Members present: William A. Rawls, Cuban Pete, Plan B, Charlie Face, Consigliere
Members absent: ILoveDisco, Swedish Oxers, Ms. Mistoffeles
Favorite song: “Why Won’t You Talk to Me?”
Discussed: Strong nostalgia feeling evoked by album; Rafferty’s perfect pitch; well-arranged music to build larger themes upon; presence of top Brit and Scot musicians on album (including Linda and Richard Thompson); Rafferty’s discomfort with fame and live performing; whether experience of live performance would have given his songs more of an edge, from interaction and reaction with audience; cycle of alcoholism (father, also), leading to his early death; sense of unfulfilled potential, compared to contemporaries such as Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel; role a co-writer might have played in giving more of the songs a hook; Kenny G’s murder of the sax in popular music; was Rafferty great, or on the verge of greatness?; Rafferty as a recluse without the drama or mania; how much having a persona is necessary to be “great.”
Next album, courtesy of William A. Rawls: Remain in Light, Talking Heads (1980)
