Rory Gallagher - Rory Gallagher

If one had to define the music of Rory Gallagher one would probably say it was heartfelt, hard-hitting blues music blended with jazzy overtones, and at times mixed with a country backdrop. If one were to describe his music, calling it beautiful would be a definite understatement. After gaining recognition with his band Taste, Rory was forced to go solo after the band fell victim to difference in ideologies, and parted ways on the brink of their success. After breaking free from his former band mates for good, Rory launched his solo career with his eponymous solo debut album in 1971.

Rory Gallagher stands testament to the man’s ingenious creative and technical abilities. Rory has played as many as four different instruments on the track, in addition to handling vocal duties. The album’s versatility signifies the man’s range as a musician. The album covers everything from all out rock songs, to delicate eye tearing melodies, to jazz numbers. Laundromat, the album’s first song is right up Rory’s alley, with old school Rory riffs and energy which fans had become accustomed to from his Taste days. It’s hard to imagine a trip to a Laundromat ever being so entertaining though.

While Rory was more than capable of matching any electric blues guitarist world over, he had an amazing command of the acoustic version of the instrument as well. His style was interestingly beyond the frontiers of blues music. It also engulfed jazz and folk music at the same time. Just the smile, sways a long way towards folk music, owing tremendously to its percussion section. It’s you is another acoustic number on which Rory brings in the sweetness of country music with his slide guitar work and over dubbed mandolin. This is where the point made about his versatility comes to be proven.

Lyrically Rory had his own distinctive style and charm, avoiding fancy language of any sort and keeping the lingo simple. I fall apart, is a good example of his lyrical style, where in he uses the metaphor of a cat playing with a ball of twine, to describe a lover being completely smitten in love. Another fine example can be sort out on Can’t believe it’s true, on which the overall musical background provides a solid base for the lyrics. The track features Rory on the alto sax, which adds to the loose easy going feel of the track. The double tracked sax works in perfect synchronization with Rory on the guitar as well. An interesting point of hearing the same mind working on varying instruments, but played simultaneously.

The album was recorded at a time when Rory’s mind was pre occupied with thoughts of the terrible break up of his band Taste. Rory penned down his pain and disappointment on many tracks on the album. For the last time, is one of the songs that reflect the man’s emotional distress during the period. Rory shows off his amazing improvisational skills on the song, taking the song to a largely instrumental way. Similarly, hands up is set against a similar setting, but enveloped in a more up beat manner.

One of Rory’s magical skills was how he could manage to replicate old school blues music in such a fresh manner, as though it were straight out of the owen. Wave myself goodbye and I’m not surprised are nods to the fathers of blues music. Both feature the expertise of keyboardist Vince Crane, which adds a timeless quality to the song.

Rory’s debut is a beautiful collection of some of the most heart felt music ever put on record. The album would be the first of many solo albums to be released by Rory, each more brilliant than the other.