Albums
Rory Gallagher: “Live In Europe” (Polydor)
Catching the real Rory on Wax
by Roy Hollingworth
Dark blue Irish touring man jumps up and sez “Hullo,”
spreads wings, kicks and licks. Gunning, rat – a –
tat – tat , a riff as fast as flies, then he ducks, spins round,
and then winds up a gag-ga-gaggin, a boogie, whoo he’s sweet is
Gallagher.
Looking
back on that Belfast New Year gig conjures up one memory in
particular. For fully three minutes Gallagher produced the most
remarkable rock ‘n’ roll guitar I’d heard in my
life. He fingered out about three million notes, and nearly bit
his lip off in the process; stopped briefly, crashed a dischord, ran to
his drummer Wilgar Campbell, and scrubbed a riff that just wasn’t
human. Gallagher is live, and this album proves that the only way
Gallagher can exist on wax is in a live state. Well, they got him
here. They found him on a new stage, and they caught a few
moments with this man and his audience, and if you hear
“Laundromat” and STILL don’t rate Gallagher, then
this time you’ll just have to go get your brain cleaned.
“Laundromat”,
a composition you’ll find standing out of his first “new
era” album, presents the only relevant new riff I’ve heard
in the last three years, and when you talk about tight playing, then
you’d better start talking about Gallagher first.
It’s amazing, and it’s not done by electricity, and
it’s not disguised in noise, and the only thing he needs to reach
is maybe a wee bottle of Guinness and a fresh checked shirt.
Natural dark blue Irish touring man grinds down with “I
Could’ve Had Religion,” and that’s the blues, and it
really is, rolling and turning and hung back so you can beat yer heels
hard. “Going To My Home Town,” is Gallagher busking
with mandolin, then he picks up his white Strat, and catches a boogie,
quick, and that’s “In Your Town,” and he likes
boogie. “Bullfrog Blues,” sees a straighter rock
‘n’ roll direction, jiving bumpers and all that, and it
blazes beautifully. Can’t complain about the quality of
recording it’s caught him, it really has. As high as Aer
Lingus, and just as special.
R.H.
This article comes from Melody Maker May 6, 1972
thanks to Brenda O'Brien for finding and typing this article!
artwork by Sistina
reformatted by roryfan
387
added 8/08/08
