As I sit here listening to Big Guns - The Very Best of Rory Gallagher, I feel at home. Comforted by music that I have known and loved for many years. I didn't always know the songs were Rory's, but I loved them. Now, in my enlightened state of rock and blues appreciation, I reclaim the songs in the name of the man who gave them life.
Silly words about music that is personal and still very universal in its appeal, certainly. Yet I can't seem to phrase things any other way.
Frequently we find that we don't appreciate the contributions an artist makes to the music world until they've passed on. Other times we simply aren't aware of how startlingly exquisite each composition is. Whatever the reason, once you have that "Eureka!" moment, you do what you can to share the discovery with others.
Rory Gallagher's music is one of many treasures I want to share with friends and strangers.
I stated earlier that I'd been listening to his music for years. That is true. However, there was a period of time when I was indiscriminate in my samplings, often not bothering to find out who was behind the melodies that made my heart pound, my feet move, and soul sing. The last few years have changed all that. The reawakening of my musical soul has led me to track down the songs and artists who shaped my youth, and now my not-so-youthful life.
With the release of Big Guns, I can listen and praise, without reservation. I can crank the tunes and rock out to my heart's content. I can drive my neighbors crazy with the loud music. I do it with style, though.
We're so lucky to live in a time when technology permits us the pleasure of hearing the music of yesterday the way it was meant to be heard. Every sweet note coaxed from Rory's guitars is nothing less than crisp, clear greatness. It may seem contradictory to say that Gallagher's genius was in his simple complexity, but that's pretty much the best way to describe his music. Thank the tech wizards for 5.1 surround sound! When I listen to Big Guns, it's as if I have my own private concert. Even on my pathetic excuse for a stereo, even on my computer. Okay, I confess. The computer's blessed with Harman Kardon speakers and I play CDs on the computer more than I do the stereo. But, I digress.
Gallagher's playing seemed effortless, despite his ability to dig deep into his vast well of talent to create intricate melodies. His arrangements of traditional songs, like "Bullfrog Blues", gave the music he loved a fuller, richer sound than most folks had believed possible. Rory was sort of like the Stevie Ray Vaughan of the late sixties and early seventies. He mixed style and technique to showcase the music, not himself. It was the music that mattered most. His ability to interpret, or intuit, the deeper soul of the music earned him the opportunities to appear on Muddy Waters' The London Sessions and Albert King's Live. Not bad for a kid from Ireland, eh? The blues greats recognized Gallagher's talent. And, for those of us who missed it the first time around, we now have the opportunity to do the same.
Big Guns covers the span of Rory's career. "Sinnerboy" and "Born on the Wrong Side of Time" are from those early days with the band Taste. Cuts from later albums include "Kickback City" (which serves as warning against getting carried away by the glittering wink of fame), "The King of Zydeco" (a tribute to Clifton Chenier), and "Big Guns" (one of the rockingest tunes ever). Donal Gallagher, Rory's brother and manager, put together an absolutely stellar collection. Every song on this 2 CD set reflects the best of Rory and his band(s).
Rory Gallagher may be "A Million Miles Away", up there with the heavenly blues gods these days, but with Big Guns, it's as if he's still very much with us. Sadly, "They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore", Rory.
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
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