“We had each been invited to sing a couple of songs. He recalled: “The occasion was a pre-show get-together on the afternoon of The Humblebums’ first major Glasgow concert in the City Hall. The journey began on an auspicious day in Partick in Glasgow and St Andrews-born Rab spoke with affection about how everything fell into place as he and his compatriot suddenly found themselves hitting all the right notes. Gerry Rafferty enjoyed success with Stealers Wheel before branching out on his own. It was the launch of a cherished partnership, which he has now outlined as part of a poignant tribute to his late, lamented colleague. Next up was Stealers Wheel, and Rab Noakes fondly remembers joining Gerry in a spontaneous rendition of a Beatles classic while the duo were still youngsters at the beginning of their respective careers in the late 1960s. They toured, composed, performed and blazed a vibrant trail together. It all started with The Humblebums, where Rafferty joined forces with the banjo/guitar-playing Billy Connolly amid a thriving arts scene in Glasgow. Gerry Rafferty was one of the most influential and successful singer-songwriters ever to emerge from Scotland.Īnd even now, a decade after his untimely death, many of the works which he created, from Baker Street and Night Owl to Get It Right Next Time and Stuck in the Middle with You, are ingrained in pop culture. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Information An icon of an information logo. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Red Pump Special is available at An icon of a desk calendar. Named after the famous line from Midnight Cowboy, it's supplemented by the Scottish singer Jill Jackson who shares Noakes's folk/country/rock pedigree and has a grittiness that somehow defines much of the new songs on offer.Īll in all, it's a concert giving a real lease of life for a long-standing talent who has more than paid his dues and he clearly enjoyed it. The standout though is the title track of the new album I'm Walkin' Here, due for release in a few months time. While they don't have the familiarity of the earlier set, they resonate with the imagination and experience Noakes has, in particular the rock'n' roll Out Of The Blue and the Alan Hull tribute Your Clear White Light. In addition to this anniversary reissue, the busy Mister Noakes has also been putting together an album of brand new songs recorded in Glasgow's Muirend, and these are showcased in the second half. While the sound balance does them no favours, Noakes is well served by his backing band led by Hilary Brooks and supplemented by the ubiquitous Celtic Connections musician Roddy Hart. Noakes is helped by a surrounding galaxy of talent from Alice Marra to singers Emma Pollock and Barbara Dickson. The songs sound as fresh now as when they were written, with the singles from the original album Branch and Clear Day still the stand out tracks. Now 40 years old, Noakes has rereleased an anniversary edition to mark this milestone. Split neatly into two halves, the first is a complete run-through of the iconic Red Pump Special album, first produced in Nashville by Harvest producer Elliot Mazer. Besuited and bespectacled, Rab Noakes bounds onto the stage to warm applause from an audience that had obviously been listening to his songs most of his career.
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