Notes From San Francisco

Just because it’s a cliché, doesn’t mean it ain’t true, so while we endure the tragic loss of Rory Gallagher as we must, at least we have his music to comfort us. And now along comes this extraordinary double CD of unreleased material to underscore that loss, and remind us what a wonderfully talented man he was as songwriter, guitarist and vocalist.
The first CD is based on recordings laid down in 1977, in San Francisco, with legendary producer Elliot Mazer at the desk. Mazer is best known for his career-defining work with Neil Young, but his cresits also include blues legends like Lightnin’ Hopkins and Janis Joplin, as well as The Band, so you’d have thought he’d be a perfect match for Rory. Well, the album was shelved back then, at considerable cost, because, at the time, Gallagher felt that the mixing process had become tedious and was losing the feel of the music. I hope he can hear them now, because these remixes are truly sublime examples of a blues man on fire.
Remixed under the watchful ears of brother Donal and nephew Daniel, the album includes versions of songs like ‘Mississippi Sheiks’ and ‘Fuel To The Fire’, which were in fact subsequently reworked for his next album Photo Finish. Unlike the raw power-trio approach on that album, these new releases include an electric violin on one track and sax on two. In terms of colour, it adds considerably to the feel of the songs and confirms that this might indeed have provided the U.S. breakthrough that ultimately eluded Rory. The brass on ‘Brute Force & Ignorance’ gives it a very different flavour from the Photo Finish version, while the feel on ‘Overnight Bag’ is ls substantially changed, offering an insight into the different direction Rory’s music might have taken. The country rockisms of ‘Rue The Day’, the blues-drenched ‘B Girl’ and a sharp-dressed ‘Out On The Tiles’ suggest that no production process could truly dim Gallagher’s natural flair for combining melody with raw emotion. The guitar playing, notably on ‘Wheels Within Wheels (alternative version)’ and the slow-burning ‘Fuel The Fire’ respectively, is also truly breathtaking.
The second CD is a live concert from 1979 at The Old Waldorf in San Francisco, during which Rory unleashes some of the most incendiary guitar playing of his career. Check in particular the inventive lengthy solo that ends ‘Tattoo’d Lady’, the fiery playing and gritty vocals on ‘Shinkicker’ and the spirits he unleashes through ‘Bullfrog Blues’. Rory Gallagher’s legacy not only lives on, but with this long sought-after release acquires even greater stature. Superb stuff from start to finish.