Should the name Jim Rafferty sound a tad familiar, he is in fact the older brother of Gerry Rafferty, of ‘Baker Street’ and ‘Stuck In The Middle with You’ fame. As a songwriter, Jim had signed a solo deal with Decca in the late 1970s. With Gerry in the producer’s chair, and a crack team of the several of the same musicians whom Gerry later recruited for his hit album, ‘City To City’, Jim produced the album ‘Don’t Talk Back’, comprising the kind of sophisticated, melodic material typified, like his brother’s work, by strong emphasis on vocal harmonies - the popular style at end of the 1970s.
Decca went out of business concurrent with their release of Jim’s arguably superior second album, ‘Solid Logic’, produced by Martin Levan. Times were changing across the music business, and Jim, always seeking new challenges, continued to write interesting, idiosyncratic material. He signed a self-penned, nervy and minimalist new work ‘I See Red’, to Hit & Run publishing, which was picked up by Phil Collins for Abba star Frida’s solo album. The song’s outsider narrative and implied reggae rhythm, made somewhat cartoonishly explicit in Frida’s version, also found favour with a number of other artists, notably Clannad, whose album ‘Magical Ring’ included their near identical version of ‘I See Red’, and gained chart placing in the UK. The same song was subsequently covered by brother Gerry on his ‘Wing and A Prayer’ album.
The flipside of Jim’s ‘I See Red’ has its own cover history - ‘Fear Strikes Out’ first appeared on Ian Matthews’ 1984 LP, ‘Shook’. Matthews, a journeyman who’d once sung in Fairport Convention alongside Judy Dyble and Sandy Denny and later hit the charts several times as a solo act, roots his version firmly in Jim’s ineffable arrangement, which makes sense - but Jim’s version notches up the excitement brightly, showcasing sharp guitar and keyboard textures in the mix. And sounding more like a hit.
Decca went out of business concurrent with their release of Jim’s arguably superior second album, ‘Solid Logic’, produced by Martin Levan. Times were changing across the music business, and Jim, always seeking new challenges, continued to write interesting, idiosyncratic material. He signed a self-penned, nervy and minimalist new work ‘I See Red’, to Hit & Run publishing, which was picked up by Phil Collins for Abba star Frida’s solo album. The song’s outsider narrative and implied reggae rhythm, made somewhat cartoonishly explicit in Frida’s version, also found favour with a number of other artists, notably Clannad, whose album ‘Magical Ring’ included their near identical version of ‘I See Red’, and gained chart placing in the UK. The same song was subsequently covered by brother Gerry on his ‘Wing and A Prayer’ album.
The flipside of Jim’s ‘I See Red’ has its own cover history - ‘Fear Strikes Out’ first appeared on Ian Matthews’ 1984 LP, ‘Shook’. Matthews, a journeyman who’d once sung in Fairport Convention alongside Judy Dyble and Sandy Denny and later hit the charts several times as a solo act, roots his version firmly in Jim’s ineffable arrangement, which makes sense - but Jim’s version notches up the excitement brightly, showcasing sharp guitar and keyboard textures in the mix. And sounding more like a hit.
TRACK LISTING
1. I See Red
2. Fear Strikes Out
