Night Owl is the third studio album by Scottish musician Gerry Rafferty.[2] It was released a year after Rafferty's Platinum-selling album City to City. While not quite performing as well as its predecessor, Night Owl still managed enough sales to achieve platinum status in Canada, gold in the United Kingdom, and gold status in the U.S. The title song reached No. 5 on the UK charts. The album made the UK Top 10.

Night Owl
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 1979
Recorded1978–1979
StudioChipping Norton Recording Studios,
Lansdowne Recording Studios
GenrePop rock[1]
Length54:42
LabelUnited Artists
ProducerHugh Murphy, Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty chronology
City to City
(1978)
Night Owl
(1979)
Snakes and Ladders
(1980)

The album was recorded at Chipping Norton Recording Studios, Chipping Norton, England.

"Take the Money and Run" appears on the 1980 release Free Fall as "Take the Money."

Re-releases

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On 30 January 2007 Collectables Records released City To City and Night Owl as a two-disc set.[citation needed]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide     [4]
Smash Hits7/10[5]

The Los Angeles Times called the songs "concise, wry tales of love and ambition, inventively arranged and sung in a dry whine that carries just the right amount of detachment."[1]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Gerry Rafferty

No.TitleLength
1."Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)"6:31
2."Night Owl"6:11
3."The Way That You Do It"5:08
4."Why Won't You Talk to Me?"3:59
5."Get It Right Next Time"4:42
6."Take the Money and Run"5:49
7."Family Tree"5:58
8."Already Gone"4:54
9."The Tourist"4:14
10."It's Gonna Be a Long Night"4:22

Personnel

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Production

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  • Gerry Rafferty – producer
  • Hugh Murphy – producer
  • Barry Hammond – engineer (1, 2, 4, 6–10)
  • Nick Patrick – engineer (3, 5)
  • John Patrick Byrne – front cover painting
  • Robert Ellis – photography

Charts

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Album

Chart (1979) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[6] 18
Germany[7] 18
Netherlands[8] 8
United Kingdom[9] 9
US Billboard Pop Albums 29

Single

Year Song Chart Position
1979 "Night Owl" UK Top 40 5
1979 "Night Owl" Ireland 5
1979 "Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)" U.S. Billboard Pop Singles 17
1979 "Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)" Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[10] 8
1979 "Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)" Canada RPM Top Singles[11] 19
1979 "Days Gone Down (Still Got the Light in Your Eyes)" U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 17
1979 "Get It Right Next Time" U.S. Billboard Pop Singles 21
1979 "Get It Right Next Time" U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 15
1979 "Get It Right Next Time" UK Top 40 30
1979 "Get It Right Next Time" Ireland 2
1979 "Get It Right Next Time" Canada RPM Top Singles[12] 52

Certifications

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Certifications for Night Owl
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Pond, Steve (15 July 1979). "Wry Tales of Love". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 97.
  2. ^ "Gerry Rafferty Biography by Timothy Monger". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Night Owl Review by Mike DeGagne". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  4. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 643.
  5. ^ Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (28 June – 11 July 1979): 25.
  6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 244. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ "Album charts".
  8. ^ "Album charts".
  9. ^ "Album charts".
  10. ^ RPM Adult Contemporary, 11 August 1979
  11. ^ RPM Top Singles, 4 August 1979
  12. ^ RPM Top Singles, 17 November 1979
  13. ^ "British album certifications – Gerry Rafferty – Night Owl". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
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