How Did We Miss This One?



Released September 13 on EMI Records, Gerry Rafferty's seminal 1978 album "City To City", in a TWO-disc 2011 remastered "Collector's Edition." The remaster is by Denis Blackham and I played my DCC copy right after listening to the remaster (which I received today), and the remaster, TO MY EARS, is at least TWICE as good as the DCC version. That's right Hoffman and your grovelling Hoffman sheep, I said TWICE as good. Your version is now up for sale by me on amazon. Granted, it was done 16 years ago, but it's not even close. It's nice to get a remaster and actually HEAR a difference and not just the same thing, different year. This release is in a digipak, so you digipak haters on here won't like it and I will say while the design of the fold out is different, it's more difficult to extract Disc One than usual, but that's a minor quibble. Inside, on the cover of the booklet, you get what was to be the original cover of the album by the artist John Byrne. Thank God they did not use this version over the eventual iconic cover shot everybody now knows. You have to see it to believe it. The tracklist for Disc 2 is well worth the listen and is as follows:

1) Instrumental Intro--much different from album version
2) Big Change In The Weather--original demo to B-side of Baker Street
3) Baker Street--original demo, sans sax, still sounds good, with a funky guitar replacing the sax parts
4) Mattie's Rag--original demo
5) Take The Money And Run--early studio version of a song from his "Night Owl" album, I think this one is better than what made the album.
6) Stealin' Time--original demo
7) City To City--original demo
8) Instrumental Outro

Don't be scared off by Amazon's current price of $26.34, this can be had brand new from 2-3 sellers for less than $7.50. It was great to revisit my favorite tune on the album, "Home and Dry", and this is a cd that you don't want to be over when it is. Maybe you'll be like me and just play it again.

Amazon USA:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005GPFFAY/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B005GPFFAY/?tag=imwan-21

Pardon my edited copy quote response James but yeah, 16 years is like a century with D/A converter upgrades and other technical enhancements but with that said the Collectors 2011 remaster is excellent. Well worth the repurchase, after Gerry's passing I wanted to hear this again and it brought me right back to when I first heard it. Recommended!

Rick A.

Wow...couldn't resist. Thanks for the heads up.

That's a hell of a review...might have to pop!

Is this the same guy that's always getting mentioned on the IMWAN section of this board?

Things I learned on the IMWAN boards: Saying that something "looks like something Byrne drew" is a bad thing.

I totally agree with James - this remaster is fantastic. And that rejected cover is pretty bad!

Updated the subject line so that people don't miss the thread.

Wow...it is pretty ghastly!

One of my favorite albums of all time. Thanks for finding this! Purchasing immediately!

My only question is why would they include the demo version of the b-side but not the b-side itself. That is a bit disappointing.

Vince

Wow. That's hideous.

Nice one, I'm defo in for this. Great album, but I always thought even the DCC sounded a bit dull and muddy.

Not bothered about disc 2, though. I'd have preferred it redone with Night Owls in one of those two-fers that IP likes so much.

It's Frank Gorshin doing Kirk Douglas.

Vince, the b-side "Big Change in the Weather" is at the end of Disc 1. The demo version is on Disc 2.

Thanks, Kym.

That's great to know.

Vince

Walter, you were one of the first people I thought of when I saw this because I know from another thread that you are big fan of this album. This release rivals the release of Rumours on DVD-Audio for me. They did a wonderful, clean remaster job and the second disc isn't just filler. What struck me on the demos is how Rafferty's voice sounded just as pure as it did on the finished cuts. No auto-tuning here. Just a spectacular release IMO and it does take you back to 1978. when you first heard Baker Street. I was in the Army and heard it on a jukebox at the snack bar in Ft. Lee, VA.

I have the DCC version because IIRC, the previous version had been mastered at the wrong speed. I'm looking forward to receiving this one. The only question is whether or not I'll muster up the energy to sell my DCC version. Used CDs these days just don't seem to get much attention.

The original U.S. version of City To City was intentionally sped up slightly because United Artists feared the songs were too long for radio play. It's taken (and still taking) me years to get used to the correct speed after growing up with the sped-up radio versions of "Baker Street", "Right Down The Line", and "Home And Dry".

I too have the DCC gold disc, and I prefer this new remaster.

I had the DCC version because it was either that or the original release. The DCC version was done 16 years ago. I played it right after the remaster, didn't touch the volume knob, nothing and they aren't even close, to my ears. The DCC version is obsolete next to the remaster version.