SAX IN THE CITY

Jon Askew pays tribute to the iconic saxophone solo in Gerry Rafferty's international smash-hit Baker Street and busts an urban myth

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The year 1978 was one of mixed fortunes for Scottish acts in the pop charts. Andy Cameron’s song Ally’s Tartan Army was written to celebrate Scotland’s foray into the World Cup in Argentina and although it managed a creditable No 6 in the hit parade, it was, like most football songs, a pretty awful record. But not as awful as the Scotland team’s performance as they were totally outplayed in losing to Peru before drawing with that other renowned footballing giant, Iran, leaving Ally’s Tartan Army to march home very early.

Fortunately, Scottish national pride was rescued that year by Paisley-born Gerry Rafferty with the Ivor Novello Award-winning international smash-hit Baker Street which, despite now being 45 years old, remains a timeless classic. This musical masterpiece made the mile-and-a-half long thoroughfare that links the south-western corner of Regent’s Park down to Oxford Street one of the most famous streets in the world, and all in the space of just over four minutes. That really does show the power of music.

The record, which debuted as the first single from Rafferty’s City to City album, is about as close to perfection as you can get in a rock song. Musically and lyrically, it creates an intense atmosphere that’s so skilfully crafted around a melancholic storyline that it still sends shivers down my spine, just as it did when I first heard it all those years ago. It tells of being down and depressed in a soulless city, of being stuck in a rut and desperately wanting to escape the situation and follow your dreams.