Stealers Wheel were a British folk-rock band that initially got together in 1972 in Paisley, Scotland. Formed by school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty, the band would become best known for their hit Stuck in the Middle with You. The original line-up of the band recorded this record in 1972, and not too many people know that it was produced by the American songwriter team of Leiber & Stoller. Both a critical and commercial success, it would reach No. 50 in the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
But by the time this record was released Gerry Rafferty had left the band. Stuck in the Middle With You would eventually reach No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 in the UK singles chart, in 1973. It would sell more than one million copies worldwide and eventually be certified gold. This prompted Rafferty's return, which resulted in everybody else (except Egan) leaving. Stealers Wheel then officially became a duo, hiring session musicians to fill in the gaps. Gotta wonder what happened there, right?
The pressing I am listening to was released in 2016 by Intervention Records, an amazing reissue label that does things right, much like Run Out Groove and Music Matters Jazz. Everything about this pressing is wonderful, from the production to the very quiet vinyl to the artwork. It is, beyond any doubt at all, the very best pressing of this record that I have ever heard.
The music is almost three dimensional - if I close my eyes the musicians seem strategically placed in various parts of the room - and the spaciousness between them is wide and full of little details I have never before heard. It's truly a treat to listen to this pressing of this wonderful record and Stuck In The Middle With You has never sounded better.
Stuck in the Middle was used by Quentin Tarantino in 1992's film, Reservoir Dogs, during the scene in which Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen, tortures a policeman while singing and dancing to the song. Later, in a Rolling Stone interview, Tarantino recalled it as "one of those things where I thought it would work really well, and during auditions I told the actors that I wanted them to do the torture scene and said I'm gonna use Stuck in the Middle With You, but they could pick anything they wanted, they didn't have to use that song. And a couple of people picked another one, but almost everyone came in with Stuck in the Middle With You, and they were saying that they tried to come up with something else, but that's the one. I was thinking, oh my God, this is gonna be awesome!"
Alternative rockers Lazlo Bane covered the song for their 2007 cover album Guilty Pleasures, which was later used in the 2014 film Let's Be Cops in a scene that parodied the Reservoir Dogs scene, which seems to have taken on a life of its own. It's also featured in an episode of Supernatural titled Stuck in the Middle (With You), in which the characters re-enact the Reservoir Dogs scene.
The season one finale of the Netflix show Happy! also features a re-enactment based on the scene, although it's a bit out there as it involves the tickle torture of one of Nick's imaginary friends called The Sock Puppet using one of Happy's feathers. Do I need to mention that Happy is an imaginary flying blue horse? It's a hilarious re-enactment that does a great job referencing the original Reservoir Dogs scene. It makes you want to watch the show, but make sure you watch Reservoir Dogs first.
The song also makes an appearance on That '70s Show, as well as an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. There are other random appearances, as well, and it's become something of a "thing" now that I suspect will continue for many years into the future. A kind of inside joke.
There are cover versions of the song as well. Leif Garrett released his mostly forgettable take in 1980, while Juice Newton redid the song in 1985. Jeff Healey also released his version of the song as the third single from his 1995 Cover to Cover album.
In 2001 a disco version by Louise reached number 4 on the U.K. charts, and yet another version by Grace Potter is the opening theme of the TV series Grace and Frankie.
The song was also featured in a 2020 TV commercial for IBM and has been sung on The Voice.
All that aside, this album is much more than that one song. All of the other songs on this record are just as good, although I'm willing to bet you can't name even one of them. This record sounds stunning from front to back, and is definitely …
Stealers Wheel were a British folk-rock band that initially got together in 1972 in Paisley, Scotland. Formed by school friends Joe Egan and Gerry Rafferty, the band would become best known for their hit Stuck in the Middle with You. The original line-up of the band recorded this record in 1972, and not too many people know that it was produced by the American songwriter team of Leiber & Stoller. Both a critical and commercial success, it would reach No. 50 in the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.
But by the time this record was released Gerry Rafferty had left the band. Stuck in the Middle With You would eventually reach No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 in the UK singles chart, in 1973. It would sell more than one million copies worldwide and eventually be certified gold. This prompted Rafferty's return, which resulted in everybody else (except Egan) leaving. Stealers Wheel then officially became a duo, hiring session musicians to fill in the gaps. Gotta wonder what happened there, right?
The pressing I am listening to was released in 2016 by Intervention Records, an amazing reissue label that does things right, much like Run Out Groove and Music Matters Jazz. Everything about this pressing is wonderful, from the production to the very quiet vinyl to the artwork. It is, beyond any doubt at all, the very best pressing of this record that I have ever heard.
The music is almost three dimensional - if I close my eyes the musicians seem strategically placed in various parts of the room - and the spaciousness between them is wide and full of little details I have never before heard. It's truly a treat to listen to this pressing of this wonderful record and Stuck In The Middle With You has never sounded better.
Stuck in the Middle was used by Quentin Tarantino in 1992's film, Reservoir Dogs, during the scene in which Mr. Blonde, played by Michael Madsen, tortures a policeman while singing and dancing to the song. Later, in a Rolling Stone interview, Tarantino recalled it as "one of those things where I thought it would work really well, and during auditions I told the actors that I wanted them to do the torture scene and said I'm gonna use Stuck in the Middle With You, but they could pick anything they wanted, they didn't have to use that song. And a couple of people picked another one, but almost everyone came in with Stuck in the Middle With You, and they were saying that they tried to come up with something else, but that's the one. I was thinking, oh my God, this is gonna be awesome!"
Alternative rockers Lazlo Bane covered the song for their 2007 cover album Guilty Pleasures, which was later used in the 2014 film Let's Be Cops in a scene that parodied the Reservoir Dogs scene, which seems to have taken on a life of its own. It's also featured in an episode of Supernatural titled Stuck in the Middle (With You), in which the characters re-enact the Reservoir Dogs scene.
The season one finale of the Netflix show Happy! also features a re-enactment based on the scene, although it's a bit out there as it involves the tickle torture of one of Nick's imaginary friends called The Sock Puppet using one of Happy's feathers. Do I need to mention that Happy is an imaginary flying blue horse? It's a hilarious re-enactment that does a great job referencing the original Reservoir Dogs scene. It makes you want to watch the show, but make sure you watch Reservoir Dogs first.
The song also makes an appearance on That '70s Show, as well as an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. There are other random appearances, as well, and it's become something of a "thing" now that I suspect will continue for many years into the future. A kind of inside joke.
There are cover versions of the song as well. Leif Garrett released his mostly forgettable take in 1980, while Juice Newton redid the song in 1985. Jeff Healey also released his version of the song as the third single from his 1995 Cover to Cover album.
In 2001 a disco version by Louise reached number 4 on the U.K. charts, and yet another version by Grace Potter is the opening theme of the TV series Grace and Frankie.
The song was also featured in a 2020 TV commercial for IBM and has been sung on The Voice.
All that aside, this album is much more than that one song. All of the other songs on this record are just as good, although I'm willing to bet you can't name even one of them. This record sounds stunning from front to back, and is definitely …
BONUS TRACK
Gerry Rafferty had a career and life full of incredible highs and deep, dark lows. It all started when he found himself as one half of a folk duo called The Humblebums, which also featured future comedian Billy Connolly. After that came the formation of Stealers Wheel with his school friend, Joe Egan, which quickly resulted in the hit single Stuck In The Middle With You.
Beyond Stealers Wheel, which Rafferty would leave and then rejoin and then leave again, he became a solo artist in his own right and scored another hit single with Baker Street, off his 1978 LP City To City.
But Rafferty hated the music business and everything about it. He found success hard to mange and it seemed to trigger his downfall, which can only be described as almost Shakespeare-tragic.
For one thing, he enjoyed alcohol way too much, which resulted in the breakup of his 20-year marriage in 1990. In the last decade of his life he took great pains to shun the celebrity that accompanied his musical achievements, only to find that his struggles with alcoholism, depression and the increasingly erratic behaviour they caused were making headlines anyway.
In 2008 he moved from California to Ireland, where his drinking increased. In July he flew to London, checked into the Westbury Hotel and promptly went on a four-day booze binge during which he damaged his room almost beyond repair. Speaking to The Independent newspaper later, the hotel's director commented that "it was such a shame. In person, Mr Rafferty was a really nice man. But he was clearly on a downward spiral."
There are conflicting reports about what happened next. The newspaper Scotland on Sunday reported Rafferty had left the hotel and checked himself into St Thomas' Hospital, supposedly with liver issues.
Then, in August 2008 he disappeared, prompting both concerns and speculation.
In February, 2009, The Guardian reported Rafferty was in the south of England. Rafferty himself claimed to be living in Tuscany but was actually in London moving from one hotel to another.
During this time he met Enzina Fuschini, an Italian artist living in England, and they rented a large home in Upton. Fuschini said she cared for Rafferty during 2009 and tried to help him overcome his alcoholism. She also claims he proposed to her at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on Christmas Eve that year.
In November 2010, Rafferty was admitted to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and put on life-support. He died of liver failure on January 4th, 2011.
Gerry Rafferty had a career and life full of incredible highs and deep, dark lows. It all started when he found himself as one half of a folk duo called The Humblebums, which also featured future comedian Billy Connolly. After that came the formation of Stealers Wheel with his school friend, Joe Egan, which quickly resulted in the hit single Stuck In The Middle With You.
Beyond Stealers Wheel, which Rafferty would leave and then rejoin and then leave again, he became a solo artist in his own right and scored another hit single with Baker Street, off his 1978 LP City To City.
But Rafferty hated the music business and everything about it. He found success hard to mange and it seemed to trigger his downfall, which can only be described as almost Shakespeare-tragic.
For one thing, he enjoyed alcohol way too much, which resulted in the breakup of his 20-year marriage in 1990. In the last decade of his life he took great pains to shun the celebrity that accompanied his musical achievements, only to find that his struggles with alcoholism, depression and the increasingly erratic behaviour they caused were making headlines anyway.
In 2008 he moved from California to Ireland, where his drinking increased. In July he flew to London, checked into the Westbury Hotel and promptly went on a four-day booze binge during which he damaged his room almost beyond repair. Speaking to The Independent newspaper later, the hotel's director commented that "it was such a shame. In person, Mr Rafferty was a really nice man. But he was clearly on a downward spiral."
There are conflicting reports about what happened next. The newspaper Scotland on Sunday reported Rafferty had left the hotel and checked himself into St Thomas' Hospital, supposedly with liver issues.
Then, in August 2008 he disappeared, prompting both concerns and speculation.
In February, 2009, The Guardian reported Rafferty was in the south of England. Rafferty himself claimed to be living in Tuscany but was actually in London moving from one hotel to another.
During this time he met Enzina Fuschini, an Italian artist living in England, and they rented a large home in Upton. Fuschini said she cared for Rafferty during 2009 and tried to help him overcome his alcoholism. She also claims he proposed to her at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on Christmas Eve that year.
In November 2010, Rafferty was admitted to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital and put on life-support. He died of liver failure on January 4th, 2011.
