Ferguslie Park (Vinyl)

The short but legendary recording career of Stealers Wheel is defined by the pinnacle reached with it's first two albums. While 1973's Ferguslie Park wouldn't have a mega-hit smash single like quot;Stuck in the Middlequot; (#6, US), this sophomore effort is a more polished effort overall from song to song, beginning to end. By the time Ferguslie Park was recorded, the band was distilled down to the songwriting duo of Jerry Rafferty and Joe Egan working with a backing band of session players. It would hardly matter as Rafferty and Egan were clearly the creative essence of Stealers Wheel. It's easy to see why many thought the group would become the UK's answer to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The duo's songwriting prowess is in peak form here, marrying ultra-catchy hooks and melodies to thoughtful but biting lyrics laced with black humor and sharp satire. Knowing the band's history of battling themselves, their producers and their record label it's easy to see where they were coming from with songs like quot;Good Businessman,quot; quot;Nothing's Gonna Change My Mind,quot; quot;Who Caresquot; and quot;Everyone's Agreed That Everything Will Turn Out Fine.quot; Ferguslie Park is a real district in Paisley, Scotland, where Rafferty and Egan first met in their teens. It's a story as old as Rock n' Roll itself that Stealers Wheel wasn't long for the world as a band - only one more middling effort would follow. But that doesn't dim the brilliance of this overlooked gem. For those who would look at the apparent overnight success of Jerry Rafferty's 1978 breakout City to City, Ferguslie Park is the record you can spin and hear where it all came from with great clarity.