Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Artist : Rory Gallagher
Country : Ireland
Release : Blueprint [Reissue]
Year : 1973
Genre : Hard Rock
File Type : mp3 320
Info:
Rory Gallagher may be the best unknown guitarist of the 70s (apologies to Johhny Winter and Roy Buchannon, but it's true) and THE best slide guitar player after Duane Allman died. And this [along with Tattoo and Irish Tour '74] is another example of Gallagher at his prime.
Leading off with the firey "Walk on Hot Coals" and it's tale of a lowdown gambler, Rory and his... band [Rod D'Arth on drums, Gerry McAvoy on bass and the recently added and incredible Lou Martin on keyboards] grab the listener by the throat and don't let up. "Daughter of the Everglades" the next track is more subdued and pretty, but the band, especially Martin's organ/electric piano fills add to the swirling carnivalesque feel [see"Tattoo'd Lady" on Tattoo]. "Banker's Blues" is Rory on acoustic [probably National steel ala Johnny Winter] and harmonica and Martin on blues piano doing their best Leadbelly. Then it's back to straight ahead rockers for "Hands Off" with more great by Martin again on piano. This and "Race the Breeze" may be the best examples of how adding the keyboards opened Rory and the band up from the restrictions of playing as a trio. "If I had a Reason" is a nice honky tonk feeling waltz with some nice quiet slide, almost approaching the sound of a pedal steel.
