David Lee Roth Covers Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street”

Diamond Dave is at it again. After having a surprising cover of Tommy Tutone’s “867-5309/Jenny,” he has once again turned to a traditional classic rock standard to make his own. This time, it’s Gerry Rafferty’s classic solo hit “Baker Street.” David Lee Roth has recently released new songs on his YouTube channel, giving all his fans some fresh material from the legendary Van Halen singer. You have to hand it to Diamond Dave; he has no fear in covering some of the most iconic, highly loved songs in classic rock history.

The song “Baker Street” was originally released in February 1978. This was the first song Gerry Rafferty released after his old band, Stealers Wheel, had broken up. It was a massively successful hit song, featuring a standout saxophone riff performed by Raphael Ravenscroft. The saxophone sound was reminiscent of Clarence Clemons. The song was released on the album City to City. In the United Kingdom, the song went all the way to number three. However, in the U.S., it hit number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and it peaked at number one on the Cash Box charts. It also hit number one in Canada and Australia. It’s regarded as one of the most classic rock songs of the ’70s. Slash once said that the song influenced his guitar work on “Sweet Child o’ Mine.”

David Lee Roth’s version tries to faithfully reproduce the song without changing it much, but the sax solo on Roth’s version just doesn’t cut it the same way that the original did. However, Roth’s vocals are really good. He brings his own cool style to it while also paying tribute to Gerry Rafferty’s slick performance. This is actually a pretty enjoyable cover. It’s nice to have David Lee Roth still around releasing music, even though it’s not new. Diamond Dave does his own thing; he always has and always will, and that’s why we love him.

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Brian Kachejian

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Brian Kachejian was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. He is the founder and Editor in Chief of ClassicRockHistory.com. He has spent thirty years in the music business often working with many of the people who have appeared on this site. Brian Kachejian also holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Stony Brook University along with New York State Public School Education Certifications in Music and Social Studies. Brian Kachejian is also an active member of the New York Press.