#24 - Cradle Rock

Album: Tattoo (1973), Irish Tour ‘74 (1974)


One of those random coincidences that life likes to throw up is the fact that Rory Gallagher was born at the Rock Hospital in Ballyshannon, County Donegal on 2 March 1948. Fans and writers alike have made many a quip about the aptness of this given the musician that Rory turned out to be. It wasn’t lost on Rory either, as, according to his brother, Dónal, in the linear notes for the Tattoo album, ‘Cradle Rock,’ was inspired by this as Rory “literally rocked all his life.” An added twist is the fact that Rory was also christened at the Rock Church in Ballyshannon.

Rory certainly was on rocking form in the summer of 1973, when he and his band started work on Tattoo, rehearsing at a rowing club in Rory’s hometown of Cork. For those now scratching their heads at the jump from the province of Ulster, where Donegal is located, to Munster, where Cork is, settle yourselves for a brief geographical digression. When Rory was born, his father Danny, who was also a notable musician, being Ulster champion on the accordion, was working on the Erne Hydro-electric scheme in Ballyshannon. The family then moved to Danny’s native Derry, where Dónal was born on 9 August 1949. By the latter half of the 1950’s, the family relocated to Cork City, where Rory and Dónal’s mother Mona came from. And now, back to Tattoo!

Rehearsals progressed so well, that Rory was able to work out the music for his third solo studio album in a relaxed manner, the album being recorded quickly at the Polydor studios in London and released on 11 November 1973. Reviews for Tattoo were positive. Rolling Stone Magazine wrote that its predecessor Blueprint was excellent, and that Rory ‘is a confident and intelligent rock and blues guitarist,’ Tattoo was an indication that he was also becoming ‘a composer of note,’ finding a sound that was his.

This is a fair summation. With his highly regarded line up of Lou Martin (keyboards), Gerry McAvoy (bass) and Rod de’Ath (drums), there were few parts of Europe, Ireland, the UK, and North America they hadn’t played by the summer of 1973. Rory had started to cement a distinctive sound and hit a stride in his music. They were a tight group. Watch any video of them from 1973 onwards, and they jump into a song straight off the bat. Their strength as a cohesive performing unit is very evident on the Irish Tour movie and accompanying live album, Irish Tour ‘74, which seems to me to join both the music of Blueprint and Tattoo magnificently and highlights a band at its apex.

Irish Tour ‘74 opens with the announcement, “Hello, ladies and gentlemen, Rory Gallagher”, a crowd cheering enthusiastically in response, and a few strums of a guitar, before launching into the riff, the rest of the band joining as a whole in the first few bars to create a wonderful, thundering sonic onslaught. If you’re only going to listen to Cradle Rock one way, this is it.

There are two things that come to mind listening to Cradle Rock. The first is that Rory has without a doubt plumbed the depths of his talents and brought them to the fore, no holds barred. The music digs right into the guts and livens you up. If you’re struggling to get yourself going, I thoroughly recommend it, though any neighbours catching a glimpse of you through the window dancing unabashedly, throwing in some air guitar for good measure, may raise their eyebrows. Not that you’d care at that moment, being caught in the music.

The power of Rory’s guitar playing is wonderfully highlighted in the song. He really lets rip and the guitar does all the talking, wailing, swooping, and diving all over, with a nice bit of slide halfway through to take it that bit further. On the Irish Tour ‘74 version, you also get a nice example of that remarkable ability Rory had for being able to sing and scat along with the guitar as he plays, note perfect. As Gerry has previously said, Rory at times sounded like a guitar himself.

As much as Cradle Rock showcases Rory’s musicianship, it is also an example of his generosity as a band leader. Gerry, Lou, and Rod could have been expected just to provide a toned-down sound, toeing the line while the ‘main show’ demonstrated what he could do. But Rory didn’t roll like that – he collaborated with musicians who were immensely talented and he let them show it.

Rod’s drumming on this is one of the reasons he is one of my favourite drummers. He throws his all into it – watching him on the Irish Tour movie, it’s a wonder he doesn’t have to be wheeled out after Cradle Rock alone for a lie down. And the end of the film after the show, he looks utterly exhausted. Rod has been unfairly disparaged by some snobs who don’t think he’s up to much. Rory himself often stated he was a fantastic drummer and many fans believe he nailed the Rory Gallagher sound perfectly.

Lou Martin trades licks with Rory in Cradle Rock like a maestro and at one points switch over to take the lead on his keyboards, carrying on the swooping nature of the song before handing back to Rory’s guitar. Lou was a classically trained pianist, who fell for the blues hard. Rory enjoyed his encyclopaedic knowledge of the blues and probably knew there was potential when he told Rod to bring his ‘piano playing friend’ to rehearsals one day, Lou having previously been in the band Killing Floor with Rod, who just happened to enthusiastically tell Rory at great length how good Lou was. It wasn’t long before Lou was a member of the band. An interesting aside is that as a kid, Rod also studied piano, before giving up at the age of 12 to his later regret!

Gerry McAvoy remained Rory’s bassist for 20 years. And he still rocks to this day, some describing him as the reason they themselves picked up bass. On Cradle Rock, he provides the glue that helps keep it all together. It’s often said the Rory and Gerry had a sort of telepathy on stage. Rory said in a 1978 interview with the Cork Examiner:

“I wanted Gerry McAvoy to stay with the band because we’ve always had a great understanding for each other when we were on stage. His play inspires me. I don’t know why, it’s hard to explain. But when you play with someone like Gerry, there’s just this electrifying spark on stage here and there. However, he’s an excellent bass man.”



Birthday wishes are due to both drummer Brendan O'Neill and the aforementioned Gerry in the timing of this post.

 

#23 - In Your Town

Album – Deuce 1971

See Also – Live In Europe (1972) and Irish Tour ‘74 40^th Anniversary (Cork) (2014)

 First appearing on Rory Gallagher’s second album, Deuce, released on 28 November 1971, ‘In Your Town’, is one of those songs that just jumps out the speaker and grabs you by the throat. And played live, it was certainly one that grabbed the audience. The fact that it was voted his most popular live song by fans on Rory’s official Facebook page says a lot.

It sits with a number of classic tracks on Deuce, including ‘Crest Of A Wave,’ ‘I’m Not Awake Yet’, ‘Don’t Know Where I’m Going’, and ‘Whole Lot Of People’ - making for quite an incredible album that made its mark in many ways. Comedian Bill Hicks wore his copy out, while learning to play along with it was a turning point for guitarist Johnny Marr. The album was recorded at Tangerine Studios, London in August 1971. Next door was a bingo hall, and incredibly a group as loud as Rory’s had to contend with the bingo caller through the wall!

On the face of it, ‘In Your Town’ looks to have the settings of a basic classic rock/blues song. On the album version, it has just the trio of Rory on vocals and guitar, Wilgar Campbell on drums and Gerry McAvoy on bass. But the sound they produce is loud and primal, more than three young guys could seemingly make. It’s also a song where Rory’s skills as a slide guitarist come to the fore. He screeches and screams his guitar all the way through, whilst alternating with rhythm and lead. The raw sound of the guitar matches the tension of a cleverly worded song.

The premise of the song is of a man who has busted out of jail, Sing Sing, to be precise, after two decades in the slammer and returned to the scene of the crime to confront those who conspired to send him down. Prison life has not been good and you can bet this is an angry person. He claims not to want to cause uproar and carnage, but he is tense and ready to snap, so anything is possible:

The first man I wanna see is the Chief of Police
Bring that man right over here,
I wanna speak my piece
I wanna cause no trouble, no fuss, no fight
But look out man, you know this is Saturday night.

And prison life has most definitely not been a bed of roses, leaving this con numb:

When I came out I couldn't feel a,
I couldn't feel a, I couldn't feel a thing.

The album version alone builds up an incredible scene. Rory’s love for crime fiction is very well known and is a theme in several songs across his career. ‘In Your Town’ is the one in which he is at his most effective, setting up the scene with a man coming back for revenge.

However, ‘In Your Town’ took on an extra life when played live. During the early 1970s it was the song that usually rounded off gigs. But, if you listen to Live In Europe and the Cork disc of the 40^th anniversary edition of Irish Tour ‘74, you will notice an extra dimension to the song. Rory added new lyrics to it as he performed, stretching it beyond the original.

On Live In Europe, Rory expands beyond the scenario of a desperate man returning to seek his revenge to life in the prison itself and what led to the escape in the first place. Here, Rory describes the starkness of the prison cell, with bare walls and the indignation of the inmate when he receives a letter from his father, telling him that he is being put away for something he hadn’t done, his sentence extended to 99 years. The prisoner expresses the fear that he will die in jail. An escape is planned, using a grappling hook and rope, the main character and his fellow inmates bust out, climbing over a 40-foot wall, before hitching a lift in a pick-up truck to town, warning the residents to be careful.

 In the Irish Tour ‘74 40^th Anniversary edition, the fact Rory is performing in his hometown of Cork appears to give the song an extra personal kick - ‘I’m back in MY town’ he scats towards the end. The prison break is still there, but there is the added dimension of some of the nastiest and most infamous American criminals accompanying the chagrined character. These range from John Dillinger (‘Public Enemy Number 1’) to Bonnie and Clyde, Machine Gun Kelly, and old ‘Scarface’ himself, Al Capone. Capone gets the star turn as the meanest and he’d better get respect! At this point, Rod de’Ath was on drums and Lou Martin was on keyboards/piano. Lou adds his own twist to the song with his long solo.

It’s an interesting question, just how many versions of ‘In Your Town’ did Rory create while performing live? It’s a song of many verses. Or a song in the form of a novel!

For the curious, see below to hear Rory add new lyrics to 'In Your Town' as he plays live. And in true Rory style, they are extra long! 

 

Live In Europe

 

Irish Tour '74 40th Anniversary

 

 

 

 

#22 - The Devil Made Me Do It

 Album: Jinx, 1982

The album Jinx came about during the passing of some watersheds for Rory. Drummer Ted McKenna had by now left to join Michael Schenker, and he only had one album left fulfill in his contract with Chrysalis Records.

Dónal Gallagher writes, “As the title [of the album] suggests, Rory had become quite frustrated with the way life was unfolding for him at this time and much of the material on these recordings could be deemed autobiographical.” It has been suggested that Rory called the album Jinx as a gag at his record company’s expense. Things certainly can’t have been helped with the loss of the American market to Chrysalis, causing Rory to join Mercury, which distributed Jinx in the US, though it was a deal that didn’t last.

Perhaps the arrival of Brendan O’Neill on the drum kit was one of the happier episodes of that time. Brendan had met Gerry McAvoy at school and the two were close friends from their early teens, both cutting their musical teeth together with their first band Pride in Belfast in the 1960s while still at school. They both progressed to Deep Joy, the group from which Rory recruited both Gerry and Wilgar Campbell in 1971.

Brendan had left Deep Joy to continue an apprenticeship as an airframe fitter in Belfast while the band left to try their fortunes in London with Wilgar on drums. Brendan had continued to work as a drummer around his family and work commitments. He had auditioned with Rory as a potential replacement for Rod de’Ath, but at the time, Brendan’s heart was more set in making a go of things with his then current band Swift. It was a different story in 1981, when Brendan auditioned again and got the job. He remained with Rory for ten years – among Brendan’s first shows in Rory’s band were two dates in Greece, including the legendary Athens gig, which saw a massive riot and the band being tear gassed!

Jinx was recorded, like it’s two predecessors, at Dieter Dierks studios near Cologne between May and June 1981. Electronic music, not something Rory was exactly a huge fan of, was immensely popular. Rory wanted to create an album that had a more classic sound, so he and his band spent time gathering some older equipment. Released on 2 May 1982, it’s certainly a meatier, organic sound next to a lot of the ‘Cecil B De Mille’ (as Rory described it) that could be found on Top Of The Pops of the era. It’s proof of Rory’s tenacity of keeping true to his roots despite the whims, wherefores and demands of the heavy music industry, which Rory found increasingly frustrating. The songs on Jinx, as Dónal mentions in the earlier quote, do show more of what is going on with Rory emotionally and it is quite a mix, which will be explored in later posts. However, Rory, as ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ shows, was beyond more than capable of knocking out a classic rocker.

Dónal in the same article describes the song as a meshing of two of Rory’s heroes, Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly. It is another of Rory’s classic ‘vignette with a story’ songs, this one describing the situation a few people have regrettably found themselves in – a night out on the tiles gone overboard, waking up the next day in the hospitality of the police and an appearance in court to account for actions that just can’t be remembered!

“What did I do that was so bad, to go and get myself arrested?
Well, I was just in town to have some fun, but I ended up in the trash can
There I was in the witness box, my eyes turned towards the jury
Trying to recall what went wrong last night, but it won't come back to me

Well, the devil made me do it, do it, do it
The devil made me trip and fall
The devil drove me to it, to it, to it
Till I had no chance at all.”

The lyrics hint at a great uncertainty and trepidation – is the protagonist going to wind up in jail and not know what happened that led him there? There is also a strong hint of the supernatural in the lyrics, with the appearance of Auld Nick himself to give testimony, the fate of the accused lying in the words of the being he believes caused him to be there in the first place.

Rory brilliantly hits upon two great themes of many a classic blues song in “The Devil Made Me Do It”, the nefarious effects of booze and the insertion of the Devil into hi-jinks and japery. A cursory glance over the blues gives you a few songs with alcohol at the crux, ranging from John Lee Hooker’s “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” to JB Hutto’s “Too Much Alcohol”, itself becoming a classic staple of Rory’s repertoire on his 1932 National. The way in which the supernatural can be found in the blues is too detailed to go into here, but a prime example of it can be seen just from the mythology alone of Robert Johnson’s supposed pact with the Devil at the crossroads.

The electric soup of 1980s music sounds like it has stayed there and is a popular topic of cheesy nostalgia. A song of the same era “The Devil Made Me Do It” instead has a timeless quality and is up there with any classic blues number about tangling the Devil and the drink.

Notes:

See Dónal Gallagher's notes on Jinx Jinx - The Official Site of Rory Gallagher

Brendan O'Neill's autobiography Mr Sticks is available on Amazon.

21 - Special - Rory Gallagher 50th Anniversary Edition Releases

 

Fifty years ago to me is a strange concept. In my early teens, I remember the 50^th anniversary of the end of World War II. I think that has fixed in my head the notion that 50 years ago means austere images of the mid-1940s, all monochrome and stiff upper lip; it was very much A Very Long Time Ago. So, as an adult, seeing anniversaries, such as the 50^th anniversary of Rory Gallagher’s debut solo album is a strange one. He is not all monochrome, stiff upper lip and all that. He is vibrant. Photos of him, he could easily be some guy on the Glasgow music scene, denim clad, long hair and bouncing about at a gig with his much-loved guitar. There’s something timeless about Rory and his music. But an anniversary is an anniversary and 50 years since Rory’s debut solo album came out is one to celebrate for sure.

It’s been done in style with the release of the box sets of his eponymous debut. There are a couple of formats. The deluxe edition is a mighty 5-disc set, reviewed here by guest writer Dr Lauren O’Hagan. I got the 2-disc CD set, a review of which will also be featured here. As Lauren and I both found, each set has something for everyone.

Dr Lauren O’Hagan

Rory Gallagher’s eponymous debut solo album, or the “Black Album” as he called it, holds a special place in my heart. It was my introduction to Rory some five years ago and, from the opening riff of ‘Laundromat’ to the closing sax solo of ‘Can’t Believe It’s True’, I was well and truly hooked. So, when the 50^th anniversary release was announced earlier this year by the Gallagher Estate, I knew I would have to splurge on the deluxe box set.

Measuring 33cm by 33cm, weighing in at a whopping 2.5kg and featuring the iconic black and white photo of Rory taken by Mick Rock on its cover, the box set. really is a sight for sore eyes. It pulls out to reveal a beautifully decorated slipcase featuring a collage of archival articles and photographs from Melody Maker, Sounds and Disc & Music Echo, all waxing lyrical over Rory and his new band. Then, housed inside the slipcase itself, comes the real treat: the hardback book filled with unseen photographs of Rory taken by Barrie Wentzell, essays by Rory’s brother Dónal and band mate Gerry McAvoy and historic interviews with Rory himself.

But, for me, the pièce de résistance is the opportunity to see Rory’s handwritten lyrics, scribbled onto scraps of paper, with words and phrases crossed out, added and moved. Not only do they give a real insight into his creative process, but they also drive home the pain and anger he felt at the Taste break-up and the nasty aftermath played out in the press. No less than six songs on the album touch upon this theme and original lyrics that were later discarded truly emphasize Rory’s hurt: “You’ve cooked your goose and the feathers are flying” in both ‘Wave Myself Goodbye’ and ‘For the Last Time’, “When night and day collide, you won’t be around” in ‘I Fall Apart’ and “It’s getting harder to face each day; it’s getting easier to run away” in ‘I’m Not Surprised’.

Before discussing the CDs, I can’t resist drawing attention to their presentation, which has been thought about so carefully. They are stored in a vinyl-sized gate fold featuring more classic shots of Rory by Barrie Wentzell, opening to reveal a print of the original advertisement for Rory’s 1971 UK tour. Then, tucked neatly inside, is a large poster of an angelic-looking Rory with his gaze cast downwards to his beloved Strat.

The first disc is a remixed version of the original album, which, as expected, sounds excellent. With their blend of rock, blues, country, folk and jazz, the songs showcase Rory’s versatility, and they sound so fresh today that it’s hard to believe that they came out 50 years ago.

The second disc features songs from the Tangerine Sessions and alternate takes. The particular standout is Take 3 of ‘At the Bottom’ – a song that didn’t appear until 1975’s Against the Grain. The version here is more up tempo and features a fantastic harmonica solo by Rory, making you wonder how it didn’t appear in this form on the debut album. Other honourable mentions go to ‘Advision Jam’ – a brilliant bluesy instrumental – and Take 1 of ‘Just the Smile’, which has Rory humming along softly with his guitar-playing (it feels so intimate that it’s like he is sitting just beside you!).

Disc 3 delights with even more alternate takes that provide a real sense of Rory’s genius – his ability to improvise and subtly change lyrics, riffs and chords like nobody else I have ever seen. Here, Take 2 of ‘Hands Up’ and Take 2 of ‘Sinner Boy’ are the major highlights, while ‘Can’t Believe It’s True’ gives us a glimpse of Rory’s notorious perfectionism as he starts and stops six times, unhappy with the take. Almost as good as the music itself is the chance to hear Rory’s interjections and comments before and after takes, which makes you feel like you are being treated to your own private performance in the studio (if only, eh?).

The final disc offers barnstorming renditions of ten songs taken from BBC Sound of the Seventies and John Peel’s Sunday Concert. ‘In Your Town’ is always a treat for the ears, but the version here is particularly dazzling with Rory’s killer slide. The cover of Otis Rush’s ‘It Takes Time’ is also guaranteed to leave you speechless (shoutout to Gerry too for an incredible bass solo!). In fact, the John Peel set is so good that I couldn’t help but also treat myself to the limited-edition orange vinyl format, which sounds even better (if that was humanly possible!) and fits neatly into the slipcase. Win-win all around!

Finally, it’s time to discuss the DVD of Rory’s first solo gig, which took place at La Taverne de l’Olympia in Paris on 30^th April 1971. While the concert has been on YouTube for some time, the quality is poor, so it was a real joy to have the opportunity to watch it in high definition at last. The DVD opens with a great little interview with Rory discussing his musical influences, before leading into the concert itself with a set list of seven songs. The band is so tight and in sync that you wouldn’t believe it was their first time playing together before an audience. It’s hard to pick one high point because the full 50 minutes are outstanding, but at a push, I would say ‘Wave Myself Goodbye’ (I have a real soft spot for acoustic Rory!) and ‘The Same Thing’ (Rory at his bluesy best!).

So, all that’s left for me to say is a huge thank you to Dónal and his son Daniel for putting out an incredible release. I am sure that Rory would be so proud of all your hard work, and I have no doubt that, in another 50 years, we will still be talking about the “Black Album” as one of the greatest debuts of all time.

M J Steel Collins

The 2-CD set of Rory’s 50^th anniversary is a pared down version of the 5-disc set. It features the remix of the original album on disc one. As I write, ‘Sinner Boy’ is currently massaging the airways from my nice new Bluetooth speaker (thanks dad!) and putting it bluntly, it sounds fresh as a daisy, loaded with soul and spirit. With only bass, drums and Rory on guitar and vocals, it shows that an uncomplicated set up is in many cases the best.

And on we go to ‘For The Last Time’, one of Rory’s songs that punches the gut. There’s no deep-set navel gazing, which some music of the late 1960s and early 1970s put an awful lot of effort into – and not always for the best. With Rory, you just get to the heart of it. The remix of the album adds a fresh edge to it. It sounds vital, like the sort of music we need. Much modern mainstream pop music these days sounds like calcified nonsense. It’s just a noise, with little thought or depth beyond how much cash it may rake in. And perhaps how much of an annoying ear worm it can be, making someone unwittingly hum it to their great chagrin as they go about their day. We also need something that we can feel, and Rory Gallagher (both the man and the album) offer this in spades.

The mix on the album is something that leaves you hearing the unexpected. One minute you’re listening to folk, the next blues, the next country. It speaks volumes about the versatility of Rory. Special mention must also be given to Wilgar Campbell, the first drummer of the Rory Gallagher band. He and Gerry already had experience playing together as the rhythm section of Deep Joy and they form an excellent backbone for Rory. They allow him to do what he does best, without any fuss or nonsense. Wilgar unfortunately left Rory’s band in 1972 owing to ill health, Rod de’Ath stepping in as replacement. Listening to Wilgar in this new edition, it becomes apparent how strong a drummer he was – and very different in style from the also immensely talented John Wilson of Taste. Wilgar is a drummer whose work deserves more appreciation.

As for Gerry, though he had experience gigging with Deep Joy, this was his first experience in the recording studio, at 19 years old. Gerry’s bass is strong. He may have yet to discover the link that made both him and Rory quite the partnership over 20 years, but he is well on the way. In a recent interview to mark the new 50^th release, Gerry said it took a bit of getting used to wearing headphones while in the studio, but neither that nor the newness of the situation seems to have phased him, ‘I was just a kid!’, as he said in the same interview, and all!

The second CD of the set is a shorter selection of the outtakes and Sound Of The Seventies live performances that feature more extensively in the 5-disc set. But at 18 tracks long, it’s still quite a lengthy collection. Each offer a fascinating tidbit into how the album came together and how the three musicians gel in the process. ‘I Fall Apart’ is one of my favourite Rory tracks. On the album version, he delivers one of the most searing guitar solos I’ve ever heard. To have it on the second CD with both the Tangerine Studio Session and the Sounds Of The Seventies, is a treat for me. It just adds to the number of versions I could merrily have on repeat. My neighbours blast cheesy dance choons that rip through the ears, so I think they can live with ‘I Fall Apart’ over and over. The energy of the guitar solo is just as strong as the take Rory finally settled on.  Getting to hear ‘behind the scenes’ on the outtakes and extras is fantastic for the Rory devoted fan. We see a lot of his energy as a live performer from the archive concert videos on YouTube and DVD, but to hear him talking away in the studio and working out where the song is going is an extra dimension. The 2-disc set also comes with a great booklet, featuring essays of memories by Dònal and Gerry, along with some smashing photography by Barrie Wentzell.

It might all be 50 years ago, but Rory isn’t a figure trapped in a bygone age. More and more younger fans are discovering his work, and he is growing increasingly popular. For the last couple of years of living in lock down, he has been a tonic. His nephew Daniel is to be highly commended for his work on this release.  A look over the credits on the CD reveal that, just like when he started out with younger brother Dònal helping with, well just about everything involved in running a music career, Rory is still very much a Gallagher family affair. As well as the work of Daniel in production, his brother Eoin is credited with the archive research and scanning. And of course, their Dad Dònal is still looking after Rory as he has done all these years.

This is what gives Rory the edge above all other ‘legacy’ acts, outside his own brilliance as a musician – it’s not some bloated corporate affair available only to the most minted of fans. Whether they go for deluxe or standard editions of the 50^th, Rory is within easy reach of all.

#20 Out On The Western Plain

Album: Against The Grain, 1975

See Also: Check Shirt Wizard, 2020

There are moments during live shows with a bouncing audience and a raucous band where time seems to stand still and you can hear a pin drop. With Rory, this appeared to be when the rest of the band took a break and out came the acoustic guitar and the audience switched from a frothing mass, to hypnotised mesmerism. A feral monster who could make his Strat wail, he had an altogether different touch on his D35 acoustic.

‘Out On The Western Plain’ first made its appearance in 1975’s Against The Grain. The rest is pretty much history. It’s one of the ultimate Rory performance pieces. Written by Lead Belly in 1943, it has seen many cover versions over the years from John Denver to Van Morrison. I think we can get away with being biased here on favouring Rory’s version!

‘Out On The Western Plain’, also known variously as ‘Out On The Western Plains’, ‘Cow Cow Yikky Yea’ and several other titles depending on who covered it, is one of Lead Belly’s most popular songs. It formed part of a set Moses Asch got Lead Belly to record called Negro Folksongs As Sung By Leadbelly (sic).

Lead Belly, born Huddie William Ledbetter on 23 January 1888 on a plantation near Mooringsport, Louisiana, is arguably the man who gave modern popular music it’s foundation. Just about every major musician cites him as an influence, from George Harrison to George Ezra. Other famous Lead Belly songs include ‘In The Pines’ (covered by Nirvana), ‘Goodnight Irene’ and ‘Boll Weevil’. He covered everything in his music from racism, cotton picking, dancing and notable figures from President Roosevelt to Adolf Hitler (‘Mr Hitler’, 1942)

 His life alone could have made the topic of a classic blues song. By 1902, Lead Belly was already working as a musician and performed around Shreveport, developing his own unique style influenced by what he encountered. However, he was beset by several run-ins with the law, which saw him serve a few sentences in prison. Legend has it that his musical ability got him released from a murder sentence in 1925 when he impressed the Texas Governor Pat Morris Neff! Though some do question the accuracy of that. Folklorist father and son duo John and Alan Lomax found Lead Belly in prison at any rate and their recordings of him promoted his stature as a musician.

 Out of work during the Great Depression of the 1930’s, Lead Belly persuaded John Lomax to employ him as his driver for a period to avoid being returned to prison after early release for not being employed. ‘Legal issues’ aside, Lead Belly had a successful music career, with several recordings, live performances and even a weekly radio show to his name. He died on 6 December 1949 in New York City from ALS or Motor Neurone Disease and laid to rest at Shiloh Baptist Church cemetery in Mooringsport, Louisiana. He is very much worth looking into if you want to find out more.

 During his extensive acoustic set at Rockpalast 1976, Rory describes Lead Belly as ‘King of the 12-string’ in his introduction to ‘Out On The Western Plain’ (see video above), though, as he also adds, he’s going to try it on a six-string ‘with a bit of a Celtic tuning to it – I hope you enjoy this.’ Watching Rory talk and introduce each song on footage of his live shows (yes, the curse of being born too late), it’s as if he’s not quite sure of his ability to deliver the goods musically, befitting his now rather famous quiet nature. 

Of course, he starts playing, the audience are spell-bound and respond with a very enthusiastic applause, which in a nutshell, summarises the effect each time Rory playing ‘Out On The Western Plain’ seems to have had on his audiences. Even Glasgow, reputed for having a difficult crowd to please, and where back in the music hall days, acts who failed to amuse were pelted by rivets from the shipyards, fell under the spell of Rory playing this song.

 Acoustic guitar, being more stripped back, is what is said to really show the calibre of a guitarist. It’s very easy to tell when someone with a basic skill plays, usually sticking to simple chords and strumming. Rory utterly owns the acoustic and ‘Out On The Western Plain’ showcases his playing at it’s very best. A 6-string seems like a basic musical instrument, but in his hands, it becomes so much more. He shows the possibilities. His tuning on ‘Out On The Western Plain’ is apparently influenced by that developed by Martin Carthy, a guitarist Rory greatly admired, notable for working in alternative tunings.

There is a great depth to Rory’s version of ‘Out On The Western Plain’. It doesn’t seem like it’s just one man and his guitar, it sounds like a band, thanks to what seems like more than one sound coming from the guitar at the same time. And it’s something you find yourself going back to again and again because frankly you just can’t get enough from hearing it just once. The song transforms from American folk blues to a Celtic folk classic in a way that only Rory Gallagher can pull off.

#19 Souped Up Ford

 

Album: Against The Grain (1975)

See Also: Check Shirt Wizard – Live in ‘77 (2020)

In 1975, Rory Gallagher may have found a new confidence in his music. This was the year he signed with Chrysalis Records, having fulfilled his 6-album contract with Polydor and finding them to be a little lacking in support – Chrysalis appeared to offer a better way forward. And of course, 1975 was also the year when he was supposed by the press to have joined The Rolling Stones following the departure of Mick Taylor. Though the rumours of Rory the Stone were short lived, as after spending a few days in the studio with them, he left and undertook his tour of Japan.

The Stones’ loss was certainly the Rory fanatic’s gain at any rate.

At this point, the line-up of The Rory Gallagher Band had been in place for a few years. As Dónal Gallagher writes on Rory’s website in the notes for Against The Grain, “The band’s line up had been unchanged since Blueprint with Gerry McAvoy on bass, Lou Martin on keyboards, and Rod de’Ath on drums. After years of playing and recording together a musical understanding and trust had developed within the group that resonates throughout the entire album.”

Released on 1 October 1975, Against The Grain was recorded at Wessex Studios in the summer of that year. Upon its release, it was enthusiastically received, Rolling Stone (the magazine, not the band!) writing, “Against the Grain is a studio set but there's no reason why it should be. The basic sound is, as e er, one man and his guitar and the production (by Gallagher himself) subsumes all else in it. Gerry McAvoy and Rod de'Ath are an unselfish and intelligent rhythm section, Lou Martin moves as efficiently on boogie piano as on pub organ, Rory gets through the lyrics throatily and effectively—but they're all servants, putting the guitar at ease as it growls and swoops and bites and relaxes. Gallagher needs few devices for his pleasure.”

The review certainly catches the mood of the album. As well as having Rory’s cover of Lead Belly’s “Out On The Western Plain”, now the stuff of acoustic legend, it also featured “Souped Up Ford”, a track which captures the freedom of the open road, both musically and lyrically. In keeping with the motoring theme, it’s safe to say Rory puts the pedal down and goes to town (swooping down the open highway, of course), with Gerry, Rod and Lou close behind in his wake.

The song opens with a slide solo that sustains for the duration as Rory sings about escaping town and hitting the road in what he sees as the only suitable car, the souped up Ford, of course. It captures perfectly the stripping away of the tensions getting away and heading somewhere new gives us:

“No highway cop's gonna make me stop,
What I've started.
'Cos I won't be free till I get up,
And go where my heart is.”

And the backing of the band emphatically helps Rory get to where he wants. The piano of Lou complements Rory’s slide guitar beautifully, as it seems at times, they both duel the instruments. Rory’s prowess as a guitarist is widely recognised. Lou, as a pianist, deserves the same attention. He is the perfect partner to Rory’s playing.

Lou was born in Belfast on 12 August 1949 and trained in classical piano. He may have been destined for a career as a music teacher, but the blues bug bit, and in 1968, he joined the blues rock group, Killing Floor. This was also the same band where Lou encountered Welsh drummer Rod de’Ath, born 18 July 1950 in Saundersfoot. Both came into the sphere of Rory Gallagher when Gerry McAvoy answered Rod’s advert for a flatmate in London, Gerry turning up to view the flat decked out in his finest suit, to Rod’s great amusement! Following the departure of drummer Wilgar Campbell from Rory’s band in 1972, Rod was brought in as the new drummer, Lou quickly following on piano and keyboards. Rory was not only impressed at Lou’s playing ability, after being invited by Rod to hear his mate on piano, he was also happy with the fact that Lou was a fellow blues nerd.

Rod has been unfairly maligned by who can only be described as stuffed up snobs as a drummer. Gerry described him as the ‘most undrummerlike drummer’ he’d played with. It’s quite hard to put into words what Rod brought to the drums, but it was something else. His playing added immensely to Rory’s distinct sound, which can be heard to great effect in ‘Souped Up Ford’. Rod started on piano, but packed it in, later saying he somewhat regretted stopping. Rod’s father was a musician with his own group. When Rod was about 16, the group’s drummer died of a heart attack, so Rod, with a quick lesson from his dad, was brought in as a replacement.

Even after their departure from Rory’s band in 1978, Lou and Rod played together. They formed the group Ramrod, played on tour with Chuck Berry in Europe, worked with Screaming Lord Sutch, Mick Clarke and The Downliners Sect. Sadly, Rod’s career was cut short in the late 1980s following a horrific accident where he fell down a flight of stairs running to catch a train, and sustaining a head injury that left him unable to play. Lou’s career carried on, and he also returned to guesting with Rory on the Defender album and at an acoustic set in 1993 at what was ultimately Rory’s last Irish show at the Cork Institute of Technology, given in memory of its former principal Dr James Roche, who was Rory’s uncle. Lou was beset with ill health, suffering a series of strokes. He passed away on 17 August 2012. Rod himself sadly passed a couple of years later 1 August 2014. Both are very fondly remembered as outstanding musicians.

And both, no doubt, were highly familiar with Rory’s beloved Ford Executive car, which appears to be an inspiration for ‘Souped Up Ford’. All things considered, there can’t be as many people who have clocked up as many miles as Dónal Gallagher did driving his older brother everywhere, from tours to trips to guitar shops. Rory himself never learned to drive until much later as he was so busy with guitar. As an aside, Dónal incidentally was born in Derry on 9 August 1949, only three days before Lou’s arrival in the world. Dónal learned to drive in his teens when he started working with Rory as Taste’s roadie. Rory got the Ford Executive for band use following the split of Taste. It was a car that seemed to have taken in a few adventures.

The one that made the car so special to Rory was the fact that it was approved by his biggest hero, Muddy Waters. Rory was invited to play on The London Muddy Waters Sessions. However, Rory was also scheduled to be on tour when the sessions were booked. Dónal recalls standing at the side of the stage beckoning Rory to come off as it was time to head to the studio, but Rory being Rory carried on with the encores. Eventually he made it to the car and sat in the passenger seat worrying that he was going to be fired for being late, getting little sympathy from Dónal at the wheel, who pointed out there was no need for so many encores as he literally put the pedal to the floor to get from Leicester to London in good time.

Muddy had held up the sessions awaiting Rory, who arrived a bag of nerves, apologising profusely, only to be handed a glass of champagne by the great man and told to enjoy himself. Meanwhile, Dónal found that he had literally taken the rubber off the tyres driving to the sessions. He then found himself driving Muddy about in Rory’s car, Rory having put the Ford Executive at Muddy’s disposal. Muddy was still in a considerable amount of pain following a bad car accident and said to Rory that the Ford Executive was the first car in Europe he had felt comfortable in, being able to stretch out. That was that. Rory refused to ever part with the car, even as a scrappable heap. It wound up sitting in front of his mother’s house in Cork for years, until she eventually arranged for it to be moved after Rory’s death. It’s safe to say that ‘Souped Up Ford’, with adventures on the road and Muddy Waters perhaps went far beyond a song for Rory.

 (This is an extra special post as its timing takes in key dates of people central to Rory and his music:

Rod de'Ath RIP, who passed away on 1 August 2014

Lou Martin RIP, born on 12 August 1949, passed away on 17 August 2012

Dónal Gallagher, Rory's brother, manager, keeper of the legacy and of course driver of the Souped Up Ford itself, whose birthday is 9 August, which happens to be today! Happy birthday!)

#18 - Overnight Bag

 

(Photo-Finish Version)

Albums: Photo-Finish (1978), Notes From San Francisco (2011)

 

What would become the Photo-Finish album was something of a tumultuous affair for Rory Gallagher. It took in two line-ups of the Rory Gallagher band, two recording studios in different continents, a broken thumb, one producer regarded for his work with Neil Young and another who had just worked with Paul McCartney. The result, however, was stunning.

It started with Rory flying into San Francisco in late 1977 with Gerry McAvoy, Rod de’Ath and Lou Martin to work with Elliot Mazer at his studios. Things began to unravel with Rory concluding that the result was decidedly not the sound he was wanting. Remixing didn’t work and, in the end, Rory literally binned the acetate on the day it was due to be played to executives from Chrysalis Records. His day didn’t improve when he broke his thumb trapping it in a taxi door, which had him off guitar for six weeks. And while he was recovering, the line-up of the group with Rod and Lou was formally ended.

Thumb healed; Rory set about looking for a new drummer. Several auditioned, including Brendan O’Neill, Gerry’s friend since school, though it wasn’t the time, with Brendan being a keen jazz drummer and wanting to make a go of things with his own band, Swift. Alex Harvey had recently split his own group, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and his former drummer Ted McKenna was called in to audition with Rory. It worked out well.

Ted was described by Gerry as being one of the loudest drummers in Europe. Alex perhaps helped in this as he would run up to the drums and shake the cymbals if he felt Ted needed to pack more punch into it! Ted already had a fair bit of intense experience on the road with the SAHB. Rory was about to raise that further. The new line-up had its first live appearance at the Macroom Mountain Dew Festival in June 1978. Ted recalls wondering what he had gotten himself into, staring at his bleeding hands and Rory seemingly on the verge of collapse with exhaustion. Then they went back for an encore...

July and August were taken up with the recording of Photo-Finish at Dieter Dierks studios in Cologne. Rory returned to his old role as producer, with Alan O’Duffy, who had just worked with Paul McCartney on Wings Venus And Mars album, as co-producer. ‘Overnight Bag’ the fifth track on Photo-Finish, was one of the songs kept over and reworked from the Mazer sessions. As a result, the song also appears on Notes From San Francisco, released in 2011 after being remixed by Rory’s nephew Daniel, who has done excellent work in recent years keeping Rory’s fire burning.

‘Overnight Bag’ seems, based on the music alone, quite a jaunty rocker, but the lyrics are in stark contrast. Dónal: “The melodic lyrics of this track describe the lonelier side of life on the road, where Rory spent so much of his time.

“Trapped by a heartache, and freed by my will
Sentenced to wander, so much time to kill
Hear my plea, and rescue me

Packed my sorrows in an overnight bag
But I'll be gone much longer than that
Who knows when, we'll meet again?

Too many sleepless nights, put my soul on edge
And so many restless moods, lay heavy in my head.”

The guitar solo is regarded by fans as one of Rory’s finest, though the poignant lyrics have caused some to ask why Rory wrote them. Dónal, with whom Rory was very close, on being asked about it suggested that at that time, he was often off the road to deal with the managerial side of things while Rory was on tour, and that Rory may have been feeling homesick as a result.

(Notes From San Francisco Version)

Listening to the two versions of the song between Photo-Finish and Notes From San Francisco, you can hear a considerable difference. The original San Francisco version is very busy. Rory’s voice sounds as though it has been double tracked and there is the interplay between his guitar and Lou’s piano. Rory may have had a point about the sessions not sounding like him. It’s very noticeable that Mazer took a complex approach - perhaps going for the radio friendly and chart busting route that had gotten hits with other albums he had worked on.

The thing is, Rory’s sound is very uniquely, well, Rory. He was a musician who knew what he wanted and how to achieve it. He gave his musicians leeway to work their own way to the sound, Rory stepping in with some guidance if he felt they were a little off the mark. As good as Mazer was and Notes From San Francisco is an outstanding piece of work, it’s also notable in its divergence with what Rory was developing.

Trying new things is great for any musician. But an issue arises when record companies tweak the style and sound to what they see fit. It does beg the question what is the point of taking on an artist, only to considerably change them?  A lot don’t even seem to get much say in this process. But Rory had his head screwed on in that he refused to bend to any industry whims. It frustrated a lot of people, but he stayed honest to himself as a musician and that’s part of his drawing power.

‘Overnight Bag’ on Photo-Finish is a much calmer affair, with drums, bass and guitar. And Rory’s vocals having no studio tricks. It’s my personal favourite of both versions, being a little easier on the ear. One interviewer even asked Rory if he had taken singing lessons for working on the album as his vocals seemed stronger than ever on it. Or perhaps it could be that in going back into the studio to redo things, one thing Rory absolutely ensured was that his voice, with no fripperies and tricks, was unmistakably his on Photo-Finish.

 

#17 Continental Op

 

Album: Defender (1987)

 

Rory Gallagher was something of a bookworm. His brother Dónal once told a tale of loading baggage at an airport whilst on tour. He picked up one of Rory’s bags and promptly injured his back. Upon opening the bag to see what on earth weighed so much, Dónal found himself looking at a massive stack of books Rory had packed to read whilst on the road. Then there was also talk among some fans recently discussing Rory’s reading habit of Dónal opening guitar cases and Rory’s reading pile falling out everywhere. The e-reader was certainly invented for book fiends like Rory, though preferring more old school ways, it was suggested in this same fan discussion that Rory probably wouldn’t have gone for the Kindle (even though it perhaps has benefits in not injuring your wee brother’s back).

Rory was a fan of hardboiled detective stories and mysteries and had read that in great quantities. Amongst his favourite authors were Patricia Highsmith, Raymond Chandler, and Dashiell Hammett. The influence of what he read was quite marked on his music and can be seen from the start of his solo career. But looking over his output, it appears that the detective genre perhaps influenced him the most, given the number of gangsters, detectives, and criminals who feature as characters in his songs.

Rory may have had a few detective tales in him had he ever turned his hand to writing novels and short stories. One of his favourite books was The Continental Op, a collection of seven short tales about an unnamed private detective who worked for the Continental Detective Agency, by Dashiell Hammett. Rory liked it so much, that he wrote a song called ‘The Continental Op’, which appeared on the Defender album, first released on 1 July 1987. Rory discussed his love of Dashiell Hammett’s work in 1991 with Shiv Cariappa, who asked if the song was a tribute to Hammett:

“It is, yes, indeed. It is his character, the Continental Op, a very vain detective, and I just wrote that one night after reading various stories of his, you know. He’s got a book of short stories called The Big Knockover, and the “Op” is in that. I’ve also got quite a few books on the life of Dashiell Hammett, which is quite an interesting story on what he’s been through and so on. And I wrote songs like Big Guns which is about a guy who has bitten off more than he can chew. It is about a small-time crook. He’s got to the point where he has no friends in the underworld and the police want him as well. And I used a similar type of guy, but more innocent, in the song called Loanshark Blues.”

Dashiell Hammett was born on a farm near Great Mills, St Mary’s County, Maryland on 27 May 1894. He was an operative for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency from 1915 to 1922, with a spell serving in the Motor Ambulance Corps during the First World War, though he was hospitalised after catching The Spanish Flu, and subsequently Tuberculosis. This had a detrimental effect on his health. Hammett became disillusioned and subsequently left the Pinkerton Agency after it was hired for strike breaking and led to him becoming a leftist activist. He joined the Communist Party in 1937 and was strongly anti-fascist during the Second World War. He re-enlisted in the US Army during this despite his poor health, and this service saw him develop Emphysema. After the war, his left leanings lead to all sorts of legal complexities, including imprisonment. In the latter stages of his life, Hammett was described as something of a hermit. He died on 10 January 1961 two months after being diagnosed with lung cancer and is interred at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Hammett’s first stories started appearing in 1922, the year he left the Pinkerton Agency and Hammett used his experiences as an operative in writing his detective fiction. The Continental Op appeared in 36 short tales and some novels. Primarily, the tales appeared in the Black Mask pulp magazine through the 1920s. The character is seen as one of the first of the hard-boiled detectives, the forerunner to Hammett’s Sam Spade and Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe and many others, whom I have no doubt Rory read the majority of at some point. Many of the Continental Op tales were later collected into various volumes, The Continental Op collection appearing in 1961.

The Op works for The Continental Detective Agency, which unsurprisingly has strong similarities to the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, which was established during the 1850s by Alan Pinkerton. One of the agency’s early operations was foiling an early assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln shortly after his election. Pinkerton operative Kate Warne was deployed to protect Lincoln during a long train tour from his hometown of Springfield, Illinois to Washington DC. Warne did this using several disguises – and by staying awake the entire time, which inspired the Pinkerton catchline “We Never Sleep”. The agency still exists today. In just one song, Rory has opened us up to a fascinating history.

All of this feeds beautifully into the song ‘Continental Op’. The lyrics themselves are as complicated as one of Hammett’s Op tales:

"Jane Doe in the bay
Now that's exhibit 'A'
Bloodstains on the dress of the millionairess
But I saw you leavin' town
I'm gonna have to track you down

Just like a hound
You slipped through the web
And you might have dodged the Feds
But who they gonna get when you've outfoxed the cops

Here's my number
I'm the Continental Op
Call the agency, we never close
First consultation is free
Check my reputation, check my pose

But first check my fee."

As to the raw sound of the song, Rory said, “Main guitar was my Eccleshall Telecaster with Gibson PAF’s, lead phrases were a white Tele, but the slide was the Gretsch Corvette through an AC30. The sound was basically like an old-fashioned radio blowing up. I don’t like fuzz guitar actually, just amps that are getting ready to blow!”

If anything, what ‘Continental Op’ shows is that at times there is no such thing as a song just being a song.

 

 

 

 

 

 

#16 Daughter Of The Everglades

 

Album: Blueprint, 1973

See also: BBC Sessions, 1999

 

The mind might boggle when looking at the extensive touring schedule of Rory Gallagher (the dates being preserved historically online and also noted daily on his social media) at how he managed to fit in the time to write and record new material. But manage it he did.

Songs could come to him while noodling about on guitar, or at random moments, for which he carried around a notebook. One such memorable occasion has already been recounted in a previous entry to this series when Rory got separated from his brother Dónal during a walk along the Ballycotton Cliffs and sat down to write down some lyrics that came to him, as Dónal’s calls to him went unheeded. When the inspiration hits, it hits!

In the case of ‘Daughter Of The Everglades’. Rory drew inspiration from a book he had read. The song appears on ‘Blueprint’, released on February 18, 1973. It’s quite unusual, with a strong folky feel and almost a touch of the Southern Gothic. One way to describe it is that it is a novel in a song. It’s not the only track of this nature on ‘Blueprint’, the other being ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’.

If anything, ‘Blueprint’ seems to mark a point in which Rory was taking his songwriting further into the depths of his imagination, as well as finding inspiration in the presence of new bandmates, including the addition of pianist Lou Martin as the fourth part to Rory’s previous trio setups. In his notes on ‘Blueprint’, Dónal writes that ‘Daughter Of The Everglades’ ‘highlights Lou’s contribution to the band’. Switching drummers from Wilgar Campbell to Rod de’Ath following the former no longer being able to carry on with Rory’s tour schedule, also switched things around in Rory’s sound. ‘Daughter Of The Everglades’ is certainly proof of that, Rod’s drumming having both an uncanny and earthy element. It would be curious to be a time-traveling fly on the wall to see it all come together at the recording sessions of December 1972 at the Polydor and Marquee Studios in London.

The sound certainly sets the scene. When you listen to ‘Daughter Of The Everglades’, it feels as if you are being transported to the cinema at some point in the earlier half of the 20^th century to see a brilliant but slightly forgotten movie set in the rural American southern states in which, a love story plays out. And the lyrics punch home the remarkable character of the Daughter who Rory’s first-person protagonist falls in love with:

"Well, you looked like your mama
Before you walked, you swam
Learned to makes snake tails stew
From your daddy, a crazy talkin' fisherman
In this place there is no law; the river makes all the rules
What they are I found out
When I came back to look for you."

But while winning his heart, there is also an inexplicable supernatural element that strikes fear into Rory’s character, yet he can’t pull away:

"Daughter of the Everglades
Why did you bring me here?
Daughter of the Everglades
My love has turned to fear
Child of the river
Let me feel you near."

 The lyrics also describe a habitat ‘where the river makes all the rules’. There is a certain mysticism to be found around places like environments such as the Everglades, an area unique to Florida. The Everglades is in the southern tip of Florida, forming a 1.5 million acre wetland that is a national park. Even the generic Google description of the place as a ‘slow-moving river’ with marshes, pine Flatwoods, mangroves, and all sorts of fauna from leatherback turtles, manatees, and the Florida panther smacks of the ethereal. Add to that, it’s the largest subtropical wilderness in the US, so there is plenty of scope for the imagination to run, as Rory’s certainly did. He even describes strange noises and eyes hidden peeking out from the reeds.

The eponymous Daughter also comes across more like a genius loci, or spirit of the place, her nature mirroring that of the Everglades. In the song, she’s taken miles away to live in a city, the result (or peril) of falling in love. But away from the Everglades, she seems to wither and, in the end, disappears, eventually tracked back by her lover to the Everglades. But it’s not good news for him when he gets there and asks her whereabouts, ‘But they tell me you have drowned.’

 

#15 Rory Gallagher Album 50th Anniversary Special

 (First published on the 50th anniversary of the Rory Gallagher album before the actual 50th anniversary reissue!)

There is the old saying, time flies. For music fans, the passing of the years when it hits a certain anniversary of a favourite album is a case in point, especially when it is a significant one from our youth that we have memories of purchasing in the record shop as clear as yesterday. For Rory Gallagher fans lucky enough to have been about for the start of his career, the thought that his eponymous debut solo album, first released on 23 May 1971, has now reached its 50^th anniversary must surely have them reaching for a glass of whiskey or Guinness while putting their cherished viny copy on the turn table for a happy trip down memory lane. There’s nothing like music to mark our lives, and for several people, none more so than the music of Rory Gallagher.

The Rory Gallagher album has its genesis in the days following the demise of Taste. Rory found himself in a complex situation involving a long of wrangling that would subsequently allow him to forge his solo career. Taste had their final concert at Queens University in Belfast on 24 October 1970. It would be a further six months before Rory was able to take to the live stage under his own name, a wait he surely felt, but in the meantime he was busy.

Having had a bad experience with management in Taste, he was more than happy to take charge of things himself, with help from others, such as his younger brother Dónal. Led Zeppelin manager, Peter Grant, was interested in doing the job himself. He and Dónal had got chatting at one show in Taste’s final months, Dónal telling Grant about the various issues Rory had. It was Grant who subsequently helped to resolve Rory’s solo record contract for with Polydor for six albums.

Meanwhile, Rory set about looking for musicians to join him in a new band under his own name. Belfast band Deep Joy were also in their final months at the same time as Taste, calling it a day at the end of December 1970. They had supported Taste a number of times. And Rory had also been popular in Belfast having moved there with the first line up of Taste in the late 1960s, so both he and the members of Deep Joy were known to each other. Deep Joy’s bassist, Gerry McAvoy, recalled seeing both Rory and Dónal in the audience at some shows, but didn’t think of it as anything more than the pair enjoying a night out.

In January 1970, Gerry was a home in Belfast enjoying his record collection when an unexpected phone call came through. At first, he thought it was Wilgar Campbell, the now former Deep Joy drummer who had remained in London following the band’s split. He was now with Rory who needed a bassist, and Wilgar gave him Gerry’s phone number. Rory was calling to invite Gerry ‘for a blow’ in London. Gerry flew to  London, met by Dónal at the airport and taken to a rehearsal room. It was perhaps not quite how the then 19 year old Gerry expected that particular day to turn out! After returning home, he got another call from Rory asking if he would like to join him and Wilgar in recording a new album. Work on Rory Gallagher took place in February 1971.

Rory brought sound engineer Eddy Offord with whom he had previously worked on Taste’s On The Boards album. It was the first time Rory acted as producer. Whilst Rory was busy with all this, Dónal in the meantime had got himself a new job working for Atomic Rooster as their tour manager. Rory had asked him to find a good pianist to work on the album and Dónal had put forward Atomic Rooster’s Vincent Crane, who joined Rory as a guest for a few tracks.

Though it appears things were coming together for Rory starting his new career, there were a few bumps in the road. Dónal noted that Rory was virtually destitute living in a bedsit in London. Their mother had sent him money to help survive, but that was stolen. Rory also later noted in an interview that Polydor had informed him they weren’t going to back his first solo album and he’d had to borrow money off his mother to finish it. In an era when many parents were keen to have their aspiring musician progeny to ‘get a normal job’, the way Monica (Mona) Gallagher supported Rory is commendable, especially given the times he could have just packed it in out of frustration. But with the backing  of both his mother and brother, giving up doesn’t seem to have been something Rory would have been able to do easily!

Rory Gallagher is an album that takes in a wealth of styles. Interestingly the cover art photography was the work of Mick Rock, famous for his iconic photos of Queen, David Bowie and Lou Reed to name a few.  Musically, it lacks the grand instrumentation and glitz of many other albums released in 1971, but this is where its strength lies. Featuring guitar, harmonica and sax from Rory, bass from Gerry, drums and percussion from Wilgar, and of course Vincent Crane’s guest spot tinkling the ivories, it covers blues rock, folk and jazz in just ten tracks. A further two bonus tracks were added in the 2018 remaster, covers of ‘Gypsy Woman’ by Muddy Waters and ‘It Takes Time’ by Otis Rush, also recorded during the album session. Though Rory didn’t carry many of the songs from the album to his live shows beyond the very early days of his solo career, several of them remain perennial fan favourites.

The track opener, ‘Laundromat’, was inspired by the public laundry on the ground floor of the building Taste had their bedsit in the last few days of the band. It was, according to Dónal, the warmest part of the building, so they would spend time there in the winter. Rory also found it the ideal place to practice his guitar and saxophone without disturbing anyone. ‘Just The Smile’ is a beautiful folk number on acoustic that several younger fans often remark on for its brilliance. The lyrics are evocative and the guitar sticks in the mind for a long time.

The third track ‘I Fall Apart’, which is also what the Spotlight On The G-Man series started with, was voted the best Irish love song and has Rory soloing for all his worth. It’s a shame that he didn’t keep this as a regular fixture in his live shows. Vincent Crane adds barrel-house piano, reminiscent of later Rory Gallagher band member Lou Martin, to ‘Wave Myself Goodbye’, while Rory works his magic on acoustic blues. It’s a song that perhaps doesn’t get as much attention as other tracks, unfortunate, because it’s a classic.

The pace is picked up with ‘Hands Up’ a positive stomper of a blues rock track guaranteed to dispel any negativity and self-doubt that can cloud the mind. In the 2018 sleeve notes, Dónal writes: “Hands Up is a highly motivational song written post-Taste. The track’s positive lyrical message is delivered with lines such as ‘hands up and reach for the sky’ and ‘get up you know it’s time’ which act to counter the negativity Rory felt when the disbanded.”

‘Sinner Boy’, which made an appearance at Taste’s legendary Isle of Wight show in August 1970, comes with searing electric slide to melt the leather on your boots. The theme of the song is homelessness and the drama of the guitar playing echoes the desperate emotions felt when even just considering the horror of having nowhere to go but the streets. ‘For The Last Time’ again is noted by Dónal in the 2018 sleeve notes about how Rory was treated in the collapse of Taste. Lyrically it talks about being knocked down but not essentially knocked out and coming through a difficult time. Vincent Crane has another guest spot on ‘I’m Not Surprised’, giving another foreshadowing of how well Rory worked as a guitarist with a highly competent pianist as a foil. ‘Can’t Believe It’s True’ is the most jazz influenced song on the album, and the final track in the original release. It features Rory’s double tracked alto sax.

The 2018 remastered reissue is a feast for the ears, released on vinyl, MP3, CD and also on streaming. The remaster was part of the reissue of all of Rory’s solo albums via UMC, and every single one sounds as fresh as if it had just fallen out a recording studio, or live venue, the night before. This is what makes it hard to believe Rory Gallagher is now 50 years old. And a great part of this is that Rory’s work is now accessible to younger and newer fans. When I first came across him at 14, it was a little harder to find his work. Now it’s more readily available and a new generation of music fiends are falling in love with the man and his music.

 

#14 Follow Me

 

(Note - This features Brendan O'Neill and not Ted McKenna)

Album: Top Priority, 1979

 

The period following the release of Photo Finish had been successful for Rory, so when it came time to work on the follow-up, Chrysalis Records had promised to make it a top priority. “In typical Rory style he named the album after their promise so that no one at the record company would be able to forget their guarantee,” writes Dónal Gallagher.

 Recorded at Dieter Dierks studio, like Photo Finish, Top Priority saw its release on September 16, 1979. It was the second of Rory’s album to feature the immense talents of Scottish drumming legend, the late great Ted McKenna. Gerry McAvoy, as in all Rory’s solo albums, played bass.

 Top Priority embraces a heavier rock style. Interestingly, at the time, he was drawing heavy metal fans at his live shows, which perhaps is a testament to his appeal. He himself didn’t mind that, though wasn’t about to go all out metal! There is still a strong folkish blues feel to several songs. In particular, the album opener, ‘Follow Me’ has a mild touch of the mystical:

“I want to plant a star on the sky
One you can find at the end of the night
I want to climb a ladder to space
And leave without trace
Cause now is the time”

 For me especially, this brings Neil Gaimanesque imagery. I can almost picture a ladder sprouting to the skies and Rory stealthily climbing it, which is perhaps an indicator of just how much Gaiman I’ve read combined with how much I listen to Rory and a slightly vivid imagination (and the fact I am writing this with a heavy dose of hay fever!). But beyond this brief touch of the fantastical, there is a more down-to-earth feel to ‘Follow Me’. That is one of optimism, hope, and moving on from tough times:

“I've been locked in this cage
Gonna break away before it's too late
I'm gonna rewrite the page take the stage
And live tomorrow today
You'll find the dreams you mislaid.”

On the face of it, ‘Follow Me’ is a straight-up rocker, but it’s a song worth paying close attention to. Rory probably put as much into his lyrics as he did the music when it came to crafting his songs. He may be renowned as a genius on guitar and certainly deserves more credit as a great singer, but purely as a wordsmith, he could easily have written a creditable novel or book of poems.

‘Follow Me’ is a song in which he appears to be putting his feelings on a plate. He was notoriously shy and private (in a good way), and not many interviews could really break beyond the professional talk of guitar models, views on the music industry, or the history of the blues amongst other things. It seems to get an idea of Rory’s innermost thoughts, you probably can’t do any better than just turn on his music and listen.

Dónal notes on the official site, “At the time of Top Priority’s release Rory’s fear of flying was worsening, whilst touring commitments around the World were increasing. Just Hit Town is Rory talking of his fears but declaring he has no intention to change his lifestyle to hide from them”. Though Dónal is referencing another track on the album, ‘Just Hit Town’, ‘Follow Me’ could easily be seen as another statement from Rory that he intends to keep going on, no matter what, and more specifically do it his own way.

The other aspect of ‘Follow Me’ is that he invites you to join him. It’s an intensely positive message. If you have struggled with a negative mental state, it’s a song that I can speak from personal experience with lifelong anxiety disorder helps immensely. There’s nothing more awful in the human experience to find yourself trapped in a sense of perpetual dread, fear, and worry about screwing up, not being good enough, struggling to function in a ‘normal’ fashion. And then you play this song – it’s like the sun beaming through the storm clouds.

An interesting thing I’ve noticed in talking with other fans of Rory is that several also have similar issues with anxiety and phobias. Rory is a good influence in their lives, his music, live performance, and in a way, his general essence providing a salve and inspiration to get through it. That is the sort of thing super legends like John Lennon and Bob Marley are known for, but Rory proves you don’t need to reach that level of stature to have that kind of impact on people’s lives.

“Won’t you follow me?” He asks. Well, thousands upon thousands gladly do.

#13 It's Happened Before, It'll Happen Again

 

Album: On The Boards, 1970

 

In 1970, Taste were on the rise. They had toured the States backing Blind Faith with Delaney and Bonnie, with Taste being regarded as many audiences as the best band, whilst Blind Faith crumbled and eventually disbanded. Meanwhile Taste’s self-titled debut album was putting in creditable appearances in the charts.

The follow up album, On The Boards, is arguably the one that brought Rory Gallagher to prominence. Released on New Year’s Day, 1970, it’s jazz and blues mix being praised by fans and reviewers alike. It’s certainly a jump from the rawer first album, the trio sounding stronger and more adventurous, with none other than Lester Bangs writing in Rolling Stone: “The band is so tight and compelling, the songs so affecting, and the experiments and improvisations so clearly thought-out, that it seems a shame even to suggest that Taste be classed in any way with that great puddle of British blues bands. Everybody else is just wood shedding; Taste have arrived.”

As positive as the reviews and reception of On The Boards were, within the band itself, things were slowly starting to rumble, with the group breaking up in October that year. Given they were on the rise, particularly after a legendary set at the Isle of Wight festival in August 1970, it certainly shook a few people. But Rory was headed in a different path from bassist Richard McCracken and drummer John Wilson, both from Omagh and Belfast, respectively.

This jazzy style can be heard the most on the third track of the album, “It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again.” Lyrically, it’s very short and sweet, describing in a vague way the realisation that your significant other is playing you somewhat and the mind games of it are getting a bit much, though nothing is really going to change:

“You only call to see me when I'm out
A guilty conscience nags you, I have no doubt
You've got the balls not to call anymore
It's happened before, it'll happen again
It's happened before, it happened again.”

Perhaps the most notable aspect of Rory in this song is, for once, not his guitar playing, though it’s as ‘Roryish’ as ever in complexity and experimentation, but his sax playing. At the time Rory was listening to a lot of jazz and was a massive fan of Ornette Coleman, the Texan saxophonist. As well as sax, Coleman also played the violin and trumpet. Regarded as one of the originators of free jazz, Coleman took a more improv style in his music, eschewing the more traditional forms of jazz. His sax playing hypnotised Rory. He may have looked for a way to integrate that style into his guitar, but Coleman also inspired him in another way, that apparently led Dónal Gallagher to believe his brother may have been about to switch instruments from guitar, a notion that is somewhat stunning to contemplate these days!

 

At the time, Rory and Dónal were sharing a bedsit in London and somewhat strapped for cash. One day, Dónal returned to their digs to find that Rory had trooped out to the music store and bought himself an alto sax and tutor book. A guitar, understandable, but a saxophone! The landlord of the bedsit didn’t like noise. The neighbours perhaps also found living next door to a musician a bit of a racket. And the saxophone is a notoriously difficult instrument to play. At first, it doesn’t sound too pleasant! Not that this deterred Rory. He solved the problem by learning how to play shut away in the wardrobe, the clothes muffling the sound of his first practice sessions. Apparently if it did annoy any neighbours, Rory’s natural charm soon won them over. In a few weeks, he started to get the hang of it and began incorporating the sax into Taste’s sound, something which John Wilson recalls liking a lot.

 

After Taste split, Rory didn’t play sax as much, but it still made the odd appearance in his solo work, including “A Million Miles Away” and also on the Defender album of 1987.

 

A final, nice touch to Rory and his sax playing is that Rory once found himself staying in the room next door to Ornette Coleman at a hotel. And how did this pan out for the lad who taught himself to play saxophone closed away in his wardrobe so he didn’t annoy the neighbours too much? Ornette practiced his sax playing the entire time Rory was his neighbour…