Rory Gallagher [50th Anniversary Edition]

by Rory Gallagher

Overview

Rory Gallagher's solo debut picks up where On The Boards left off - it's a solid, but significantly less raucous, blues rock outing with ten original tunes that were far more than skeletons for his incisive Strat picking. "Laundromat," "Hands Up," and "Sinner Boy"'s distinctive riffs were early concert favorites, but the album's ballads were some of Gallagher's strongest. "For the Last Time," "Just the Smile" and the acoustic "I'm Not Surprised" mixed strains of Delta blues with strong melodic sensibilities into songs of rare poignancy, especially for an artist who was best known for his scorching leads. In this respect Gallagher was an early model for Eric Clapton, whose solo career followed a similar path. Interestingly, Gallagher seems rather restrained throughout his debut, holding back the fret-burning in favor of strong songs. He opens up on the album's jazzy, seven-minute finale "Can't Believe It's You" which even features an alto sax, an instrument Gallagher all but abandoned on later albums. 2000's reissued, remastered version of the disc includes two additional tunes, Muddy Waters' slow Delta blues number "Gypsy Woman" and Otis Rush's fast Chicago shuffle "It Takes Time," both cut at the same sessions. "Gypsy Woman"'s slashing slide guitar and vocals sound as impassioned any other track; shuffle "It Takes Time" isn't quite as impressive but still shows how comfortable Gallagher is with straight blues. Brother/compiler Donal Gallagher's track notes are short but illuminating, and the remastered sound, although not as vibrant as on later reissues of Gallagher's catalog, is a big improvement over any existing version of this consistently superb album. ~ Hal Horowitz

Product Details

Release Date:	09/03/2021
Label:	Universal
UPC:	0602435444925
Rank:	73184

Tracks

1. Laundromat
2. Just the Smile
3. I Fall Apart
4. Wave Myself Goodbye
5. Hands Up
6. Sinner Boy
7. For the Last Time
8. It's You
9. I'm Surprised
10. Can't Believe It's True

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rory Gallagher   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Mandolin,Harmonica,Sax (Alto)
Vincent Crane   Guest Artist,Piano,Keyboards
Gerry McAvoy   Bass,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
Wilgar Campbell   Drums,Percussion

Technical Credits

Tony Arnold   Remixing,Remastering
Chris Lycett   Engineer
John Etchells   Engineer
Jeff Griffin   Producer
Robin Sylvester   Engineer
Rory Gallagher   Composer,Producer
McKinley Morganfield   Composer
Muddy Waters   Composer
Daniel Gallagher   Producer,Executive Producer
Eddy Offord   Engineer
Otis Rush   Composer
Willie Dixon   Composer
Frank Arkwright   Mastering Engineer
Donald Gallagher   Liner Notes,Executive Producer
Mick Rock   Photography
Martin Dubka   Remix Engineer