Gerry Rafferty died in January 2011. In what has now become an annual tradition of paying homage to recently deceased Scottish artists a tribute concert was one of the main features of the Celtic Connections 2012 programme.
Here is Gerry with the title track from his debut album dating back to 1971
One of the key people in putting this tribute together was fellow Scottish musician Rab Noakes who is also now a producer for Radio Scotland. Here is Mississippi which is for Erik if he is out there.
Francois and the Atlas Mountains as far as I am aware have no connection with Gerry Rafferty but this is a lovely song.
The final offering has been selected more for it's social history component as opposed to the quality of the music. Here is Arthur Johnstone's slant on the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Work In
Gerry Rafferty - Can I Have My Money Back
Rab Noakes - Mississippi
Francois & the Atlas Mountains - Les Plus Beaux
Arthur Johnstone - Doon Through The Years
I saw Francois & the Atlas Mountains supporting Public Service Broadcasting in Cardiff last year. They were awful, truly apalling. Maybe they're more of a studio band...
ReplyDeleteOh my! Just catching sight of Jimmy Reid there in that photo has made me ineffably sad. Down the years I've thought often of Jimmy and even since his death many times recalled him with tremendous emotion and affection. Of course when he had his high public profile in the 70s he was a geat capture for TV news interviews and other such current affairs programmes etc and I lapped them all up. I remember he was invited to my school's speech day in Sheffield early 70s and even though I'd been kicked out I went back just to hear him. I can say without equivocation that in my lifetime I haven't known a more inspiring rabble-rousing socialist than him (Heffer, Benn etc included). I never met him or anything like that but I was fortunate to be around in his era. It seems futile to add (and dream) how someone of his ilk would be lauded in these desperate, desperate days.
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