Gerry Rafferty (1978) Right Down The Line - LOST70sGEMS

When it came to examining the void, Gerry Rafferty was possibly the most overlooked of the self destructive singer songwriters, but this true gem was always a shining beacon of his talent. It starts with a intoxicating mingling of an ethereal floaty guitar wailing away in the distance while guitar strikes and Carribean percussion and cowbell tick away in the foreground and a impassive organ fills out the inbetween; it's a stunning 'ocean bed 'mix that provides the backdrop for Rafferty's voice. As the quiet storm rages on , Gerry's lyrics read like a diary entry or a love letter before pausing for another a few bars of that distant guitar whines and meows away like a bluesy hound or a lonesome wolf or rather a howling wolf! The upbeat chorus vocals don't fit so well but who the hell cares when you examine his upfront word which bluntly state the transparency of their relationship. The song ends on some truly fantastic falsetto oohs that should've lasted a full minute rather than appearing right at the brink of the fadeout, but it works with it's slight mockingly ghost spookiness and yet serious delivery. The title along with the vocal is a brutal statement of part resignation and part warning which I find touching that you can interpret this in a number of ways from black humour or romantic, to deathly intense.