"The A&M Years" by STEALERS WHEEL – Features Three UK Studio Albums - "Stealers Wheel" (November 1972 Debut), "Ferguslie Park" (November 1973 Second) and "Right Or Wrong" (March 1975 Third and Final) – All on A&M Records - Plus Three BBC Live Recordings taped December 1971 as Bonus Tracks on CD1 – Band featured Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan (December 2017 UK Caroline Records 3CD Clamshell Box Set with James Bragg Mastering) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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RATINGS:

Overall *** to ****

Presentation ****

Audio *** to ****

"…Stuck In The Middle With You…"

In truth, I have never held much truck with the idea that Stealers Wheel albums were actually any good. Excepting of course that lightning rod moment with "Stuck In The Middle With You" – I always felt they were forever getting there instead of having arrived. 

With Lead Guitarist Paul Pilnick, Bassist Tony Williams and Drummer Rod Coombes having split the band shortly after the release of the debut album – Scotland's Stealers Wheel was essentially Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan as a singing-songwriting duo using session musicians for albums number two and three. 

Having said that - this natty looking and rather tastefully presented 2017 Three-CD Clamshell Box Set from Caroline Records of the UK (part of Cherry Red's group of labels) has its melodious moments and will please fans no end with its pretty presentation and (mostly) good audio. To the good businessmen and chopped earlobes…

UK released 1 December 2017 - "The A&M Years" by STEALERS WHEEL on Caroline CAROLR082CD (Barcode 602557783438) is a 3CD Clamshell Box Set with Three Albums from November 1972, November 1973 and March 1975 on A&M Records onto 3CDs in Mini LP Repro Artwork Card Sleeves Plus Three BBC Recordings taped December 1971 as Bonus Tracks – it plays out as follows:

CD1 "Stealers Wheel" + Three Bonus Tracks (43:27 minutes):
1. Late Again [Side 1]
2. Stuck In The Middle With You
3. Another Meaning
4. I Get By
5. Outside Looking In
6. Johnny's Song [Side 2]
7. Next To Me
8. José
9. Gets So Lonely
10. You Put Something Better Inside Me
Tracks 1 to 12 are their debut studio album "Stealers Wheel" – released November 1972 in the UK on A&M Records AMLS 68121 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4377. Tracks 3, 4, 8 and 9 written by Joe Egan, Tracks 5 and 6 written by Gerry Rafferty and Tracks 1, 2, 7 and 10 co-written by Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty

BONUS TRACKS Live At The BBC (December 1971):
11. Please Sing A Song For Us
12. Steamboat Row
13. I Get By

CD2 "Ferguslie Park" (39:31 minutes):
1. Good Businessman [Side 1]
2. Star
3. Wheelin'
4. Waltz (You Know It Makes Sense!)
5. What More Could You Want
6. Over My Head
7. Blind Faith [Side 2]
8. Nothing's Gonna Change My Mind
9. Steamboat Row
10. Back On My Feet Again
11. Who Cares
12. Everything Will Turn Out Fine
Tracks 1 to 12 are their second studio album "Ferguslie Park" – released November 1973 in the UK on A&M Records AMLH 68209 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4419. Tracks 5, 6, 9 and 11 written by Gerry Rafferty; Tracks 2, 4, 8 and 10 written by Joe Egan; Tracks 1, 3, 7 and 12 written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan

CD3 "Right Or Wrong" (37:39 minutes):
1. Benediction [Side 1]
2. Found My Way To You
3. This Morning
4. Let Yourself Go
5. Home From Home
6. Go As You Please [Side 2]
7. Wishbone
8. Don't Get Me Wrong
9. Monday Morning
10. Right Or Wrong
Tracks 1 to 10 are their third and final studio album "Right Or Wrong" – released March 1975 in the UK on A&M Records AMLH 68293 and in the USA on A&M Records SP-4517. All Tracks written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan except "Don't Get Me Wrong" written by Gerry Rafferty. 

To this day (and I own the original LP) – I am still one or two entries short on being able to name the eight places that artist John Patrick Byrne placed/hid the name Stealers Wheel on the front cover (Joe Egan's beard, the foliage to the bottom right of the painting, name in the clouds etc). The centre pages of the 20-page booklet (liner notes by MICHAEL HEATLEY) give a tasty display of the six British A&M Records 45-singles that surrounded the three albums - while other pages prior to that line up rare Euro Pic Sleeves – three at a time. There is period sheet music, the inner lyric sleeve for "Ferguslie Park" (albeit unreadably small) – even the artwork for the different American LP label. More importantly, Heatley lays out the history, the break-ups, Rafferty rejoining before going solo proper. It's nicely done - but we never do find out who played Sax on "Late Again". The remastered sound by JAMES BRAGG varies from good to great – clean and clear for the most part – the better-recorded second and third LPs especially shining through. 

Produced by Rock & Roll heroes Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller (they talk in the liner notes of Brown Ale cases and bottles of whiskey being consumed in copious amounts) - the self-titled "Stealers Wheel" debut opens with a lonesome slightly-distant harmonium drone - "Late Again" - Rafferty talking about ceaseless complaining and owning-up to being wrong. A&M Records clearly had some faith in the melancholic tune because they issued it as the first single from the album in October 1972. A&M Records AMS 7033 had "I Get By" from the LP as its flipside but no joy. In the New Year (January 1973) - A&M tried again to get the public interested with "You Put Something (Better Inside Me)" with another LP cut "Next To Me" on the B-side – but A&M Records AMS 7046 again did no business. 

Finally, Stealers Wheel and their record company hit melodious pay-dirt with the sheer commercialism of "Stuck In The Middle With You" – released as a popular UK 45-single in April 1973 on A&M Records AMS 7036 with the album cut "José" on the B-side. A winner if ever there was one - it would eventually rise to No.8 on the British singles chart and make US inroads too - the album peaking at No. 50 on the US Billboard charts while the single made two rungs better than the UK by peaking at No.6. "Stuck In The Middle With You" would of course receive a whole new lease of life when it became an integral part of Quintin Tarantino's 1992 debut movie "Reservoir Dogs" in that infamous bloody scene towards the end of the movie. 

Speaking of another melody, there's a lovely sound to "Outside Looking In" - clever guitar runs aiding Rafferty's deadpan delivery. Side 2 opens with "Johnny's Song" - a sort of semi-rocker that could have been another single. Soft and soothing is what you would call "Next To Me" - Egan's voice good but not as good as Rafferty. "José" is a horrible cod-rocker that eventually settles down to a softer melody but again it only half works. Plinking and shimmering keyboard notes open "Gets So Lonely" - the same old situation again. The album at least ends on a melody high - the second single "You Put Something (Better Inside Me)".

The three bonus live tracks are interesting and the audio acceptable too. "Please Song Me A Song" was a tune from the September 1969 debut album for the Billy Connolly and Gerry Raffety folk-duo band The Humblebums. Such was the hooky nature of the song, Continental Uptight Band out of Germany even did a Psych-ish version of it in 1970 on Columbia Records. Although the vocals are a bit ropey at the outset, the recordings get better. "Steamboat Row" would eventually turn up on the second Stealers Wheel album "Ferguslie Park" album in November 1973 while the jaunty "I Get By" was on the debut LP released almost a year after the BBC exclusive-concert show. The crowd responds enthusiastically to the boogie. 

The moment the "Ferguslie Park" on CD2 opens with the riffage and acoustic strums of "Good Businessman" - you can hear the production values have been upped big time. Rafferty and Egan (playing everything from Guitars to Kazoo) are joined by session players Peter Robinson (Keyboards), Bernie Holland and Joe Jammer (Guitars), Chris Mercer and Steve Gregory (Saxophones) while Producer Mike Stoller even gets in on the act by playing Electric Harpsichord with Jerry Leiber twiddling the control-room knobs. "Star" is another winner - melodious and highly radio friendly and with the album-track "What More Could You Want" as its B-side - it rose to No.25 in the UK and a very healthy No.28 in the States. Surprisingly though, the "Ferguslie Park" LP (again sporting John Byrne artwork) didn't trouble the album charts on either side of the pond. 

Another slow groover, A&M obviously thought there was legs in "Wheelin'" so they issued it as the album's second 45-single in April 1974 in the USA with the debut LP's "You Put Something (Better Inside Me)" on its flipside - but it didn't take. Lovely Bass to "Waltz (You Know It Makes Sense!)" but it's a strange non-event track. The brand-new Telecaster guitar bop of "What More Could You Want" could have been another 7" single winner (as an A-side) - Rafferty moaning once again about the industry telling him to write hit tunes or take a hike.  Side 1 ends in the ballad "Over My Head". 

The Side 2 starter-for-ten "Blind Faith" is a pleasing rocker - guitars and pianos rolling along to 'a-bop-shoo-wop' chorus. Time for a dead-end-job song (money so low) - "Nothing's Gonna Change My Mind" highlighting some David Gilmour type guitar solos. A song they played at the BBC two years prior now turns up - "Steamboat Row" - Pedal Steel shuffling - a tale of an Irishman working an honest day - a miner covered in dirt and dust - then fifteen miles to get home. "Back On My Feet Again" is about the rockiest tune on "Ferguslie Park" - moving on after the hard times. Piano ballad "Who Cares" has Rafferty singing through echoed vocals - a sophistication in the song that harks to "City To City" in a few years time. It all comes to an end with "Everything Will Turn Out Fine" - as hooky a tune as you could hope for - very Medicine Head. Re-hearing "Ferguslie Park" - you'd have to argue that it's more accomplished than its more famous predecessor - a clear attempt to Americanise the Stealer Wheel sound. 

Stealers Wheel album number three "Right Or Wrong" (from 1975) has never had much of a rep amongst fans. The artwork foregoes John Byrne artwork for a photo of Rafferty and Egan on front and rear. Guitars and strings greet you for the Side 1 opened "Benediction" - hearts crossed, souls seeking out a state of grace. "Found My Way To You" feels like a naff New Seekers tune - "This Morning" at least feeling like there's a melody lurking in there somewhere even it never actually emerges from beneath the strings and layered instruments. Groover ahoy with the guitar chug of "Let Yourself Go" while Side 1 ends with the only slightly better "Home From Home" - a weedy ballad with oddly discordant duet vocals. Only "Don't Get Me Wrong" and the jolly "Monday Morning" on Side 2 lift proceedings but not by much. 

As I said earlier Stealers Wheel had loads of potential but I always felt they rarely realised it outside of the obvious winners. Rafferty would go on to a cannon of fantastic solo albums - his songwriting skills coming to full fruition. A good Box Set let down by not-so-good material. Still, fans will have to own it...