READING ROCK '80 20th
Anniversary of
the National Jazz Blues and Rock Festival
RORY
GALLAGHER Rory Gallagher is the man
who spearheaded the Irish rock
movement and, as always, his direction and musical plans will attract
great interest and speculation, especially in the light of the current
surge of the new Irish talent.
In 1978, Gallagher disbanded his
then current four piece band and pared
his sound back to a threepiece to record the hard driving 'Photo
Finish' album with long time bassist Gerry McAvoy and former
Sensational Alex Harvey drummer, Ted McKenna in support.
In addition to recording with a
new lineup, Rory was also producing
with fellow Irishman and engineer, Alan O'Duffy (whose previous
collaborations have included engineering with Wings and the Rolling
Stones) and in a studio new to both, Dieter Dierks' in Cologne, Germany.
The result showed him moving away
from the jazzier inflections he had
explored on 'Calling Card' towards a more elemental hard rock sound,
and constituted an achievement of remarkable poise and power,
especially considering fresh McKenna was to the band.
'Top Priority,' his fourth album
from Chrysalis, shows Gallagher and
band one year on, welded together by this stage, into a fierce and
powerful a three piece as has been our pleasure to hear! It also finds
him completely at home in Dierks' studio, with Alan O'Duffy at the
controls.
With the combined skills of Rory
and O'Duffy coalescing even more surely on production, never before has
the guitarist found such a sympathetic setting for his musical genius.
The directions suggested by 'Photo Finish' and particularly by tracks
like "Shadow Play', is taken to its logical peak here with a whole new
collection of Gallagher classics. In addition to being surefire live
killers, songs like 'Follow Me' and 'Philby' are also perfectly suited
to radio play, and are so littered with hooks and immediately
identifiable choruses that they're potentially major hits in their own
right.
All his musical passions, from
blues and R 'n' B to rock and roll and country music are fused in the
playing on 'Top Priority' - not to mention more esoteric flourishes
such as the Gaelic tinged electric sitar on 'Philby'. In addition, his
lyrics and vocals bear the stamp of authority, making this his most
substantial album ever, as well as his most exciting. With music like
this, we'll be coming back for more, every time. This
piece comes from the program for the 1980 Reading Festival
Thanks to Charlie Gili for passing it along
reformatted by roryfan
READING ROCK '80