Best of albums are subjective at best. If you’ve never heard the artist it acts as an aperitif to the act’s main catalogue or forthcoming live tour. If you’re a fan already, you’ve either got all the tracks already or somebody’s inevitably left your obscure favourite off the collection.
For long time Rory Gallagher fans there have been previous such collections, and a plethora of live releases (all gems or rough diamonds as Gallagher rarely put a foot wrong live). The curiosity here for them here is a previously unreleased Rolling Stones cover co-featuring Jerry Lee Lewis. For those new to the late guitar hero, you could possibly cut two CDs down to one, but you’d miss the depth and range of the man’s musicality within the blues rock format, and that starts with the very first track.
Aptly, ‘What’s Going On’ begins our love affair with a young Rory Gallagher on this collection. Musically it’s primarily blues rock, with an arpeggio turnaround that’s folkish, all tinctured by a laidback jazz ambiance. However, it’s the questioning aspect of the song here that is the key. It shows a theme, or trope as you kids are fond of applying somewhat innocuously these days. It shows that even as early as when his Irish rock band Taste were hot to trot that Rory Gallagher aired songs with a sense of mystery seeking to be unravelled. Most pronounced in times to come would be songs like ‘Secret Agent’ and ‘Philby’ where he took on the intrigues of the spy thriller, elsewhere – as we’ll find among this collection – was the more generalised enchanted folklore ponderings by way of popular books of the time such as The Golden Bough with the then-fledgling hippy culture of the time as filtered through a more stoic attitude of the differing peoples who populated a supposed United Kingdom.
Suitably, while musically and production wise a great contrast, ‘What’s Going On’ is followed by the hide and seek secrets of ‘Shadow Play’ pumping hard on this crowd-pleasing singalong. Taken from 1978’s Photo Finish album, a time when the rock crowd was changing, the advent of punk unwittingly birthing the NWOHM and a more brash upfront sound starting to bolster through. Here, there’s an absolutely brilliant sound to Gerry McGovern’s bass. “I’m not sure what part I play” cries out Gallagher and for a man’s man so determined and self-assured, he was a man of his times and maybe, just maybe he was imparting private feelings to. What there is no doubt about is the wonderfully fluid guitar soloing exploring and expressing itself across the fretboard – and with that we suddenly notice as minor notation phrases he uses in passing that would be writ up large from Van Halen to Slash in the decades to come.
This and the following ‘Follow Me’ from ‘79’s Top Priority are a perfect combination, and I for one would be among those who’d follow Gallagher into the jaws of Hell after a few stiff drinks and hearing the pairing together. Racketing noisily along in what can be said to be the same vein, here the high-pitched squealing solo signposts the way for a handful of guitarists who’d build Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career.
‘Tattoo’d Lady’ takes us back a couple of years. A popular Gallagher number, though more renowned for its lived version, I’ve tended to remain a little indifferent to it personally. However, its theme of gypsies and fairgrounds edge us into a more romantic Celtic mythology/folklore side of things.
For a Best Of there are tracks I was unfamiliar with. ‘All Around Man’ being one. A more earnest macho slide blues number that’s in total contrast to ‘I Fall Apart’ – A song as gentle as it is beautiful , the bass and drums so perfect in their accompaniment as the guitar runs emotively through this deep and exquisite love song phrased in the blues but going far beyond.
Folk driven, with a slight psychedelic/early progressive rock flow is ‘Daughter Of The Everglades’ that takes on the previous track’s romantic theme, but more so brings us back in the arms of a mystery lover, the Everglades being a fair distance from an Irish River, it’s the latter my imagination takes me to with enchanted woods outside village life where a Celtic enchantress might happily reside. To be truthful, it might go on a tad too long, but there’s a very ice piano solo that roams far and wide, supplanted by guitar in its outro.
‘Calling Card’ features more beautifully placed bass and drumming, allowing Gallagher to cast more guitar phrases in passing than others since have achieved in ongoing careers. He reads the song so well too, and it’s so laid back and confident in its very matter of fact-ness. Ostensibly a listing of Gallagher’s problems, with the hook line “The blues came calling with its calling card”, there’s the one stereotypical of-its-time machismo line where he sings of a lover who’s left “come back and clean up this place” though even that feels its might be sung self-depreciatively, and more often comes across akin to some skewered Neil Simon play, aided impeccably by Lou Martin’s piano playing takes this outside any musical genre restrictions.
‘I’m Not Awake Yet’ proves to be yet another number I’m not familiar with. Its Celtic blues rock is not a million miles removed from Led Zeppelin’s ‘Ramble On’ in the way the bass and acoustic interact. A love song that again trips one step to the side of ‘Daughter of the Everglades’ as if Gallagher had popped one too many magic mushrooms. From the Bert Jansch finger-picking stylisations therein to places I’d previously considered John Martin went a wandering with its country rhythms and harmonic nuances is the confident loving trust of ‘Just The Smile’. Third in a row new to these ears is ‘Out Of My Mind’ predominately a country blues/Irish finger-picked jig, it acts as a bridge to the better known ‘Edged In Blue’ with its cowboy blues opening via a tender lyrical vibrato guitar line solo before kicking in under a military beat and busking with equal parts rock and roll alongside slight psychedelic country licks. A song about following the one you love; it has a unique charm.
Proud strident chords, over a more astute military drum beat, a piercing lead guitar and a determined narrative about waiting for someone is the mighty ‘Philby’, released as a single at the time. Commercial without compromising, it has great style, and its questing subtext taught and dramatically felt.
Were the running order of these tracks a film we’d wonder if we’d wound back to the beginning, or moments later after our ‘Philby’ encounter and become a Manchurian Candidate as Taste’s ‘It’s Happened Before, It’ll Happen Again’ plays out hypnotically. Completely jazz textured with 60s psychedelic influences, there’s vocal scatting, saxes wailing, a walking bass line, brushed drumming, and guitar lines that break off and splinter at odd angles. It’s so of its time but timeless too. Again, the title offers us an enigma, a mystery, yet here in his youth he appeared more accepting than questing regarding the unknown. If you’ve never heard Gallagher before and this is your first song you’re either gonna fall in love with it or be completely bamboozled.
‘Crest Of A Wave’ returns us to a more tangible reality. Opening like an upbeat rocking folk number it gets progressively heavier, in the classic sense, a fruity slide solo riding over a rhythm section filled with many flavours all their own. And, that round off the first CD collection.
CD 2 begins with ‘Bad Penny’, one of my favourite Rory Gallagher numbers. Its blistering emotive soloing over a brash belligerent rhythm disguising a wounded heart ego and hear. Great lyrics, fantastic guitar sound, hard to beat.
‘Walk On Hot Coals’ is another track more renowned for its legendary classic live rendition. Here it moves from potential barroom shotgun showdown to progressive experimentation within a form via inspired application of piano and guitar.
‘Blister On The Moon’ despite being an early Taste number comes on like the rallying call for Irish punk rock over a decade early. Members of Stiff Little Fingers, U2, and maybe even further afield Big Country had to have had this on their turntables back when they were kids. ‘Loanshark Blues’ plays on a Bo Diddley beat by way of some unintended calypso rockabilly before moving into heavier blues rock, whereas ‘Bought & Sold’ is laid back as the piano tinkles away and the guitar relays some really long sustained notes.
For many, the slow blues of ‘A Million Miles Away’ with its wry passing lyrical observations of all that goes on about him in bars, on ships and elsewhere while ultimately dwelling on the thoughts of a long-distance lover is one Gallagher’s fans all-time favourites. Its followed by latter day release ‘Wheels Within Wheels’ wherein electric folk bonds with melancholy pop , alongside some gifted piano playing, the acoustic country blues of ‘Seven Days’ with some slide added on ‘Ghost Blues’ that builds up to a freight train beat with subtle snare drumbeat keeping it all together. These are a bunch of lesser-known numbers to my mind, but their running order has them flow naturally one into another, highlighting one musical aspect or other, shifting thematically along, as with the rockabilly of ‘Cruise On Out’ wherein the spasmodic harmonic sonic attack of the guitar would be adapted for the heavy metal arena by Eddie Van Halen.
Harking back to the dawn of rock and roll, and patching in with one of music’s most celebrated numbers comes a track not previously released. Recorded during sessions for a 1973 Jerry Lee Lewis album we are offered a soul-shrugging blues rock take on The Rolling Stones’ ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’. Gallagher takes the bluesy vocals for the most part, Jerry Lee coming in later, while applying a jazzy gospel piano approach. While different, the song remains sexual to the core no matter what you do with it and they take up the Stones’ riff as it fades out.
‘They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore’ wouldn’t be out of place heard on an episode of Strictly Ballroom with its Latino dance riffing that comes across as a fanciful breath of fresh air. There’s a beautifully pitched guitar solo followed by one on piano that runs away all over the shop, before second punchier guitar one takes us for a long walk up one side of a wall and back down the overside.
‘Moonchild’ returns us to a jet-propelled racing riff while evoking that romantic star-crossed Celtic lovers appeal. The riff was half-inched by far too many metal bands a decade after it was recorded, here it retains not only its originality but class. Licks are peeled off effortlessly, the guitar tone fabulous throughout the solos. There’s increased sustained guitar on ‘Jinxed’ that edges into Santana blues territory, and the album finishes with another Taste track in ‘Catfish’, its arrangementpractically the prototype for Paul Rogers’ 1993 album Muddy Waters Blues.
Do yourself a favour, check this out!
