rockscene358

RORY GALLAGHER

STAGE STRUCK
(Chrysalis)

Rory Gallagher has been called unassuming so many times that he must be wondering if he should take a more flashy pose and finally rise to that Guitar Hero stature his by right over these many years. But Rory is even too unassuming for that, and so he’s been forced to rely on his playing prowess and live mega-energy to converi a legion of fans.

Stage Struck catches him at his panting best, shouting out hoarse blues-tinged vocals, and then kicking the galloping horsepower put out by his Stratocaster all the way home. He rides like he plays, fast, not too abstract (though he’s been known to toss in a wild sway bar now and again), and with plenty of fortitude and determination.

“Moonchild” provides a good compendium of Rory’s fireworks, but the other tracks, like the aptly named “Shin Kicker” or the frisky “Last of the Independents,” boil away in similar fashion. He trills, fills, and generally wills his guitar to run the whole sound spectrum, apologizing not one whit for the fact that his approach hasn’t changed much over the years since he was with the late sixties’ Taste.

It doesn’t matter; secure from fads and foibles, he’ll probably still be trucking around the world come the year 2000, and the live album from that year will be just as satisfying.

This review comes from the April 1980 issue of Rock Scene
reformatted by roryfan

To Join

The Loop
Mailing & Discussion List email roryfan at roryfan@comcast.net

Back to main RoryON!! page

Back to Articles page

Back to previous article

Forward to next article

358
added 7/8/07