On A Wing & A Prayer [CD]

This album reflects gerrys emotions after his marriage break-up. Deeply emotional tracks all the way through this album give insights into the intensity of his situation. A truely masterful work that deserved greater recognition from the general public and music industry at large.Light of love track 11 stands out particularly.

Andrew Whiteside's recent review was right on the money. "A wing and a Prayer" is a magnificent album, and a cruelly overlooked gem. The quality of the songs, the arrangements and the production are simply phenomenal. This album is probably number one in my personal desert island disks, as I can't imagine life without it. Gerry Rafferty's husky voice gives a uniquely emotional pull to these songs. The album is clearly based around his marriage break-up, and as others have said, songwriters often produce great music from such traumatic events.

For an example, check out "Don't Speak of my Heart", a 6-minute epic ballad well worthy of Roy Orbison, which just builds and builds. The song is about hurt, and the lyrics will tear your heart out. The brilliant orchestrations and chord inversions have never been bettered in all of popular music. By the bridge, Rafferty's harmonies envelop you. Then the key changes and there's a harpsichord break with soft pizzicato strings, then the voilinists pick up their bows and sweep in for the first time (in the middle of an instrumental break?!!) and the strongest heart will just melt. At the end of the song, there's another instrumental section where a Hammond organ rides majestically over the strings. Awesome music-making without compromise. Anyone not bowled over by this song must surely be either brain-dead or in a coffin.

"It's easy to talk" is another great ballad, featuring a great steel guitar and a cheeky wee bit of Buddy Holly's "It's so easy". One of the few songs Rafferty has recorded by another writer is Allen Toussaint's New Orleans rocker "Get out of my life woman", the perfect song for a bitter break-up. The intro is a bagpipe-like version of Rafferty's own great song "Her Father Didn't Like Me Anyway", which rather rams the point home. For me, this album is a work of two halves - the first 6 tracks are all about the pain and hurt of a break-up, the second half of the ablum begins with the mandolin-infused toe-tapping country gospel of "Don't give up on me", followed my the sweeping love ballad "Love and Affection" about looking back with longing on a relationship - this track has one of Rafferty's typically unconventional middle sections where you have no idea where's he's going, this one has great harmonies and it all makes perfect sense in the end. Then you get the rocker "Does he know what he's taken on" during which Rafferty's jazzy vibrato shines - at one point he sneers "I doubt it". Ouch!

Towards the end of the album, the mood changes and "The Light of Love" is a beautiful ballad about a new romance, then the album ends on a high with the punchy "Life Goes On". I'm not going to offer a pedantic blow-by-blow account of every track, but as a songwriter myself I will simply say that these are songs of the strongest emotional pull, no filler, every track has something to say.

I think it's a great shame that "A Wing and a Prayer" has never been properly recognised, and I keep hoping that the day will come when someone in broadcasting will open their ears to this wonderful music-making. At nearly an hour long for 12 songs, the album will take a few hearings for all to be revealed, but this could be the most musically satisfying albums you'll ever buy. Perhaps it takes a tortured soul to make music this affecting, but I honestly believe this album to be a masterpiece from a truly great songwriter. I really, really hope that Gerry Rafferty has the will to overcome his demons and gets his life back on track to produce more great music.

Sell your house, your children, whatever - just buy this album.

There for all to see are his feelings and raw emotions on the break-up of his marriage. Hurt and anger and a whole bundle of other stuff also.

Favourite tracks would be "It's Easy To Talk", "Don't Speak Of My Heart" & "Love Affection"

Very raw, very sore, but at times very beautiful also. One of Gerry's best and so much desering of a greater audience.

Recommended.