“Rory [Gallagher] was unique in such a way,” bassist Gerry McAvoy recalled in 2021. “Rory played the blues, but he studied his craft. He was in the showbands: stagecraft came from the showbands. But I think there was a certain Irishness in Rory’s playing. Even when he was playing the blues licks, he would throw something Irish in there, which made it so unique. A lot of fellow guitar players at the time went, ‘Oh, that’s strange.’ I think that was part of Rory’s brilliance.”
McAvoy is right to celebrate his former employer, judging by the electricity heard on a new live set, Rory Gallagher: The BBC Collection. Over the course of the pounding collection, the guitarist exemplifies the urgency of blues, with a certain spontaneity. One needs only to listen to “Back On My Stompin’ Ground” to hear a master at work. The pop grooves of “Tattoo’d Lady” are given a new lease on life onstage, bolstered by mesmerizing vocals.
“Banker’s Blues” pivots to acoustic territory, complete with snazzy blocks of rhythmic piano pouring around the guitar, while the bone-crunching “Philby” features a solid solo that pummels with the might of a musician playing with every part of his being. “Mississippi Sheiks” utilizes Arabic phrasing that recalls Jimmy Page’s more esoteric work with Led Zeppelin, accentuated by a fiery, rubbery bassline. Gallagher finger picks the intro to “Out on the Western Plain”, anticipating The Edge on U2 masterworks The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree.
And then there’s “Walk On Hot Coals”, a drum-heavy number featuring Gallagher’s explosive vocal stylings, against a wiry solo. Rory Gallagher: The BBC Collection demonstrates a spectrum of influences: folk, pop, rock, jazz and reggae stylings can be heard on the album’s track listing. Some of the tracks are noteworthy for their instrumental segments; Gallagher’s guitar peers in and out of the mix with his trademark swagger. “Messin’ With The Kid” utilizes a technique that sounds similar to the finger-tapping Steve Hackett employed with Genesis, albeit in a manner more in keeping with the punk records of the era.
What the recordings display is a musician completely unfazed by the rigors of fame: he plays the stage like a natural. Gallagher was that indeed, infusing a song collection with dynamism and an air of freedom. The recordings demonstrate a musician capable of light and shade, flamboyance and grit. Brian May has described Gallagher as a formative influence, as has Johnny Marr of Modest Mouse/The Smiths fame.
Gallagher’s playing belies an energy stemming from his native country. Recorded throughout the 70s and 80s, it presents a rebellious showcase that could only have emanated from a place that had seen vast changes and overcome turbulence. Gallagher put his soul into his instrument, which is why these recordings practically fly off the audio in this new collection. He wasn’t slow like Clapton or idiosyncratic like Hendrix. Gallagher was reverent of the blues, engendering a new form of rock rooted in his gut. He was pure and particular. In other words, Gallagher was Irish.
-Eoghan Lyng
Photo: Rory Gallagher (the Jeff Hochberg Collection)
Modest Mouse are awful.
Don’t you dare put them in a piece with Rory Gallagher.
“Mississippi Sheiks” stops you.