"Rare, Precious and Gone" | ||||
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Single by Mike Scott | ||||
from the album Still Burning | ||||
Released | 1998 | |||
Length | 4:06 | |||
Label | Chrysalis | |||
Songwriter(s) | Mike Scott | |||
Producer(s) | Mike Scott, Niko Bolas | |||
Mike Scott singles chronology | ||||
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"Rare, Precious and Gone" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter Mike Scott, released as the second single from his second solo album Still Burning . It was written by Mike Scott, and produced by Scott and Niko Bolas. "Rare, Precious and Gone" reached No. 74 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1998. [1]
Scott wrote "Rare, Precious and Gone" in 1986 at Lotts Lane in Dublin, but it was not recorded until sessions for Still Burning. [2] A live version of the song, recorded for Virgin Radio in September 1997, was included on the 1998 compilation The Whole of the Moon: The Music of Mike Scott and the Waterboys . [3]
A music video was filmed in a video booth at Heathrow Airport, while Scott and his band were waiting to board a flight to Japan. Scott had initially intended to have his photo taken "for a laugh" when he discovered the booth actually recorded videos, which gave him the idea of recording a £5 music video for his upcoming single. He had the track play on his cassette player as he mimed to the track, then packaged and sent the result to Chrysalis. In his autobiography, Scott recalled: "Within a week it had been shown on several TV shows, exceeding the combined broadcast tally of the last three £50,000 videos I'd done for Chrysalis and Geffen. But even this exposure, and the dubious distinction of having made a video for a fiver, couldn't propel a Mike Scott song into the charts in 1997." [4]
Upon its release as a single, the Birmingham Evening Mail picked "Rare, Precious and Gone" as their "single of the week" and praised it as a "masterpiece in miniature from the former Waterboy". They added, "His trademark vocal all but caresses the song, which offers the best of his influences all in one instantly accessible package." [5] In a review of Still Burning, Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian noted, "There's a new soulishness bestowed by Chicago guitarist Chris Bruce. Go directly to 'Rare, Precious and Gone' for coffee-table funk, then get over the shock on the acoustic 'Open'." [6] The Scottish Music Network wrote, "Tracks such as 'Rare, Precious and Gone' rekindle the brass driven power of yesteryear, but most of all the dynamic electric guitars are a delight." [7] James F. Laverty of The Phantom Tollbooth commented, "Scott may have left the 'Big Music' behind with the Eighties, but he still enjoys strings and trumpets when they're called for on songs like 'Love Anyway' and 'Rare, Precious and Gone'." [8]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rare, Precious and Gone" | 4:04 |
2. | "Kiss the Wind" | 3:07 |
3. | "When Will We Be Married?" | 2:26 |
4. | "Love Anyway (Full Length Demo)" | 6:40 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rare, Precious and Gone" | 4:04 |
2. | "All the Things She Gave Me (XFM Version)" | 4:04 |
3. | "She Is So Beautiful (Live)" | 4:01 |
4. | "Nectar (7 Days)" | 3:24 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rare, Precious and Gone" | 4:04 |
Rare, Precious and Gone
Production
Other
Chart (1998) | Peak position |
---|---|
Scotland (OCC) [9] | 47 |
UK Singles (OCC) [10] | 74 |
The Waterboys are a British-Irish folk rock band formed in London in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. Mike Scott has remained the only constant member throughout the band's career. They have explored a number of different styles, but their music is mainly a mix of folk music with rock and roll. They dissolved in 1993 when Scott departed to pursue a solo career. The group reformed in 2000, and continue to release albums and to tour worldwide. Scott emphasises a continuity between the Waterboys and his solo work, saying that "To me there's no difference between Mike Scott and the Waterboys; they both mean the same thing. They mean myself and whoever are my current travelling musical companions."
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