Rory Gallagher Live @ The Brewery 1974

                                          

Rory Gallagher                                                                                                                                                                    1974
Live at The Brewery

I first heard about Rory Gallagher in 1972 while visiting my brother Bill in Germany. He was stationed Fulda as part of a Military Police contingent to help keep an uneasy peace between German Nationals and the high profile presence of American Military peacekeepers. Bill was circumspect about it all and was well aware that he didn’t fit-in with the new breed of American soldiers. There was a significant tension between the German youth and our young soldiers. We attended a Who Concert in Essen at a local secondary school gymnasium. The crowd was restless after the Golden Earring performed their set (it was very good) when suddenly a group of young German thugs started pushing us around and fist fights broke out throughout the show. We attended a cinema for the first time showing of Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. It was a controversial movie to begin with but the German youth hissed, booed and threw debris at the screen when Alec, the main character in the film, went through a behavioral re-programming that included viewing a film of goose-stepping Nazi soldiers. I freaked and once again felt more than a little threatened. I wondered what in the hell were we doing there. Back at the base I looked through my brother’s record collection. He had purchased a small truck load of German label LPs of the Beatles, Stones, Golden Earring and Rory Gallagher’s Live in Europe and Deuce. I couldn’t belive what I heard. It was 12 bar blues but it rocked. Gallagher was a great guitar player who could do bottle-neck as well as blistering e-string solos. He had a husky baritone but could slip effortlessly into falsetto. I wanted more and by the time I returned to MSU in the fall, I started to add Gallagher’s albums to my burgeoning collection. By ’74 Gallagher had a solid reputation in the states and was touring across the country. Me and my best pal Nabber bought tickets as soon as we heard about his upcoming date at then Brewery. I loved the Brewery. I could have a few beers and sandwich before the show and even play a few games of pool. Besides Gallagher I saw Joe Walsh, Badfinger, Climax Blues Band, Canned Heat, Bob Seger and a host of lesser known bands at the Brewery. Good times.

By 1974, Rory Gallagher had already made a name for himself. There was a distinct buzz about this show. Rumor had it that Gallagher turned down an offer to join the Rolling Stones. Gallagher was on top of his game at this stage in his career. He was a force to be reckoned with, an Irishman born in Donegal county and called Cork Ireland his home. During the political unrest during the seventies, Gallagher was resolute about keeping music alive and would tour his country homeland at least once a year. He became a role model for other Irish musicians and opened the door for other young bands. He inspired generations of Irish men and women who regarded Gallagher with an almost religious/political fervor, similar to the impact Bob Marley had in Jamaica.

On this night in 1974, Gallagher could do no wrong. It was a marathon show lasting almost three hours. He opened with Garbage Man, a Muddy waters cover. It was straight 12-bar blues. He was dressed in a checkered shirt and jeans. He was a no frills, working class musician. He followed with Cradle Rock, an up-tempo treasure with a Bo-Diddley beat. Gallagher is in fine form, riffin’ his ass off and bringing out the bottleneck for some tasty slide. The band is right in the pocket followed by a call and response between Gerry McAvoy’s bass and Gallagher’s guitar. Lou martin brings the keys up in the mix and drummer Rod de’Ath plays it tight and funky.

Laundromat is a straight out rocker. Gallagher is on top of his game His all-purpose baritone is pitch perfect and he’s hitting the e-string with the ferocity of Dave Edmunds on speed. The song shifts to an extended jam with Rory filling in the spaces like a master painter. Rory talks to the audience in short bursts or introductions. He lets the music speak for itself. At one point he takes off his beloved 1961 Stratocaster and gives it a kick and a twirl without missing a note. Incredible.

He does a cover of I Take What I Want (& Baby I Want You) a tune made famous by James & Bobby Purify. This is an upbeat soul rocker that is perfect for Gallagher’s voice. He’s picking notes like he’s putting out a fire. He’s all over the stage and we’re all infected by the boogie-woogie blues and Gallagher’s incredible energy. He’s the Irish Shaman.

His next tune is Calling Card a slow blues grind. The guitar work is exceptional with big full-bodied notes that serve as the perfect landscape for Gallagher’s soulful singing. This is a song about lost love – it’s messy and Rory’s guitar creams and moans in a primal scream of pain. It was almost frightening.

Secret Agent is another nimble workout involving Gallagher’s melodic slide notations. He sings falsetto – just enough – so it doesn’t interfere. His trusty baritone is enough to fill the plate. This segues to Bought and Sold, a rockin’ galloping blues workout. Rory sings in unison with his guitar notes and then breaks out with a searing take-no-prisoners solo that left us slack jawed and wondering how he does it so effortlessly.

On Million Miles Away Rory begins with quiet almost meditative guitar notations. The bass, drums and keyboard join in and Rory begins to sing, soulfully, really laying it down. This is downhome blues, a song about loss and numbing the pain through booze. Gallagher’s guitar soars above the rhythm section like a wounded Eagle squawking out the pain. Do You Read Me follows. It is a rocker with a cool syncopated beat that colors the message. Rory’s confident picking belies the message in then lyrics – it ain’t getting any better.

Pistol Slapper Blues is an old fashioned acoustic blues that sounds a bit like John Lee Hooker. Great song.

The next triad of songs was from my brother’s German LPs. I played his albums over and over again and it led me to find out more about Rory Gallagher. On this night he played each of these brilliant songs - Used to Be, Bullfrog Blues, and Messin’with the Kid. To this day I hold these songs dear. A reminiscence of my former self and all the things I experienced back in those formative years. Used to Be is a break up song – a good one at that – funky and very emotional. The singer sings,

 I won’t be the key to your lock anymore

I’ll be gone before you notice

Better get use to being

My Used to Be

Near the coda Gallagher unleashes a blistering solo that contains all the anger and hate of a love gone bad. Messin’ with The Kid is about betrayal. Gallagher steps outside his pain and sings triumphantly. Rory sings the chorus, “call it what you want to, I call it messing with the kid. Gallagher is in the pocket with a stinging solo that screams his anguish and segues to a call and response between Rory and his guitar. Bullfrog Blues is a high energy rocker with some tasty slide guitar. He pores more notes into a bar than is humanly possible. The lyrics on the bridge set the tone. “You don’t need no doctor, you don’t need no pill, go down to New Orleans and take your fill.”

The last song I remember is the stunning Too Much Alcohol. Gallagher goes with a minimalist approach with just an acoustic slide. This is a song about addiction to the demon alcohol. This is a warning and for Gallagher a self-fulfilling prophecy. It’s a warning and a self-meditation.  Alcohol ultimately damaged his liver and took his life at the age of 47. It’s great song with a solemn message, a dark harbinger of an early death. He was done too soon.

Peace
Bo