Fans of the underrated blues guitarist Rory Gallagher have another reason to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his solo career, as Sony Music and Capo Records prepare a massive vinyl reissue campaign.
Set for reissue are Gallagher’s first six original albums — including Rory Gallagher and Deuce (1971); “Live! In Europe (1972); Blueprint and Tattoo (1973) and Irish Tour ’74 (1974). Each has already been released digitally and on CD; the commemorative vinyl reissues will arrive on February 20.
“It’s fantastic that 40 years since the original release of these albums the interest in Rory’s music is still so strong and vibrant that we can celebrate the man’s music by re-issuing his first six classic solo albums,” says Daniel Gallagher, Rory’s Nephew and producer of the re-issues states. “We’ve aimed to release them in the spirit of the original release by going back to the vinyl artwork and original 1/4″ tapes so that they look and sound exactly as Rory intended. It’s also great to see in a digital world that the demand for a physical copy of Rory’s music means we can release these albums on vinyl for the first time in over 30 years.”
Here’s a look back at our recent thoughts on Rory Gallagher. Click through the headlines for complete reviews …
RORY GALLAGHER — BBC SESSIONS (1999): For an artist who always opposed issuing his music in the single format, these BBC performances were an important point of contact between Gallagher and new listeners — and he took full advantage. The facility’s superior recording equipment at Shepherd’s Bush studio in London was also part of the allure: The BBC captured the raw power of Gallagher’s work in intimate surroundings. But they also rebroadcast Gallagher’s raucous club dates, where the crowd’s energy fed his frenzied creativity. Both sides are reanimated here, to great, eye-openingly groovy effect.
RORY GALLAGHER — FRESH EVIDENCE (1990): Gallagher — who first burst onto the scene as a member of the power-blues band Taste, who opened for Cream at its farewell concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1968 — offers a few blistering rounds of Delta-by-way-of-Belfast blues on his own “Heaven’s Gate” and then Son House’s “Empire State Express.” Other highlights include a jazzed-up urban blues called “The Loop” and — a cresting point, really — the sweeping, gritty grind of “Slumming Angel,” this album-closing, eyebrow-singeing blast of attitude.
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