Notes from San Francisco: Limited Deluxe Edition [Limited Edition, Deluxe Edition]

This is a really fine addition to Rory Gallagher's Released Work. Fans will love this(despite the lousy cover design and the very ineffectively designed CD envelopes which make it difficult to get the CDs in or out!) I was not expecting this release to be as good as it is. Usually posthumous releases tend towards barrel scraping (or in some cases scraping the ground where the barrel used to be).Not here, the versions of previously released material are very good indeed; different though not necessarily better than the established released versions. The recorded sound quality and mastering is also very good. The bonus tracks on the deluxe version aren't entirely necessary with the possible exception of "Out on the Tiles" which has plenty of energy. "Cut a Dash" is filler not killer. But there are some killer tracks on this release and much of this album would have been very well received had it been released in 1978. Some tracks may well have been regarded as some of Rory's best recorded work.

Of the studio recordings on CD1, "Rue the Day" and "Persuasion" are excellent, "firing on all cylinders" as it were. The opener "Rue the Day" is energetic with a first class, American-sounding production and it possesses an undoubted appeal. It could have been a big hit. Similarly, "Persuasion" is excellent in a more familiar, classic, Rory style. It has good audio quality and the production and arrangement are delivered with gusto. Another winner from the G man. "B Girl" has the ghost of Lennon's "Cold Turkey" lingering in the opening guitar licks. It has, again, a full, big production sound, which is an enjoyable and effective departure from Rory's gritty, more sparse, pared-down work. The production and stereo imaging are good and it has quite an infectious groove, though again deliberately West Coast USA in flavour. When listening, you could almost expect Bonnie Raitt to join in! "Mississippi Sheiks" is somewhat languorous and is a slightly plodding version. The slide playing is good but its not quite there as a whole; the hesitant drumming lets it down. However, it picks up from halfway, redeemed by Gallagher's playing and it closes better than it begins. Track 5, "Wheels Within Wheels" is for me, the gem of this CD album. It sounds great. It is a great song and this is an absolutely beautiful version. It's not exactly downhill from there for the last half of the album, but the best has definitely been heard. "Overnight Bag" is good but not great; there is a slight lethargy in the rhythm section, the drums are pedestrian, the melodic soloing is pretty good and the double tracked vocal is interesting, but somehow it doesn't engage so much. It doesn't do what so much of Rory's music does at its best and that is to seize attention, stimulate interest and excite. "Cruise On Out" sounds, at first, like a well-developed demo. It is energetic enough, good overall and Rory's playing raises it from becoming mundane. "Brute Force and Ignorance" has its problems. The first half is messy and doesn't quite gel. The drums are plods and the patterns aren't quite right for the song. It sounds like work in progress. The sound quality and mix are good but the guitars are competent but uninspiring. Again this sounds like the development of a demo, the brass arrangement is interesting enough but it doesn't make this anything other than another version. "Fuel to the Fire" has a very lethargic pace and feel. Compare this to the great, slow, blues of "For The Last Time" on Gallagher's first solo album. The melodic playing is okay but not Rory's finest and seems a little laboured or unsure; a definite inhibition to the second half of this studio album. Again, the drums are only adequate; quite a contrast to the really energetic and charged playing of the opening two tracks in particular. perhaps the second half of this first CD mirrors the disquiet and lack of certainty that Rory was feeling at that the time. The sleeve notes touch on this dissatisfaction and Gallagher's concern that this wasn't the killer, American-styled album he had hoped to deliver. Although this reviewer would tend to suggest that Gallagher never really benefited from the more slick or grand production which tainted some of his later work, the first half of this album demonstrates that this could have brought him to an even wider, less rootsy, blues-rock audience.

Rory Gallagher was an exemplary live performer and often his mastery of exciting blues-based rock never quite made the transition to vinyl. The records and subsequently the CDs were always going to be a second best; a bare approximation of Gallagher's incendiary talent for whipping up a storm in every venue.

Therefore, the live album which accompanies the "Notes From San Francisco" Studio CD is a very welcome addition.

"Follow Me" is good but not with the best of vocals from Rory. Still it is a powerful opener with a cracking finish. "Shinkicker" makes you wish you were at the gig (If only there were a filmed performance!)and for anyone who saw Rory between 1970 and 1980 this will bring back the ghost of that neck tingling feeling. This is 'Saturday Night' rock with Gallagher on the mission of unrelenting good time thrash.

This release is definitely worth the price on several levels but definitely for the "Wheels Within Wheels" stripped down version alone.

On this evidence, the man, the superlative performer, the great guitarist, Rory Gallagher is surely and sorely missed.

This is a previously unreleased double CD set comprising a studio album (with bonus tracks) that Rory was unhappy with at the time (late 1977) and a live album recorded at The Waldorf, San Fransisco, in December 1979. The studio album was recorded in San Fransisco, and produced by Elliot Mazer in an attempt to make an album that would break the American market. However, it seems like it was just a case of "wrong place at the wrong time" as Rory was growing dissatisfied with his band, and had been stirred by the raw and aggressive punk performances of the time. With several studio embellishments such as brass and electric violin on some of the tracks, Rory must have felt like he was going the wrong way down a crowded one-way street during an era where "back to basics" was where it was at. In the end, in a grand gesture he famously threw the masters in the bin, then sacked long-time keyboard player Lou Martin and drummer Rod De'Ath. He retained the solid and possibly under-rated Gerry McAvoy on bass and recruited ex-SAHB drummer Ted McKenna and went on to produce two brilliant harder rocking studio albums Photo-finish and Top Priority before following them up with a live album, Stage Struck. That's the background.

Despite the fact that this all comes from something that Rory initially rejected, this release is well conceived and beautifully presented. The two essays are interesting and informative, there are several pages of Rory's hand-written lyrics, more information masquerading as a magazine article, photographs and song structure breakdowns - and the four postcards with imitation Rory stamps are a nice touch. All on good quality card and with a solid hardback cover. The gripe about not being able to get the CDs out of the packaging is not unfair but is ultimately nit-picking.

It is important to note that many years later, Rory himself said he thought the rejected songs may yet see the light of day - so he wasn't against the idea at all. This is no cash in. However, with Photo-finish containing re-recorded versions of five of the nine tracks on the studio disc, comparisons are always going to be made. Brute Force And Ignorance is the only track here that I prefer to its Photo-finish counterpart and I enjoyed the stabbed brass bits in the playout. Overnight Bag plods here where it strides confidently and loudly as one of Photo-finish's best tracks. Mississippi Sheiks sounds a bit half baked and only really gets going about half way through with Rod De'Ath sounding uncertain of himself on the drums. Cruise On Out stomps along but we don't really get anything else here that isn't better on Photo-finish. Fuel To The Fire is worth talking about because it is sufficiently different on this release to be of some interest. I like this version but on Photo-finish it is a stunning and passionate slow burning blues-rock number. Here, it's as though Rory hasn't quite worked out what he wants to do with it. The guitar lines are melodic but less ballsy and the song has a different feel altogether.

Other reviewers have commented on Wheels Within Wheels and I agree wholeheartedly that the versions here are a welcome surprise - both of them being improvements on the acoustic album of the same name released in 2003. They've got a great feel and real soul. The "newer" numbers here, Rue The Day and Persuasion are pretty decent, bouncing along tunefully enough but to me they lack the quality that Rory was capable of that transforms a song into something extra special - hence the reason they didn't materialise on Photo-finish or as bonus tracks elsewhere in the meantime, presumably. Cut A Dash is the only real throwaway anywhere on this release. It's the kind of song Rory would have done better with much earlier in his career but by 1977 it just doesn't fit. Out On The Tiles is better and Rory sounds like he's enjoying himself on this one but it's in the bonus section for a good reason!

How you find the live album may depend on which Rory era or which of his three main live albums are your personal favourite. In almost every respect it sounds very close to the sound of Stage Struck so if that's your favourite then you're in luck - it's a very energetic set of songs and I think this is even better. The down-side is that Ted McKenna's drumming is too much "boom-bang, boom-bang" and his snare doesn't sound right - it should "crack" rather than thud. It was the same on Stage Struck. Also, without Lou Martin providing melody in the background, Rory seems to feel the need to fill every second with rip roaring guitar and although it works superbly on some songs, others suffer because of it. Lou gave Rory room to breathe and so although his departure paved the way for two of Rory's best studio albums, subsequent live work never again reached the majestic heights of Irish Tour or the BBC recordings, in my view.

That said, this is still a great - and only occasionally flawed - live album and I don't agree with the reviewer who said it sounded like the G-Man bootleg; the sound quality is excellent. Off The Handle is just fantastic with Calling Card and Bullfrog Blues taking silver and bronze. The "new" track, I'm Leaving is one of the songs that works very well with the three-piece and it sounds great here. Country Mile might be the next best with the pace and style of the song suiting both Ted's drumming and Rory's energy. Bought And Sold is probably not quite as good as its Stage Struck version and it's too close to call with Follow Me, Shinkicker and Shadow Play. Tattoo'd Lady has lots of energy and Rory's playing is as brilliant as ever but suffers from being a bit too frenetic and having no Lou Martin in the background when Rory launches into a long playout. Do You Read Me is played at a noticeably faster pace than on Calling Card but Rory pulls it off brilliantly. Sea Cruise is not one of Rory's best songs but it's difficult not to get carried away by his enthusiasm and it's a crowd-pleasing finale.

All in all, this is a must for all Rory fans. However, if you haven't heard much of his stuff yet, there are better places to start - such as his debut, Photo-finish, Irish Tour and Calling Card.

Donal Gallagher - Ghost Blues and now this: thank you for doing so much to share Rory's work with his fans. Keep it coming!

This was conceived by his record company as an 'American' album and production was shifted to the said 'Frisco. However there were a couple of problems; firstly, the producer was Elliot Mazer (he of Neil Young's Harvest fame) - Rory had already rejected his mix of Calling Card, so maybe the 'cards' were already on the table. Secondly, he was beginning to have doubts about his entire band. He wanted to return to the power trio and the notoriously stingy guitarist was becoming somewhat exasperated by their continuing demands for more money.
This album contains some great songs, but the band sound cluttered and the production is all over the place. There are indeed some belting songs, its just that better versions are already out there. Mississippi Sheiks, for instance, takes forever to get off the ground and the oddly double-tracked vocal on Overnight Bag seems to rob it of its power. The saving grace is of course Wheels Within Wheels (two versions) but even then I prefer the stripped down version which was posthumously released on an album of the same name. And then there's Out On The Tiles, which I imagine would have made a great live performance.
Rory threw the acetate in the bin rather than let his record company hear it and went on to release Photo Finish as as a trio instead. It was a far more focused and powerful affair, though sadly Wheels Within Wheels was put by the wayside. A real shame as it was at least an equal to Edged In Blue.
The live album is wonderful and full of energy that doesn't let up for over an hour. Don't be expecting a soundboard quality of sound though, its more or less on a par with 'Waiting For The G-Man'. Still a wonder to hear though.
Didn't mean to gripe so much, I think that Rory was the best blues/rock guitarist ever to have emerged from the British Isles; I'm actually not doing him a disservice, I'm saying he was right all along.