RT - Shoot Out The Lights, Gerry Rafferty mix boot-leg?

[ollythedolly]

Hi all,
Just been reading the wiki page for Shoot Out The Lights. I've known the story about Gerry Rafferty and all that before but it mentions that a bootleg of the album is out and about somewhere. Anyone heard it or got a copy of it?!  
Olly

[Nick]

Most if not all of it has been released on the various anthologies I think. Such as the 'Life and Times' box set.

Cheers

Nick

[Neil]

The Watching the Dark collection had a fair few of these tracks too, they are a little disappointing if you are familiar with the official release.

[Dan O.]

I've had one of these for a while now. If you can find the bootleg "Rafferty's Folly" then it's an interesting alternative version of the album, worth seeking out - the mixes are certainly more slick, even disco-ey, certainly on songs like "Don't Renege On Our Love," the guitar solo on "Walking On A Wire" lacks the bite of the official version. I can see why RT eventually re-recorded it with Joe Boyd, giving a drier, more organic feel to the album. Ironically, Linda Thompson is quoted in the Patrick Humphries biog as saying that she preferred the Rafferty version and saw it as a wasted opportunity for radio play, etc. As above, various tracks are on "Watching The Dark" as well as versions of the bootleg.

[John From Austin]

Other features of Rafferty's Folly - Linda sings lead on Wall of Death, if I recall correctly; it contains a lovely studio recording of I'm a Dreamer; and the rhythm section is, I believe, the very slick and professional Willie Weeks and Andy Newmark rather than Peggy and DM.  

On the whole, it's worth hearing; however, in my humble opinion it doesn't hold a candle to the official release.  Joe Boyd's production is terrific and I really prefer Peggy's and DM's rockier style.

[Jules Gray]

Most if not all of it has been released on the various anthologies I think. Such as the 'Life and Times' box set.

Not true.  There's a track on Watching The Dark, and another on a Linda compilation.  But most of the tracks remain unreleased.

Jules

[arie]

...... But most of the tracks remain unreleased.

To be precise:
There are two bootlegs with the Rafferty sessions, the aforementioned “Rafferty’s Folly” and “Before Joe Could Pull The Trigger...” The latter is, according to Clinton Heylin in his book “Bootleg” , a “sparkingly superior copy of the master tape”  and “the one to track down”. Both have the same tracklist to begin with, but different bonus tracks (which I leave out now):
1.   Don't Renege On Our Love
2.   Back Street Slide
3.   Walking On A Wire
4.   The Wrong Heartbeat
5.   Shoot Out The Lights
6.   For Shame Of Doing Wrong
7.   I'm A Dreamer
8.   Modern Woman
9.   Just The Motion
10.   Wall Of Death

On “Watching the Dark” you get “For Shame of Doing Wrong” ,”Back Street Slide” and “The Wrong Heartbeat”
The liner notes mention for the first song:
R. Thompson: electric & acoustic guitars, second vocal
L. Thompson: vocals
J. Kirkpatrick: accordion
P. Pickett: hurdy gurdy
B. Cook: wurlitzer piano, mini moog, & backing vocals
S. Nicol: acoustic guitar
P. Zorn: bass
L. Genockey: drums
G. Rafferty: backing vocals
Strings arranged by W. Malone
G. Wright: String Leader

Phill Picket on shawn for the second song. The last song adds F. Ricotti on percussion. Apparently only “For Shame…” is remixed in 1993.
Of course “For Shame of Doing Wrong” wasn't on SOTL, it's a re-take of the version on "Pour Down Like Silver"
“The Wrong Heartbeat” wasn’t on SOTL either, but it was released on the later “Hand of Kindness”

“Walking On A Wire” and “I'm a Dreamer” are on "Dreams Fly Away, A History of Linda Thompson"
Both are remixed in 1996 for this release. The latter is a cover of the Sandy Denny song and not on SOTL.

Don't think there are Rafferty versions on RT The Life and Music, the details in the notes are very sketchy sometimes.

Still unreleased Rafferty versions: "Don't Renege on Our Love", "Shoot Out The Lights", "Modern Woman" (not on SOTL), "Just The Motion" and "Wall of Death"
Songs on SOTL, not recorded earlier by Gerry Rafferty: "A Man In Need", "Did She Jump Or Was She Pushed" and the single b-side "Living In Luxury"

Hope this helps

[folkfreak (Alexander)]

Im must be in the minority, but I think the Rafferty Versions ar far, far better than the official Album.
The Versions on Watching the dark are remixes, that also are not as good as the original mixes.

There are two bootlegs of that album. One is called Rafferty's folly, the other one "..before Jo could even pull the trigger". The last one has a far better audio quality.


Alex

[Jim]

Rafferty's folly sounds like its a cd ripped straight from a vinyl copy with that warm analogue sound of a needle ripping through the plastic

a google of either title will point the seeker to free copies of each version

[Jules Gray]

Im must be in the minority, but I think the Rafferty Versions ar far, far better than the official Album.

Noooo!  The version of Wall Of Death with Linda singing is just.....wrong.  And some of the production sucks the life out of it.  The Rafferty version of Back Street Slide is great though.

Jules

[Jules Gray]

I have the Rafferty's Folly boot.  It sounds pretty ropey.  I'd be interested in a copy of Before Joe Could Pull The Trigger to see if it's as good as they say....

Jules

[Jim]

you know that the grave cant be far away when youre listening to "Before Joe Could Pull The Trigger" and wondering who that guitarist is and assuming its a pal of Rafferty's possibly Jerry D
 
just shoot me now


at least i still have enough grey cells to realise what a clod i have become


and i have had a copy of "Raffertys Folly" for the thick end of 20 years for which i paid good money