We continue our look back at the music of 50 years ago….
It wasn’t just the young guitar players of England that were soaking up American blues music in the 1960s. In County Cork, Ireland another young guitar slinger was learning the licks of Muddy Waters and Otis Rush and applying them to make his own brand of blues-rock as the 70’s dawned. Rory Gallagher sometimes gets missed when talking about the great guitar players of the 1970s…and he shouldn’t. Gallagher could really play…and it shows on his debut Lp “Rory Gallagher” released in 1971.
He had been playing in a band called “Taste” when he left to pursue a solo career. Here is a taste of “Taste” live at the Isle of Wight Festival showcasing Gallagher’s budding guitar skills.
He went to London to audition backing players for a power trio he had in mind. He even worked out former Hendrix sidemen Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell before deciding on drummer Wilgar Campbell and bassist Gerry McAvoy. They both contribute alot of power to the sound of the record. It’s not much of a stretch to hear Cream in these grooves and, yes, Gallagher can keep up with Clapton. he even sounds like EC on a couple of the vocal tracks.
One of those tracks is Sinner Boy from above that leads off side 2 of the LP. But it’s not all blues shouting. He can also play some good acoustic and liked the British folk movement of the time. “Just The Smile” and “I’m Not Surprised” till these quieter moments and show his versatility both vocally and with his ax. “Can’t Believe It’s True” is a great tune that can almost be classified as “jazzy” and includes Gallagher on some backing saxaphone.
Rory Gallagher released a bunch of excellent rock records in the 70’s & 80’s before dying young in 1995. He needs to re-discovered by all the folks who might stop exploring blues-rock with Clapton, Allman and Page.
My favorite Rory Gallagher record has always been ‘Calling Card” from 1976 which included this cooker…
Gallagher hung out and jammed with the Stones when they were looking for a replacement for Mick Taylor. He decided he was enjoying his solo career too much to make the change. Good choice!
His debut record is a treat that I recently re-listened to after a long absence. It will go back into my rotation. Enjoy!’
