Gerry Rafferty didn't want to be a star. That’s the weirdest thing about the Gerry Rafferty City to City album; it’s a masterpiece created by a man who was actively trying to hide from the music industry. By 1978, Rafferty was stuck in a legal nightmare, a soul-crushing three-year hiatus caused by the messy breakup of Stealers Wheel. He was broke. He was living in a flat in London while his family was up in Scotland. He was commuting back and forth on the train, watching the grey landscapes blur past the window, and basically just pouring all that isolation into a notebook.
He didn't know he was writing a multi-platinum record. He thought he was just surviving.
When City to City finally dropped in early 1978, it didn't just sell; it dominated. It knocked Saturday Night Fever off the top of the charts. Think about that for a second. In the height of the disco craze, a soft-spoken Scotsman with a penchant for folk-rock and incredibly precise production managed to steal the crown from John Travolta. It was an anomaly. It was also perfect.
The Saxophone That Changed Everything
You can't talk about the Gerry Rafferty City to City album without talking about "Baker Street." It’s the law. But there’s a massive misconception about that iconic saxophone line played by Raphael Ravenscroft.
People think it was written for the sax. It wasn't.
Rafferty originally intended for that melody to be sung. When that didn't feel right, he tried it as a guitar solo. Still nothing. It wasn't until Ravenscroft walked into Chipping Norton Recording Studios that the magic happened. There is an old legend that Ravenscroft was paid with a check for £27 that bounced, though he later admitted he’d been paid fairly and the story was just a bit of rock-and-roll myth-making. The real story is simpler: a session musician played a riff that became the most recognizable hook in the history of adult contemporary radio.
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But "Baker Street" is a bit of a trick. It’s a dark song. It’s about a man who’s a bit of a loser, drinking too much, dreaming of a "home" he’ll never actually go back to. It’s cynical. Yet, because of that soaring saxophone, we all treat it like an anthem of freedom. Rafferty was a master of that—hiding deep, often bitter melancholy inside melodies that felt like a warm hug.
Production Perfectionism and the "United Artists" Gamble
Gerry was a notorious perfectionist. He and producer Hugh Murphy spent an agonizing amount of time layering sounds. If you listen to the title track, "City to City," you can hear the influence of the Beatles, sure, but there's a specific "dryness" to the drums that became a hallmark of the late 70s California sound—ironic for a record made mostly in Oxfordshire.
The album sounds expensive. It sounds like it took forever because it did.
City to City isn't just a collection of songs; it’s a travelogue. It captures the exact feeling of being "in-between." Between bands. Between cities. Between being a nobody and becoming a legend. Songs like "Right Down the Line" show a different side of Rafferty—the devoted husband. It’s arguably one of the most honest love songs ever written because it’s not about "falling" in love; it’s about the person who stays when you're a mess.
- "Right Down the Line" hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts.
- The slide guitar work on the album is incredibly underrated.
- Rafferty played many of the acoustic parts himself to ensure the "feel" was right.
Honestly, the album shouldn't have worked. The punk explosion was happening in London at the exact same time. The Sex Pistols were screaming about anarchy while Gerry was singing about "The Ark." On paper, he should have been obsolete. Instead, he became the soundtrack for everyone who felt overwhelmed by the noise of the late 70s.
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The Tracks Most People Skip (But Shouldn't)
While everyone knows the hits, the Gerry Rafferty City to City album has some deep cuts that actually tell the story better than the singles. "Mattie’s Rag" is a weird, bouncy little track dedicated to his daughter. It feels like a breather in the middle of a heavy record.
Then you have "The Ark."
This is where Rafferty’s folk roots really show. It’s sprawling. It’s got this Celtic soul vibe that feels like it was pulled straight out of the Scottish Highlands. It reminds you that despite the slick production and the American-style radio appeal, Gerry was a Glasgow boy at heart. He never quite fit into the Los Angeles scene that his music eventually defined. He hated the promotional side of things. He refused to tour the U.S., which arguably cost him millions of dollars and even greater fame.
He just didn't care about the machine.
Why the Sound Still Holds Up in 2026
We live in an era of "vibe" music, where everything is compressed and digitized. The Gerry Rafferty City to City album is the antithesis of that. It’s "big" music. When you listen to it on a good pair of headphones, you can hear the space in the room. You can hear the wooden resonance of the acoustic guitars.
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There's a reason why artists like Tame Impala or the War on Drugs seem to pull from this era. It’s that blend of sophisticated pop and raw, emotional honesty. Rafferty wasn't trying to be "cool." He was trying to be accurate to his own experience.
The album eventually went Platinum in the UK and 5x Platinum in the US. It made him a very wealthy man, which, in a tragic twist, allowed him to retreat even further into his own private world and his struggles with alcoholism. But for that one moment in 1978, everything aligned perfectly.
Practical Insights for the Modern Listener
If you’re coming to this album for the first time, or if you’ve only ever heard "Baker Street" on a classic rock station, you need to change your approach.
- Listen to the 2011 Remaster. It cleans up some of the muddy low-end from the original vinyl pressings without losing the warmth of the analog tapes.
- Pay attention to the lyrics of "Stealin' Time." It’s perhaps the most prophetic song on the record regarding Rafferty’s future struggles with fame and consistency.
- Don't skip "Island." It’s the closing track and it provides the emotional resolution the rest of the album builds toward. It’s the "landing" after the long commute.
The Gerry Rafferty City to City album remains a definitive document of 1970s songwriting. It’s a masterclass in how to use the studio as an instrument. It’s also a reminder that sometimes, the best art comes from the moments when we feel most stuck.
If you want to understand the bridge between 60s folk and 80s sophisticated pop, this is the record. Go find a copy, preferably on vinyl, sit down, and actually listen to it from start to finish. No shuffling. No skipping. Just let the train ride happen. It’s the only way to truly appreciate what Rafferty was trying to tell us about the distance between where we are and where we want to be.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Audit your audio setup: To hear the intricate layering of the Gerry Rafferty City to City album, avoid low-bitrate streaming. Seek out a FLAC file or a high-quality vinyl pressing.
- Explore the "Paisley Sound": Check out Rafferty’s earlier work with The Humblebums (featuring Billy Connolly) to see how his songwriting evolved from pure folk into the "City to City" sophisticated rock style.
- Study the "Baker Street" arrangement: For aspiring musicians, analyze how the saxophone acts as a "second vocal" rather than just a solo—it’s a lesson in melodic phrasing that defines the entire record's success.