Following the commercial and critically acclaimed success of last year’ Blues album and the three-week running No.1 album on the Billboard Blues Chart Check Shirt Wizard – Live in ’77 released earlier this year, Universal Music will be releasing The Best Of Rory Gallagher this coming Friday 9th October.
The comprehensive compilation includes the legendary guitarist’s most iconic songs compiled from across his recording career, including tracks from his seminal first band Taste (1969) through to his final studio album Fresh Evidence (1990), plus a previously unreleased rendition of The Rolling Stones’ classic ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ taken from recordings for Jerry Lee Lewis’s famous 1973 London Sessions album.
‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ was unearthed from the Rory Gallagher Archives and is a rare outtake featuring Rory singing and playing guitar alongside Jerry Lee Lewis on piano. This previously unreleased rarity is featured on the 2CD version and digital versions of the album, and as limited 7” edition of ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ will beavailable as an instant gratis track with pre-orders of the album, and on all streaming and download services via this hyper link.
The single’s picture sleeve features a rare archive photo of Gallagher and Lewis from the time of the recording sessions. The B-side features ‘Cruise On Out’ from 1978’s critically acclaimed album Photo Finish.
The phrase a “musician’s musician” is given to many, and among those who truly deserve that accolade is Rory Gallagher. Here’s what some of his contemporaries and those who influenced by him have said about not only his talents, but his character as a valued individual.
When asked “How does it feel to be the best guitarist in the world,” Jimi replied, “I don’t know, why don’t you go and ask Rory Gallagher.” Jimi Hendrix.
“The man who got me back into the blues.” Eric Clapton.
“There are a million guys who sound like Stevie Ray Vaughan, but I never heard anybody who could really pull off sounding like Rory Gallagher.” Slash.
“As soon as I heard ‘Cradle Rock’, I was hooked. I thought, ‘This is what I want to be when I grow up.” Joe Bonamassa.
“I really liked Rory, he was a fine guitarist and singer and lovely man.” Jimmy Page.
“He was just a magician, he’s one of the very few people of that time who could make his guitar do anything it seemed. It just seemed to be magic. I remember looking at that battered Stratocaster and thinking ‘How does that come out of there?’” Brian May.
“The man who changed my musical life was Rory Gallagher, I picked up a guitar because of him.” Johnny Marr.
“A beautiful man and an amazing guitar player. He was a very sensitive man and a great musician.” The Edge.
“An amazing player, very spirited… he had a particular sound using that Stratocaster and he really got it because of the brute force in the way that he played, he just had such a passion about it.” Joe Satriani.
“Rory was the one to measure yourself against. He was a real credit to music and pushed it to another level altogether.” Peter Frampton.
Renowned for his blistering live performances and highly respected for his dedication to his craft, Rory Gallagher sadly passed away in 1995, aged just 47. His reputation has continued to flourish in the years since, attested to by the success of his most recent posthumous releases.
The Best Of Rory Gallagher will feature 30 tracks and be released in a variety of formats.
