Rory Gallagher Part 1

Another multi-post epic, this time from Rory Gallagher, who I always liked a great deal. If you don't know,
he was an Irish blues/rock shouter/guitarist, many think of him as somewhat generic, myself I don't see it....he was what he was. Saw him live once, and he was a dynamic stage performer, and his studio albums always had at least a few slammers on them (check "Laundromat", may favorite, which appeared on the "What Is Heavy Metal" project a little while back).

Well, first of all, we will start with his numerous studio efforts....he started out in the band Taste in the mid-60's, I've got a comp of some of their stuff, I'll get to that at the end of this, because it is as a "solo" performer (he kept a lot of his backup band around for quite a while) that he made his name.

The 1971 self-titled debut is a good one, power trio format, and leads off with the crackling "Laundromat". There are also any number of other pretty good blues pounders here, "Hands Up" and "I Can't Believe It's You" for example. The CD release (the one i have) features covers of Muddy Waters and otis Rush, both worth a listen.

The same year saw the release of "Deuce", nearly as good if not better....highlighted by the great "Used to Be", there is a lot of good stuff going on here as he attmpted to diversify his sound a bit. "In Your Town" and "Crest of a Wave" standout, but this a very solid effort as well.

"Blueprint" (1973) came next, adding keyboards to the sound. Longer tracks, such as "Walk on Hot Coals" and "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son", again show growth and diversity. It's a good one as well...."Tattoo" was released the same year and damned if it isn't a hell of a disc as well, with the fantastic "Cradle Rock" as well as "Tattoo'd Lady" and "Who's That Coming".

We'll wrap up the first batch of his studio efforts with 1975's "Against the Grain", which, in my opinion made him 5-5 in albums that rank at least, say, 3.5 stars.....it's another good effort. "Let Me In" and "Cross Me Off Your List" are nearly as good as anything on the earlier albums , and there is a fine updating of Leadbelly's "Out On the Western Plain".

He released a ton of stuff in his lifetime, never reaching the status of a "big star", but always having a
dedicated following. If the studio albums don't get it done for you, check back when we get to the live stuff, as I said he was a hell of an energetic live performer.

Who knows when Part 2 will come around, maybe tomorrow, maybe a week from now, just can't tell you. Depends on my mood.

RORY GALLAGHER-01 Laundromat/02 Just the Smile/03 I Fall Apart/04 Wave Myself Goodbye/05 Hands Up/06 Sinner Boy/07 For the Last Time/08 It's You/09 I'm Not Surprised/10 Can't Believe It's True/11 Gypsy Woman/12 It Takes Time

DEUCE-01 I'm Not Awake Yet/02 Used To Be/03 Don't Know Where I'm Going/04 Maybe I Will/05 Whole Lot of People/06 In Your Town/07 Should've Learned My Lesson/08 There's a Light/09 Out of My Mind/10 Crest of a Wave/11 Persuasion

BLUEPRINT-01 Walk On Hot Coals/02 Daughter of the Everglades/03 Banker's Blues/04 Hands Off/05
Race the Breeze/06 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son/07 Unmilitary Two Step/08 If I Had a Reason/09 Stompin' Ground/11 Treat Her Right

TATTOO-01 01 Tattoo'd Lady/02 Cradle Rock/03 20:20 Vision/04 They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore/05 Sleep on a Clothes Line/06 Who's That Coming/07 A Million Miles Away/08 Admit It/09 Tucson Arizona/10 Just a Little Bit

AGAINST THE GRAIN-01 Let Me In/02 Cross Me Off Your List/03 Ain't Too Good/04 Souped-Up Ford/05 Bought and Sold/06 I Take What I Want/07 Lost at Sea/08 All Around Man/04 Out On the Western Plain/10 At the Bottom 11 Cluney Blues/12 My Baby, Sure