City to City

City to City is the second solo studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty, released on 20 January 1978 by United Artists Records. It was Rafferty's first solo release in six years—and first release of any kind since 1975—due to his tenure in the band Stealers Wheel and subsequent legal proceedings which prevented Rafferty from releasing any new solo recordings for the next three years. The album was well received, peaking at No. 1 in the US and going Platinum,[5] as well as reaching No. 6 in the UK Albums Chart and achieving Gold status. "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line" and "Home and Dry" were successfully released as singles.

For the song by Ratt, see Reach for the Sky (Ratt album).

City to City
Studio album by
Gerry Rafferty
Released20 January 1978 (1978-01-20)
Recorded1977
StudioChipping Norton Recording Studios
GenreRock
Length51:12 (outside UK)
53:00 (UK)
LabelUnited Artists
ProducerHugh Murphy, Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty chronology
Gerry Rafferty
(1974)		 City to City
(1978)		 Night Owl
(1979)
Singles from City to City
  1. "City to City"
    Released: 1977
  2. "Baker Street"
    Released: 3 February 1978
  3. "Right Down the Line"
    Released: 1978
  4. "Home and Dry"
    Released: 1978
  5. "The Ark"
    Released: 1978
  6. "Whatever's Written in Your Heart"
    Released: 1978
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[2]
Rolling Stone(not rated)[3]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]

Singles

"Baker Street"
Main article: Baker Street (song)

United Artists wanted to use "City to City" as the lead single from the album, but Rafferty felt that "Baker Street" would be a better choice and eventually the latter song became the first single in most countries. Released on 3 February 1978, "Baker Street" peaked at No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and spent four weeks at No. 1 in Canada. It reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, spending six weeks there, and two weeks at No. 1 on the US Cash Box Top 100. The B-side of "Baker Street" was "Big Change in the Weather".

"Right Down the Line"

"Right Down the Line" reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaked for two weeks at number eight on the Cash Box Top 100, and spent four non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Easy Listening chart in the US in 1978,[6] the only Rafferty song to reach number one on this chart. Bonnie Raitt covered the song in 2012, including it in her Slipstream album.

"Home and Dry"

"Home and Dry" was the third single from the album in the United States, but did not have a UK release. It peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking a third consecutive Top 40 hit for Rafferty on that chart. It reached No. 23 in Canada.[7] The B-side featured the sixth track from City to City, "Mattie's Rag". It reached No. 26 on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, doing best on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart, where it reached No. 7.[8]

Speed discrepancy

In the U.S. and most countries outside the U.K., the original 1978 vinyl and cassette releases were pitched slightly higher than the actual recording speed, resulting in a total album length of around 51:12, a difference of roughly two minutes from the U.K length of 53 minutes. The three singles from the album were also released with this speed discrepancy, and the incorrect versions can still be heard on some radio stations to this day.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gerry Rafferty

City to City track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Ark"5:36
2."Baker Street"6:06
3."Right Down the Line"4:28
4."City to City"4:51
5."Stealin' Time"5:39
6."Mattie's Rag"3:28
7."Whatever's Written in Your Heart"6:30
8."Home and Dry"4:52
9."Island"5:04
10."Waiting for the Day"5:26

Personnel
  • Gerry Rafferty – lead vocals, backing vocals (3-10) acoustic guitar (1, 4, 5), acoustic piano (10)
  • Tommy Eyre – acoustic piano (1, 2, 3, 5–8), synthesizers (2, 5, 7, 8), organ (3, 9, 10), electric piano (2, 5, 9, 10), brass arrangements (10)
  • Willy Ray – accordion (6, 9)
  • Jerry Donahue – electric guitar (1)
  • Hugh Burns – rhythm and lead guitars (2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10)
  • Nigel Jenkins – rhythm guitar (2), lead guitar (8)
  • Micky Moody – acoustic guitar (5)
  • Andy Fairweather-Low – rhythm guitar (10)
  • B.J. Cole – steel guitar (3, 4, 5, 9), dobro (6)
  • Gary Taylor – bass and backing vocals (1-10)
  • Henry Spinetti – drums (1-6, 8, 10)
  • Graham Preskett – fiddle (1, 4, 6, 10), mandolin (1), string arrangements (2, 8), ARP string synthesizer (5, 6). brass arrangements (6)
  • Glen LeFleur – tambourine (1, 3, 5), clave (3), congas (2, 10), drums (9)
  • Hugh Murphy – tambourine (4)
  • Raphael Ravenscroft – saxophones (2, 9)
  • Paul Jones – harmonica (4)
  • Barbara Dickson – backing vocals (1, 7)
  • Roger Brown – backing vocals (4)
  • Vivienne McAuliffe – backing vocals (4)
  • John McBurnie – backing vocals (4)
  • Rab Noakes – backing vocals (4)
  • Joanna Carlin – backing vocals (7)

Australian bush band the Bushwackers featured on track 1 "The Ark", playing the introductory piece on fiddle, concertina and bodhran. This piece was also used under the guitar solo in the middle of the song.

Production
  • Gerry Rafferty – producer
  • Hugh Murphy – producer
  • Barry Hammond – recording
  • Declan O'Doherty – mixing
  • John Patrick Byrne – cover painting
  • Additional recording at Berwick Street Studios and Marquee Studios (London, UK).
  • Mixed at Advision Studios (London, UK).

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1978) Peak
position
Australia Albums (Kent Music Report)[9] 3
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 9
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[11] 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[13] 6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 9
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 6
US Billboard 200[16] 1

Year-end charts
Chart (1978) Position
Australia Albums (Kent Music Report)[17] 8
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 14
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] 14
US Billboard 200[21] 38

Sales and certifications
Certifications for City to City
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] 2× Platinum 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[23] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Stone, Doug. City to City at AllMusic
  2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 10 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  3. "Rolling Stone review". Archived from the original on 8 May 2006.
  4. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  5. "RIAA Gold and Platinum". Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  6. "Right Down The Line — Gerry Rafferty". Last.fm.
  7. "Image : RPM Weekly". 17 July 2013.
  8. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 3 March 1979. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  9. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 244. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Gerry Rafferty – City to City" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  11. "Dutchcharts.nl – Gerry Rafferty – City to City" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Gerry Rafferty – City to City" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  13. "Charts.nz – Gerry Rafferty – City to City". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  14. "Swedishcharts.com – Gerry Rafferty – City to City". Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  15. "Gerry Rafferty | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  16. "Gerry Rafferty Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  17. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 430. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  18. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1978". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  19. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  20. "Top Selling Albums of 1978 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  21. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1978". Billboard. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  22. "CashBox Magazine" (PDF). Billboard. 7 October 1978. p. 12. Retrieved 13 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
  23. "Dutch album certifications – Gerry Rafferty – City to City" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 16 July 2022. Enter City to City in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1979 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  24. "British album certifications – Gerry Rafferty – City to City". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  25. "American album certifications – Gerry Rafferty – City to City". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  • Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
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