Photo-finish --- Rory Gallagher --- 1978 (Chrysalis)
There have been many superlatives used to describe the late Rory Gallagher's playing, and attitude towards his music, but my favourite one is I believe also the most appropriate --- honest. There never was anything contrived or false about Rory's music. From the time he picked up a guitar at age nine to the moment he breathed his last on June 14 1995, all Rory ever wanted to do was play the blues. His huge catalogue of albums reflect this, and when he wasn't rockin' out Rory was pickin' out the blues, each of which he could do with consummate ease on his favourite 1961 Stratocaster. This album is one of my favourites by him, and every track is a gem.
Titled “Photo-finish”, the story goes, due to his just barely managing to record the album to the very deadline, it's full of hard rock standards that became synonymous with the great man, a few blusey ballads and some quite frankly unbelievable guitar work. Rory didn't go in for complicated album sleeves (no room for him in my “Secret life of an album cover” slot, then!), and most of his sleeves show a simple picture of him either playing the guitar, or surely about to. The exception is 1975's “Against the grain”, which shows his beloved Strat on the cover, with an inset of him. Simple, honest, no-frills, no pretensions: that was Rory.
But his music. Ah, that was something else!
Kicking off with “Shin kicker”, the album blasts off with a good rocker, a real biker's anthem:
”It's a shin kickin' mornin'/ Gotta kickstart the day/ Wind up my machine and I'll be on my way!” Like most of Rory's work it's a vehicle for his amazing guitar playing, backed up by his two stalwarts, Gerry McAvoy on bass and Ted McKenna on drums. Until now, Rory had also had a keyboard player, but he decided to dispense with Lou Martin for a harder, blues/rock edge, and it certainly worked. I liked “Deuce” and “Calling card”, and “Against the grain” was a great album, but they do lack a certain type of raw energy that's evident in abundance here. You can really tell the guys are enjoying themselves.
Rory's voice is in fine fettle as he powers on to “Brute force and ignorance”, another hard rocker written with tongue firmly in cheek. The opening guitar chords are enough to bring a smile to any Rory fan's lips. It's a lot slower than “Shin kicker”, but still strong and powerful, and like most Rory songs it develops into something of a guitar jam at the end. Then things kick into serious high gear for “Cruise on out”, with Ted playing the drums so fast you'd swear he must be an octopus! Let's put it this way: if you planned to headbang to this, check your neck is still attached afterwards! This is “Rosalita (come out tonight)” for the nearly-nineteen-eighties! I tells ya, if you can sit still for this track get yourself checked out, cos you ain't human!
Rory always had a great interest in spies and secret agents, and this comes through on the next track, the aptly named “Cloak and dagger”, a hard blues number, which sees Rory break out his harmonica. Sweet! There are two ballads on the album, the next track being the first. “Overnight bag” starts off with a guitar lick and then kicks into the tale of a wandering rocker leaving his latest lover:
Packed my things in an overnight bag/ Toothbrush, a guitar: got no tail to drag/ Gonna leave on the next passin' breeze.” Ah, the freedom!
It should probably also be pointed out that Rory wrote every single song on this album himself, as he did on most of his repertoire, except where he covered old blues numbers. He also produced this album, as he does many of his others. A hands-on guy, indeed, very much in control of his own music.
Things don't stay mellow for long, as next up is “Shadow play”, another Rory standard, with a truly spectacular guitar solo, kicking everything back into high gear, before slowing down for a crunching blues number, “The Mississippi sheiks”, and then powering right back up to ten for “Last of the independents”, which I find very similar to “Cruise on out”, though that's no bad thing!Ted the octopus at it again! Everything comes to an end then in a glorious slow-burner ballad, “Fuel to the fire”.
If nothing else, “Photo-finish” establishes Rory Gallagher as one of the premier blues guitarists of his generation, and the rock world is definitely lessened by his sudden passing. Rory always lived hard, but complications brought on by a necessary liver transplant in June 1995 brought to an end a career that, although it had blazed an unfogettable trail across the firmament of rock and roll, had so much more to give. In departing though he left this world with some truly exceptional music, and reminded us all why the humble guitar is such a force in rock. Rory didn't need synthesisers, programmed drums or batteries of mixing equipment to make his music: pure and simple, he let his Strat do the talking.
When I bought this it was again one of my infamous vinyl records, so although the CD version features two additional tracks, I've never heard them before, and for me the album has always ended on “Fuel to the fire”, so that's where I'm ending my review. Never fear though: the two extra tracks are included in the download below.
TRACKLISTING
1. Shin kicker
2. Brute force and ignorance
3. Cruise on out
4. Cloak and dagger
5. Overnight bag
6. Shadow play
7. The Mississippi sheiks
8. The last of the independents
9. Fuel to the fire
10. Early warning
11. Jukebox Annie
Suggested further listening: “Top priority”, “Jinx”, “Against the grain”, “Calling card”, “Blueprint”, “Defender” …. ah hell, just listen to everything the guy has ever done!