Gerry Rafferty Dies - and Birds Fall From The Skies

Breaking news is that 70s singer songwriter Gerry Rafferty has passed away at age 63. Rafferty battled alcoholism for many years and died this morning after battling a long illness, according to Billboard.com.

In his heyday Rafferty had a few hits that I love to this day: Baker Street, Days Gone Down, and of course, Get It Right Next Time. Prior to going solo, his band Stealers Wheel had a hit with Stuck In The Middle.

The below video for Get It Right Next Time was one of the first videos I remember seeing as a kid, on a show called (I think) Friday Night Videos. I always thought Rafferty looked totally cool and still think the song is fantastic.

(THE MAN has a nasty habit of pulling Gerry Rafferty videos down so enjoy this while you can.)

I wrote about Rafferty a couple of years ago when rumor had it he had vanished. It was a weird mystery but ultimately fell into the Paul Is Dead camp.

But speaking of mysteries, why in the ever loving hell are dead birds raining over the southern United States? They must have heard Kim Kardashian's new single.

RIP Gerry Rafferty:

Mick Taylor Torn and Frayed

Once in a while there is an article about an old rocker that is so weird it makes you turn your head and say "whaaa?" For example, 70s Lennon clone Gerry Rafferty allegedly vanished last year and the rumor mill heated up that he went MIA two days after checking himself into a hospital due to liver disease. People thought he was abducted or took off to go die in peace in a hole somewhere. According to an update on his Wikipedia entry, he's doing just fine thank you.

But yesterday another weirdo story caught my eye - this time an article about former Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, indicating he is for the most part broke due to the Stones not paying him any royalties since 1982. There are photos of his dilapidated house and old moss covered car etc. I guess the club circuit keeps him alive but that's it. No side career as a painter like Ronnie Wood or Paul Stanley as a "fall-back."

If true, this is a travesty. Whether or not Mick is the sharpest tool in the shed or best businessman in the music biz (he's not) aside, his playing on the Stones' albums from 1968 to 1974 is glorious and without him, albums like Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street, Goats Head Soup and It's Only Rock and Roll would not be nearly as staying. And he should be paid for it, like everybody else.

His slide work on stuff like Dancing With Mr D is epic, and his soloing on classics like Time Waits for No One is, well, timeless.

As I loved KISS for Ace Frehley, I love those Stones albums for Mick Taylor's playing.

According to the article, Taylor was written out of his royalties share when the Stones changed labels in 1982, and he never bothered to sue to fix the slight (see 'not the best businessman' above). That plus battling drug issues off and on over the years have taken its toll, and his photo in the article was a bit of a shocker.

I saw Mick Taylor at Slim's in San Francisco in the 90s and he was pretty good. He did the exact same set twice for some reason (must have thought it was an early and late show and didn't notice all the people in the audience were the same), but he was still good.

The article is also a bit of a tell-all (I hope he got paid for it), and an interesting read. I do feel badly for him but it really just makes me want to listen to some old Stones, which of course will only make Mick and Keith richer. Hmmm...

Gerry Rafferty Missing

Does anyone remember Gerry Rafferty? he had some very cool big songs in the 70s - Baker Street, Get It Right Next Time, Right Down The Line and Days Gone Down come to mind.

But sources report that Rafferty, who had been experiencing liver problems, checked into St. Thomas Hospital in London July 25 for series of tests to determine the status of his health.

On August 1, nurses entered Rafferty's room to find him gone, his bed empty, but his personal belongings left behind. London authorities are suspecting a kidnapping and filed a missing persons report. The 61-year old rocker remains missing. Doctors have yet to release his condition to the public.

Weird! Here's hoping for the best and in the meantime, check out these two vids. These are my favorite kind of videos by the way - studio shots! Cool 70s threads too.

Baker Street (You think he was going for a mid-70s John Lennon look here? Nah...)


Get It Right Next Time (this one is my favorite of his - reminds me of being a kid, 'cause that's when this came out)