MUSIC Rory Gallagher: His Enduring Legacy

July 19, 2011

             MUSIC
Rory Gallagher: His Enduring
Legacy
Brother Dónal Gallagher Discusses New Album

Rory & Dónal Gallagher – Photograph by Finn Costello

It was November 1977. Guitarist Rory Gallagher and his band members –
bassist Gerry McAvoy, keyboardist Lou Martin and drummer Rod de’Ath –
were capping off a 6-month world tour with dates in Japan before coming to
San Francisco to begin work on a new studio album. Gallagher had signed

a deal with Chrysalis Records and would be working with hotshot producer
Elliot Mazer, whose clients included Neil Young, Janis Joplin, Gordon
Lightfoot and The Band.

The songs were recorded quickly, but the sessions were dogged with
tension and Rory’s belief that the mixing was too complicated. He was
also becoming restless and wanted to get back to roots, playing basic
rock and blues as he had done in the power trio, Taste.

As the album tracks were being mixed, Rory saw The Sex Pistols perform
at the Winterland Ballroom and was struck by the band’s raw energy and
power, remarking, “It was as close to Eddie Cochran as you’re going to
get.” The experience pushed him further away from the recording at hand
and by the end of January 1978, the project was aborted and Rory broke
up the band.

The recordings remained shelved for more than 30 years, finally
coming to light in May 2011 Notes From San Francisco, a two-CD set
featuring the original studio tracks studded with three bonus cuts and a
fantastic remix courtesy of Rory’s nephew Daniel Gallagher. The second
disc appends Notes, with a fiery previously unreleased live set recorded in
1979 at San Francisco’s Old Waldorf, with a three-piece unit consisting of
Gallagher, McAvoy and new drummer Ted McKenna.

Back Page Magazine spoke with Rory’s brother Dónal, who served
as Rory’s long-time manager and has since handled his late
brother’s affairs.

BACK PAGE MAGAZINE: This was to be the record that broke Rory
open in the States. What was the vibe like at Chrysalis?

DÓNAL GALLAGHER: Very positive – they had Warner Brothers
distribution at that time and that company had also tried to sign Rory
separately. The principals of Chrysalis seemed to enjoy having a reason to
visit the studios. They genuinely wanted to see Rory get his deserved
credit and attention from the U.S. world of radio and charts and align
record sales to Rory’s concert drawing power. BPM: The album was
recorded after coming off the road and is the last studio recording

by Rory with Lou Martin and Rod de’Ath. Was it a difficult record to
make?

DG: It didn’t seem so at that time, though with hindsight, the physical
strain of recording off the back of a year long World Tour – we came to the
West Coast from Japan – without a break. Actually, having the same bed
for several weeks in San Francisco seemed like a vacation.

BPM: Elliot Mazer had a pretty good track record prior to this. What
did you think when you heard the mix?

DG: I thought they were terrific and sounded very different. I had difficulty
hearing what Rory was unhappy with. To be fair to Elliot, Rory probably
had really wished to work with other U.S.-based musicians for this
experience but felt a loyalty to his band.

BPM: Was there discussion about a possible radio single or follow-
up tour?

DG: At that time, there was no problem booking out a Rory tour – it only
took one call to our then agents, I.C.M. As far as a single and airplay, the
Chrysalis execs seemed blown [away] by the acoustic version of Wheels,
Within, Wheels. I felt it could be either Overnight Bag or Cruise on Out.

BPM: Your son, Daniel, produced this and did a great job. How do
you assess the differences in the original mixes and these?

DG: The tracks are more opened up – there is a lot more space for the
instrumentation. Elliot’s mixes would have been very much to Rory’s desire
(so it’s difficult to say how the mixes would have been if Elliot had had a
free hand). On reflection, I believe Mazer had done his best by my brother
with the original recordings but was in a no-win position by the end.

BPM: Can we blame the Sex Pistols for the long delay in this
release?

DG: Not really. I would say that Rory in his “heart of hearts” was already
troubled with aspects of the mixing, his band; in reality, it was not fulfilling
his ambitions of a U.S. album. However, the Sex Pistols chaotic gig
probably demonstrated to my brother that “when in a hole, stop digging.”

BPM: Does the track sequencing match the original recording?

DG: Though it’s close, not entirely. Elliot and Dan had much debate
between them on the order of tracks. But the original would have been
based on two sides of vinyl, and the record would not have contained all of
the recorded tracks.

BPM: The electric violin on
Mississippi Sheiks by Joe
O’Donnell is fantastic. How
did he come to play on the
track?

DG: Rory had been a guest on
Joe O’Donnell’s Gaodhol’sVision
album in 1977. It’s an eclectic
instrumental album, which
musically traced the roots of
Celtic music back to the time of the Pharaohs, in Egypt and a banished
wandering tribe led by Gaodhal (Geal). It’s super stuff.

BPM: There are two versions of Wheels Within Wheels. Did Rory
often record more than one version of the same tune before
deciding on what made it to record?

DG: Not that I recall, although he later did an acoustic version of Secret
Agent for television.

BPM: Cruise On Out sounds like a live track. How free were Lou,

Gerry and Rod to play what they wanted in the studio?

DG: Yes, it’s a favorite. Rory told me it was one for Elvis Presley. Rory
would always have the arrangement of a song worked out; being a multi-
instrumentalist he knew what he wanted to hear. However, he liked the
music to flow, so, in that respect the guys could provide input.

BPM: The horns on Brute Force & Ignorance give it a Mexican vibe.
Whose idea was it to add them? Were the parts charted out?

DG: Again, Rory being a sax player himself would have figured out the
charts. Martin Fierro was
Mexican and Rory wanted
to bring that Tequila vibe to
the track, as the song is
about rock and roll touring
turmoil. Rory must hav e
had a premonition of the
Sex Pistols gig!

 BPM: After these
sessions Rory broke up
part of the band and
returned to a 3-piece.
What did Ted McKenna
bring to the table that
Rory liked?

DG: To my thinking, Rory
was seeking a new
drummer to lay down the
beat more, stay on it, sync
in more with the bassist,
which allowed Rory more

space to layer his guitar technique over the rhythm section.

BPM: Van Morrison was in attendance at the live Waldorf gig. Were
he and Rory friends?

DG: Yes, Rory and Van became good friends, in particular, when Van
decided to live in London. We would see him socially – they both had
interacted with the places and faces of the Belfast music scene and
musically had much in common. Van would come to my house a lot back
then and Rory would hookup with us there. Van had invited my brother to
play on his album Period of Transition, but a lack of communication at the
session saw Rory leave after many hours of having to wait around.

Later at Van’s request, I put them together as Van wished to form a
grouping to make a “blues” album. Parallel to this, the Irish broadcast
company, RTÉ, was making a television series titled The Sessions and
had asked for one featuring Rory. So the deal would be they would have
the broadcast but we could come away with the multi-tracks and
videotape.

Rory had then recently played a great charity gig, in Edinburgh, put
together by Jack Bruce (bass), which had Charlie Watts (drums), Ian
Stewart (keys), Dick Heckstall-Smith and a brass line-up. To that [lineup]
Van wanted to add Brian Auger. However, at a lead-up meeting Van’ s
humor just changed: He left and the whole session fell apart. Even though
RTÉ still wanted to make the show without Morrison, the whole experience
depressed my brother and he scrapped the idea.

Dónal & Rory Gallagher – Photograph by Finn Costello

Dónal Gallagher –Unveiling of Rory Gallagher Statue Ballyshannon June 2,
2010