotsman. ISSN 0307-5850. OCLC 614655655. Retrieved October 13, 2023.

[uncut-7] Beaumont, Mark (October 2021). "New Albums". Uncut. p. 30. ISSN 1368-0722.

[chartch-8] "Discographie Gerry Rafferty" (in Swiss French). Hit Parade. n.d. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

[chartgb-9] "Gerry Rafferty | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. n.d. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

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v t e Gerry Rafferty
Discography
Studio albums	Can I Have My Money Back? City to City Night Owl Snakes and Ladders Sleepwalking North and South On a Wing and a Prayer Over My Head Another World Life Goes On Rest in Blue
Compilations	Gerry Rafferty Baker Street
Singles	"Baker Street" "Right Down the Line" "Night Owl"
Related articles	The Humblebums Stealers Wheel Joe Egan Billy Connolly

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