Edged in blue (Rory Gallagher) (LP 355)

Rory Gallagher Calling Card (Vinyl, Chrysalis, 1976) ****

Genre: pop/rock 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records (Auckland)

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Country Mile




Gear costume:  Moonchild 

Active compensatory factors: Roger Glover (yes, the bassist for Deep Purple) came on board for this album and added some finesse and clarity to proceedings for Rory: Moonchild and Calling Card are good examples.

It's quite a varied album from Rory this time. Calling Card is a nice change of pace, Moonchild is almost a love song (as much as Rory ever does a love song), Barley and Maple Rag is folk, I'll  Admit You've Gone is an accoustic beauty and there are some rock songs in the mix as well.

Thanks to the band being on top form (Lou Martin plays some lovely piano on Calling Card and Rod de'Ath is also at his best) with Glover producing, Rory can excel on vocals and guitar.


Where do they all belong? The last with this line up - only Gerry McAvoy remained beyond this one.

20:20 vision (Rory Gallagher) (LP 251 - 252)

Rory Gallagher Tattoo (Vinyl - Chrysalis, 1973) ****
Rory Gallagher The French Connection (Recorded at RTL Studios Paris France 1974) (Vinyl - UMC 2018) ****

Genre: Irish pop/rock

Places I remember: Tattoo - Marbecks Records; The French Connection - Real Groovy Records 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: A Million Miles Away 




Gear costume:  Cradle Rock (as always - a real favourite of mine)

Active compensatory factors: Tattoo is a biggie in the canon. 

Four of the tracks were in the set list for the next few years (cf Irish Tour) and three are on The French Connection in the following year.

The live versions are better (Rory is always better live) but it's still great to hear those first studio stabs at the songs from 1973.

The French Connection is a recent release - recorded live in the studio - it's always great to hear Rory live in 1974 but Irish Tour (and expanded version has also just been released this year) remains the definitive statement.

Where do they all belong? Still a few seventies albums to go before we head into the eighties and end game for Rory - tons of great guitaring to come then. 

Got my mojo working (Muddy Waters) (LP 165)

Rory Gallagher BBC Sessions (CD - Capo, 1999) ***

Genre:  Irish pop/ rock

Places I remember: HMV Stratford Mall, London  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I take What I want




Gear costume: Country Mile, Race The Breeze 

Active compensatory factors: Rory played everywhere, and he always played for fun. If ever a guy had a guitar shaped heart, it was Rory Gallagher. If ever I guy had his mojo working on a consistent basis, it was Rory.

Here we find Rory on the wireless, both in the concert and studio mode over two CDs.

He lets rip! As he always did! 

Faithful allies Gerry McAvoy, Lou Martin and Rod deAth are present and correct - laying down the bedrock for Rory to do his expansive best upon.

Where do they all belong? More to come in the firey/bluesy guitar stylings of Rory Gallagher.

All around man (Rory Gallagher) (LP 130)

Rory Gallagher Against The Grain (Vinyl - Chrysalis, 1975) ****

Genre: Irish pop/ rock

Places I remember: Marbecks Records (Auckland) 

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Souped-Up Ford




Gear costume: All Around Man, Out on the Western Plain

Active compensatory factors: Another nice one Rory!

It's 1975 and Rory's been at for seven albums as a solo artist (before that he was the main man in Taste, of course). He's Mr Consistency.

The blueprint had long been established and not much had changed since 1966 - Rory is still playing amazingly varied guitar (lyrical at times, hard as nails at others), his vocals are still right on the money, the band is still tight as a fish's bum (Gerry McAvoy - bass, Lou Martin – keyboards, Rod de'Ath – drums) and the songs have always been there.

Suddenly though, Against The Grain hit the right vein with Americans and it became more well received than previous albums. 

Rory hadn't changed, it's just that critics and audiences had started catching up with a good thing.

Where do they all belong? More good times coming, Calling Card's next up.