Rory Gallagher - Big Guns - The Very Best Of (2005) (2 Hybrid SACD - Redbook Layer - CAPO CAPOX705)
Artist...............: Rory Gallagher
Album................: Big Guns - The Very Best Of
Genre................: Blues-Rock
Year.................: 2005
Label................: CAPO CAPOX705
Biography
For a career that was cut short by illness and a premature death, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Rory Gallagher sure accomplished a lot in the blues music world. Although Gallagher didn't tour the U.S. nearly enough, spending most of his time in Europe, he was known for his no-holds-barred, marathon live shows at clubs and theaters around the United States.
Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Irish Republic, on March 2, 1948. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Cork City in the south, and at age nine he became fascinated with American blues and folk singers he heard on the radio. An avid record collector, he had a wide range of influences, including Leadbelly, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker. Gallagher would always try to mix some simple country blues songs into his recordings.
Gallagher began his recording career after moving to London, when he formed a trio called Taste. The group's self-titled debut album was released in 1969 in England and later picked up for U.S. distribution by Atco/Atlantic. Between 1969 and 1971, with producer Tony Colton behind the board, Gallagher recorded three albums with Taste before they split up. Gallagher began performing under his own name in 1971, after recording his 1970 debut, Rory Gallagher for Polydor Records in the U.K. The album was picked up for U.S. distribution by Atlantic Records, and later that year he recorded Deuce, also released by Atlantic in the U.S.
His prolific output continued, as he followed up Deuce with Live in Europe (1972) and Blueprint and Tattoo, both in 1973. Irish Tour 1974, like Live in Europe, did a good job of capturing the excitement of his live shows on tape, and he followed that with Calling Card for Chrysalis in 1976, and Photo Finish and Jinx for the same label in 1978 and 1982. By this point Gallagher had made several world tours, and he took a few years rest from the road. He got back into recording and performing live again with the 1987 release (in the U.K.) of Defender. His last album, Fresh Evidence, was released in 1991 on the Capo/I.R.S. label. Capo was his own record and publishing company that he set up in the hopes of eventually exposing other great blues talents.
Some of Gallagher's best work on record wasn't under his own name; it's stuff he recorded with Muddy Waters on The London Sessions (Chess, 1972) and with Albert King on Live (RCA/Utopia). Gallagher made his last U.S. tours in 1985 and 1991, and admitted in interviews that he'd always been a guitarist who fed off the instant reaction and feedback a live audience can provide. In a 1991 interview, he told this writer: "I try to sit down and write a Rory Gallagher song, which generally happens to be quite bluesy. I try to find different issues, different themes and different topics that haven't been covered before...I've done songs in all the different styles...train blues, drinking blues, economic blues. But I try to find a slightly different angle on all these things. The music can be very traditional, but you can sort of creep into the future with the lyrics."
Gallagher passed away from complications owing to liver transplant surgery on June 14, 1995, at age 47. For a good introduction to his unparalleled prowess as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, pick up Irish Tour 1974, Calling Card, or Fresh Evidence, all available on compact disc. (allmusic.com)
Review
The compilation Big Guns: The Very Best of Rory Gallagher is one of the ways assembling a retrospective should be done. This set offers a portrait of a true guitar hero and songwriter, one whose flash never outweighed his substance, one whose work is so utterly and dazzlingly fresh it not only stands the test of time, but transcends it. Being an Irish bluesman was tough for Gallagher, especially when he began his career in the 1960s. When he passed away in 1995 at the age of 47, he left behind 17 albums and a legacy of hard traditional blues and big, knotty blues-rock. These two discs are the first retrospective to span the entire length of his career, from his time with the power trio Taste to his signature albums like Calling Card and Deuce, through to his final acoustic album, Wheels Within Wheels (released posthumously). There are many gems here beginning with "Born on the Wrong Side of Time" by Taste, and unreleased live versions of the traditional "Bullfrog Blues" and Junior Wells' "Messin with the Kid." The stone killers are cuts that Gallagher's fans recognize him for, such as "Tatoo'd Lady," the title number from Calling Card, or "I'm Not Awake Yet" from Deuce. There are also fine moments from later in his career as well, such as "Kickback City" from Defender and "Bad Penny" from Top Priority (though it would have been better if the compilers had picked "Philby" or "Follow Me." ) "Sinner Boy" is here from Taste's Live at the Isle of Wight, along with "What's Goin' On" (not the Marvin Gaye tune). While fans may quibble about individual selections, the only glaring omission is the absence of the stellar "Walk on Hot Coals." The package is fine enough with numerous autobiographical quotes from Gallagher, a slew of good photos, and a good liner essay by David Sinclair. While it may be the tried and true devotees that seek this out ultimately, the music listener who would most benefit is the one interested in the evolution of blues or in fine guitar players. For the latter, Big Guns would be nothing short of a revelation. (allmusic.com)
Tracklist:
CD 1
1. Big Guns 3:52
2. What's Going On 2:48
3. Tattoo'd Lady 4:50
4. Bad Penny 3:57
5. Shadow Play 4:55
6. Kickback City 4:51
7. Bourbon 4:04
8. Sinnerboy 5:47
9. Used To Be 5:14
10. Goin' To My Hometown 4:57
11. Bullfrog Blues 6:46
12. Messin' With The Kid 4:25
CD 2
1. The Loop 2:38
2. Born On The Wrong Side Of Time 4:16
3. A Million Miles Away 6:34
4. Calling Card 5:22
5. Out On The Western Plain 3:48
6. Lonesome Highway 5:19
7. Just The Smile 3:32
8. I'm Not Awake Yet 5:40
9. Daughter Of The Everglades 6:01
10. I'll Admit You're Gone 4:24
11. The King Of Zydeco 3:38
12. They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore 4:07
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