CREAM, the
band that became rock's most influential “power trio,”
inspired countless lesser bands to play loud, blues-based music with
improvisational extensions during the late 1960’s and early 70’s. In
the typical trio of the period, the guitar was thunderously amplified
and created the illusion, at least, of simultaneous rhythm and lead
playing, while bass and drums thundered darkly beneath. This brand of
music making soon proved limiting, especially for guitarists, and only
a few musicians have carried it into the middle and late 70’s, most
notably Robin Trower and Rory Gallagher.
Mr. Gallagher was at the Bottom
Line earlier this week, proving that in
capable hands the power trio format remains valid. He isn't an
exceptionally commanding singer, but on guitar he manages to sound both creative
and inspired without really enlarging on the vocabulary of his chosen
idiom.
The key to the
success of the set the reviewer heard late Wednesday evening was
programmatic variety. Most power trios tend to thud along, knocking out
one heavy blues after another, but Mr. Gallagher cannily varied his
tempos, explored several different rhythmic avenues and drew on an
eclectic selection of blues evergreens as well as on his own writing
for material.
A certain sameness did become noticeable, but whenever utter boredom
threatened, Mr. Gallagher would either shift gears rhythmically or pull
a spectacular textural trick out of his hat. His solid rhythm section
kicked all the music along spiritedly and one kept listening. Robert Palmer This article comes from the 9/7/79 issue of
the New York Times Thanks to Dan Karsner for sending the
article and for the photo he took at Mr.Mustard's in Reading, PA in 1985 reformatted by roryfan
