According to Rolling Stone, the late Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher
brought up the rear end of the first wave of blues revivalists from the British
Isles. Eric Clapton even said Gallagher got him “back into the blues.”
Many guitarists have, of course, come along with their own ideas of how the
blues should be explored. Gallagher’s approach was hard, visceral, soulful,
foreboding and honest. None of the 11 studio albums he released were ever big
sellers. Hit singles were out of the question. Yet, the legions of fans around
the world have their favorites. One of those fans is the guitarist’s nephew
Daniel Gallagher, who’s stitched together Crest Of A Wave: The
Best Of Rory Gallagher, a lovely 2-CD package honoring the memory of
his late uncle and one of rock’s most enduring figures.
Perhaps to give the discs a “live” feeling (because the stage is
really where Gallagher shined), the songs are not sequenced chronologically.
Cue up the first disc and the rip-roaring rocker “Follow Me” from
1979’s Top Priority, followed in stead by 1978’s
“Shinkicker,” crashes through the gate and leaves you aching for
more. How is it that dandy little tunes like these never became FM staples?
Ah, the luck of the Irish. But that’s how it reads — the user-friendly
mid-tempo of “Walking On Hot Coals,” “Tattoo’d Lady,”
“Bad Penny” and “Shadow Play” cook over an open and
feisty Stratocaster and no one’s the wiser.
Randomize your selections (does anyone do that anymore?), and you can listen
in as Gallagher and company cut their teeth on funky knee-jerkers like “Do
You Read Me,” “Bought & Sold” and “Philby.”
Or dig your oiled heels into Gerry McAvoy’s bass intro on “Calling
Card” before it takes flight toward a blues-rich lining. Some may argue
that “In Your Town” or “A Million Miles Away” push the
blues envelope out even further. But then you get to the acoustic folk-blues
stylings of “Wheels Within Wheels,” “Out Of My Mind”
and the surly “Lonesome Highway,” and you realize Gallagher was
no one-trick six-stringer. Electric or acoustic, the guy could play it. No wonder
the Stones wanted him after Mick Taylor split.
But back to Daniel Gallagher, a guitarist himself whose father Donal managed
(and continues to do so) his brother Rory’s career. He bypassed obvious
numbers like “Laundromat,” but mixed in other top picks with obscurities
when and where he could. Previous ‘Best of’ collections from Gallagher
(four or five at last count) have their story — Crest Of A Wave:
The Best Of Rory Gallagher is the latest with a zest for adventure.
Spin these two CDs, then throw on the Irish Tour 74
DVD, and you’ll think the man is in the room. One can only imagine the
hunger if it was that easy.
~ Shawn Perry
