Rory Gallagher – Blues Treasure Trove
The unearthing of a splendid collection of live and studio recordings by the late great Irish blues star Rory Gallagher means that fans can at last enjoy dozens of unreleased tracks. In fact, three albums’ worth! These releases coming out on the Chess label no less have been overseen by Rory’s nephew Daniel and whilst he was over from New York, Gallagher fan and follower Pete met him to get the lowdown…
JLTT: Thanks for your time, Daniel.
DG: No problem, Pete and my Dad says Hi
Let’s start, Daniel right at the beginning – there are some lovely pictures of you larking about with Rory, what are your memories of time spent with your uncle?
(Warmly) Me and my older brother, yeah. Well Rory lived just up the road from us, that’s my Dad Donal and all of us
In Fulham?
Yes, that’s right. And my Dad being his only sibling and Rory not having his own family it happened that when they weren’t on the road touring, Rory would come down for Sunday roast then play football with me and my brother. He always brought the best Christmas and birthday presents. We just kinda knew that he really was The Cool Uncle!
And in your corner
Ah very much so, correct. Me and my brother were actually talking about it the other day…maybe it wasn’t until my Dad took us along to a Hammersmith Apollo show (a mile or two west of Fulham – PS) when were were probably five and seven that it just sunk in what Rory did and moreover what my Dad did as road manager to make the performances happen. We had never really thought about it otherwise, what they did for a living! We just knew that they’d go on tour a lot. We didn’t exactly know the whys and wherefores, being young.
There’s super pictures aren’t there of them out in Amsterdam. Just taking everything in, soaking up the vibe.
Oh he loved it, yes. He loved touring. For most of his career he just didn’t stop, it was on the next show and a new crowd. Apart from making albums the live gigs were a complete lifeline, a constant goal. So yes we knew him very very well when we are younger. He passed away when I was thirteen.
Twenty four years ago! That’s unbelievable for me..he was obviously not in great health before he passed.
Indeed.
So – bless the years you had with Rory…
(Resolutely) Quite so, my brother and I were so lucky to have got to know him so closely. On the way back from primary school, we would pass his flat and every so often we might press the buzzer and he’d come to the door and invite us up. He might put a guitar on me and be intrigued as to what noises we might make ! He always had guitars lying around. We thought that flat was the coolest place. Loved spending time with him. (Laughs) I wish I’d got more guitar lessons out of him!
I owe Rory for a few things, as a musician. I had a female friend back in the 60s who was mad about Rory and Taste, we went to see the group on two consecutive nights at different London venues. Not one number the second night was the same! He even did Gershwin’s Summertime…it was spellbinding and to this day I won’t repeat a setlist. Also, my first guitar was a butterscotch telecaster copy, as I wanted to learn slide. AND if you used a clean Fender sound from a small combo, I could get such a personal tone. Just amplifying that…
Yes! And in his playing you pick up elements of Irish folk in amongst everything else. The bent notes, the triplets. What’s Going On from Taste, that triplets intro well it’s an Irish jig ! In his hands a hard blues rock track, but from roots really. Those little touches of Irishness that come through.
Sometimes you can almost hear the pipes..like on Ghost Blues. Takes you on a trip, a mantra…
His slide playing is possibly underrated.
Not by me!
Of course not…
He took the Ry Cooder and Duane Allman inspiration and took off his own way.
The first person he saw was Brian Jones. A real eye opener for Rory. And he could play slide off standard tuning which was cool.
I did an article on Rory a few years ago, with Joe Bonamassa. The fact Rory wasn’t relying on volume all the time, these things left their mark on Joe.
Now on this album set the version of Secret Agent gets played on the National. Makes a completely different song from the Calling Card album one. It’s a reinvention of the number. What Jeff Beck and Rory can achieve is the manipulation of the guitar, not just picking notes but working the tone. Changing pickup selectors to get a fresh take on a riff. Driving the amps.
An overdriven sound at low volume is something I love to produce, that singing sound. People like Bill Wyman, the late Tony Joe White, who I knew well…they couldn’t say enough good things about Rory
When we worked on the Taste Isle Of Wight film, I asked Murray who played immediately after Taste and it was Tony Joe White!
I’m thinking this here San Francisco set was a good stepping stone to the new albums.
Yes, it was the first time I got into delving into the tapes archive to create a set.
Live AND Studio
Indeed. I knew the album had been binned by Rory. So I knew there would be the multitracks to draw upon. I worked with an engineer on mixing them. Got in touch with Elliot Mazer and told him about what we were finding, Rory’s session notes and all. To assess what he liked about the recordings and what he didn’t, to achieve a worthwhile release.
Was a time they brought in strangers on Jimi Hendrix material and that never worked…Alan Douglas era
Oh no I wouldn’t have other players come in and flesh out Rory’s work, never.On that and the Irish Tour and this Blues album we find out exactly what equipment they used on the recordings, so we can get it right. Whatever we do with the mix we use what they would have used.
If I hear a Marley track with VoCoders stuck on it, that to me is desecration!
Pete – if it’s not there on the tapes, it won’t be used. The live album was trio format from five San Francisco shows, to complete that project.
I interviewed Gerry a while ago and Band Of Friends presenting Rory songs found so much favour in American shows.
I saw them in New York with Davey and they were absolutely brilliant.
You have three discs here for Blues – how proud would Rory have been to be on Chess??
He would have loved it. We have a track from the Muddy London Sessions here. Looking at his vinyl collection, there’s so much Chess material.
I got the Chris Barber one …Drat That Frattle Rat and also the Lonnie Donegan one where Rory’s great and Brian May is awful! I opened for Donegan once and over tea thanked him for bringing Blues over to England. The album I really love and I don’t think he signed off on it was the Jerry Lee Lewis double recorded in London with Rory and Chas and Dave.
I read he was amazed at the professionalism of the session guys who turned up for him in London. Kenney Jones. Peter Frampton…there’s a tape of Rory doing a guide vocal for Jerry on Satisfaction! But we couldn’t get the agreement to include it…
Was it easy to divide these cuts into acoustic/electric/live?
Well we got as much material as possible and kinda went from there…when I realised how much acoustic material there was I decided to devote one disc to that.
What’s your favoured track on the acoustic one?
I think..Should Have Learned My Lesson, overall. There’s a number of electric versions. Also, Secret Agent, such a wonderful take on that song. Prison Blues, no one knew that recording existed. My Dad didn’t even know about it. Blow Wind Blow I’d never heard Rory do before, so a great inclusion.
On the Electric disc?
Nothing But The Devil was amazing, the tape was really mouldy but we rescued it. A 2 inch multi-track in that instance. I Could Have Had Religion is a really great version. Tore Down was also on a multi-track.
There’s a fine John Hammond record Southern Fried where they do Tore Down
Oh, Rory really liked him, they were friends. In ’69 they both went guitar buying!
The live one?
Favourite tracks? When I heard the version of What In The World I was just blown away. That Glasgow show is just extraordinary. Born Under A Bad Sign with Jack Bruce is so much fun ! I Wonder Who is one I just digitised, Rory really fed off the audience, took them with him.
So we have the three discs, does any one of them make you feel it’s a real achievement?
(Ponders) I think the acoustic one is quite striking.
You and Donal act as guardians of the muse, for Rory. Can it be uphill?
Dodgy bootlegs still manage to get out, but yes we are quick to police all that, we don’t want the legacy diluted.
What’s happening overall about promotion of the set?
Very much press – including you and yours! – and online promotions.
Thanks Pete, glad we could meet up.
Pete Sargeant
(Many thanks to Daniel and Donal Gallagher)
Feature Image Photo Credit: Photo by John Prew c/o The Rory Gallagher Estate
Additional Photography: C/O The Rory Gallagher Estate and Taken At Hammersmith Odeon, Hammersmith, London, United Kingdom in 1977.
You can read our review of Rory Gallagher ‘Blues’ here: http://bit.ly/2W7d6kR
Rory Gallagher ‘Blues’ is out now on Chess Records/UMC featuring rare and unreleased recordings. It isavailable on various formats including 3CD, 1CD and 2X Vinyl LP.
You can purchase the collection here: http://bit.ly/2ORqG5b
