RORY’S
GOLDEN
DUCK 
RORY
GALLAGHER:
a different show every night
RORY
GALLAGHER City Hall, Newcastle
Hard
on the heels of Rory’s latest and best album
comes this, his
umpteenth tour. With trusty side kick Gerry McAvoy on bass and
new(ish) recruit Brendan O’Neill on drums, he has himself a band
tighter than the proverbial duck’s derriere. They provide the perfect
backing, and, where necessary, give him full rein to play as the
impulse
takes him.
That
impulse is the key factor at Gallagher gigs and tonight was no
exception. With no set list taped to the PA, it’s a different show
every night, hence the atmosphere is always charged with
anticipation. Rory simply goes where the impulses take him, and, on
this
occasion, they led him more often than not towards slow blues, the best
example of which came early in the set with Willie Dixon’s ‘Where In
The World.’
But
even so, there was no shortage of faster
material to keep
the crowd on its feet, with excellent new songs like ‘Bourbon’, ‘Big
Guns’ and ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ standing proudly alongside the more
familiar ‘Wayward Child’ and ‘Follow Me.’
Other
highlights were Rory’s solo acoustic renditions of ‘Ride On Red’ and
‘Philby,’ for which he donned his dulcimer guitar to reproduce the
sitar like sound of the recorded version.
The
set climaxed with a storming ‘Shadow Play,’ complete with false ending,
strobe and one of Rory’s legendary duck walks. The band left the
stage, but that famous Geordie roar demanded their return. Last buses
came and went but few chased them. Most stayed for the two lengthy
encores, the final one seeing a pairing of the old Rory standard
‘Bullfrog Blues’ with an incredible 90mph version of ‘All Round Man’ .
. . and yet more duck walks!
That
was it, 20 songs and a
two hour five-minute set. Enough to make many of today’s top bands
hang their heads in shame. If you’ve seen him it’s odds on you’re
a convert. If not, check him out soon. It’s a treat not to be missed.
NEIL
JEFFRIES
GUITAR HEROES
Rory Gallagher
WHEN
DID YOU BEGIN PLAYING
GUITAR? When
I
was nine years old.
WHY DID YOU START? I heard people like Elvis
and Lonnie Donnegan, and other rock ‘n’ roll, which really made me want
to start.
FIRST TYPE OF GUITAR: Just an acoustic I don’t
know what make it was.
MUSICAL
TRAINING: None
at all.
EARLY
INFLUENCES: Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and
Buddy Holly.
FIRST
PUBLIC PERFORMANCE: That was in 1960 at a talent
contest at the City Hall in Cork. An acrobat won the all round
prize, but I won my section I think I got £5!
FIRST
APPEARANCE ON RECORD: The first ‘Taste’ LP in about
1968 69.
RECORDING
BANDS: Taste
and Rory Gallagher.
OTHER VINYL APPEARANCES: I’ve done albums with Jerry Lee
Lewis, Muddy Waters, Albert Lee, Lonnie Donnegan and lots of other odds
and ends.
EQUIPMENT
(LIVE): The
main guitar I use is the ’61
Strat, but I also have a Gretch Corvette for slide and a few others.
For amps I go through a Vox AC30 with a 50 watt Marshall or a German
vintage one. I’ve got some Boss effects and I use a flanger, a chorus
and a pre amp to boost the Vox.
STUDIO EQUIPMENT: The same amps and also a 50’s
Fender which works very well. Occasionally I use some Gibsons and also
a Vox 12 string.
NUMBER OF GUITARS OWNED:
20.
MOST
MEMORABLE SOLO ON RECORD: ‘Brute Force And Ignorance’ and
‘Double Vision.’
OTHER GUITARISTS YOU
ADMIRE: Ry
Cooder, Keith Richards, David Lindley, John Hammond . . . the list is
too long.
From
Kerrang
June 17-30, 1982
Thanks
to Brenda O'Brien for typing & passing these along
reformatted
by roryfan
248
