Album of the Day

Born on this day in 1947, Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty had tasted success as part of The Humblebums in the late 1960s, and in Stealers Wheel (“Stuck In The Middle With You”) a couple of years later, but it was CITY TO CITY that truly put him on the musical map. The 1978 solo album features the song most associated with the multi-talented performer, “Baker Street,” a tale of discomfort with the music industry's star-making machinery that paradoxically became a No.2 U.S. single. With another hit in “Right Down the Line,” the collection went to No.1 on the U.S. chart, eventually going platinum. Any good best-of will include those two highlights - but maybe not “Whatever's Written In My Heart,” “Mattie's Rag” or “Home And Dry”; this album shines from start to finish with outstanding pop craftsmanship. Surely Rafferty's finest hour, CITY TO CITY is well worth another visit.