Gerry Rafferty - Snakes & Ladders (1980)/Sleepwalking (1982)

EU import

I don't remember who wrote it nor on which social media platform it appeared, but several years ago I read something along the lines of "Childhood was a lot like euphoria: listening to Gerry Rafferty and not taking baths." That particular sentiment certainly applied to your humble blogger's childhood, circa 1978. However, unknown to me at the time, the writer was referring to the HBO teen drama Euphoria, not the emotion. But before I caught on to that fact, I went and ordered this two disc package to expand my knowledge of Mr. Raffery's music. I've never seen the show but I'm glad I picked this set up, mainly for the Snakes & Ladders album.

I love a good twofer CD set, but points off on this one for complete lack of liner notes. Not even playing or songwriting credits. I hate heading online for that info, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

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SNAKES & LADDERS (1980)
12 tracks, 49 minutes

The lead track, The Royal Mile, was released as single, peaking at #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sadly, that's the only tune in this entire 2 CD set that saw any chart action in the US. Track 6, the bluesy Bring It All Home, was also released as a single. Nevertheless, this album has grown on me over the years. To my ears, it reliably delivers Rafferty’s characteristic blend of soft rock, folk, and pop sensibilities. It doesn't pack the punch that City To City delivers, but if you enjoyed that 1978 album, there's something here for you.

Press of the time:

• Trouser Press: "He varies the mood noticeably from song to song, which allows you to appreciate what a really clever songwriter he can be."
• CashBox: "truly a master at producing driving power pop tunes."
• Billboard: "brilliant LP"
• Record World: "This one sounds more like his first." [note: by "first," the writer is incorrectly referring to City To City] 

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #61
• CashBox: #140

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SLEEPWALKING (1982)
8 tracks, 37 minutes

This is a horse of a different color. Rafferty moves from his folky soft rock to music that utililzes lots of synths and production tricks. But I understand an artist's desire to keep up with the popular sound while playing around with the latest technology. From Rafferty's website:

By 1982, after releasing three albums in quick succession, Rafferty’s was keen to take his music – and his life - in a different direction. The result was Sleepwalking.

Christopher Neil, who replaced Hugh Murphy, Rafferty’s usual producer, introduced the synthesisers and drum machines Rafferty would enthusiastically build into his musical repertoire. The resulting album is brave attempt to create a crisper less acoustic sound, with far less intricate arrangements, that builds on Rafferty’s folk-pop roots.

Sleepwalking can be interpreted as more of a song cycle than a series of tracks. The theme is alienation and, to some extent, the potential for redemption.

So it sounds like Rafferty, but it doesn't. A few tracks remind me a bit of Long Distance Voyager. After this release, Rafferty took a six-year hiatus from recording

Press of the time:

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My favorite tracks are Standing At The Gates, the moody Good Intentions, and The Right Moment. I also like the pulsing title track, which was unsuccessfully released as a single.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None - I didn't hear music from either album until four decades after release.

Previously revisited for the blog:
City To City (1978)