2011

NOTES FROM SAN FRANCISCO - LP All tracks composed by Rory Gallagher.

Initial Release: May 17th, 2011

Record Label: UMC

Location: His Master’s Wheels, San Francisco, California. Old Waldorf, San Francisco, California

Producer: Elliot Mazer / Daniel Gallagher

Featuring:

Rory Gallagher  (Guitars, vocals, and harmonica)

Gerry McAvoy (Bass guitar)

Rod de’Ath (Drums)

Lou Martin (Keyboards, Piano)

Ted McKenna (Drums)

Martin Fiero (Saxophone)

Joe O’Donnell (Violin​)

ALBUM REVIEW

Fourth album to be publish after Rory's passing and very interesting thing to discover it, 34 years after his non publication. Rory was not satisfied with what was supposed to become his "American album", he changed most of his bandmates (Goodbye Lou Martin and Rod de'Ath, welcome Ted McKenna) and released, a year later, "Photo finish" which contains in different versions: "Mississippi Sheiks" - "Overnight Bag" - "Cruise on Out" - "Brute Force & Ignorance" - "Fuel to the Fire". Also interesting for: "B Girl" which will become "Public Enemy No. 1" on the 1979 album "Top Priority".

Rory was not satisfied of what was suppose to become his ''American Album'', changed most of his bandmates (Goodbye Lou Martin and Rod de'Ath, welcome Ted McKenna) and published, one year latter, ''Photo finish'' keeping on it in different versions: "Mississippi Sheiks" – "Overnight Bag" – ''Cruise on Out" – "Brute Force & Ignorance" – "Fuel to the Fire". Interesting too: ''B Girl'' will become 'Public enemy N°1'' on 1979 album 'Top Priority'.

The album opens with 'Rue The Day', a little speedy Rock that will allow, once again, to measure all the quality of the keyboard flights of the late Lou Martin. 'Persuasion' swings quite well and, again, a beautiful presence from Lou. A little solo well sent on this song which evokes a breakup and the hypothetical return of the loved one. 'B Girl' as previously announced will serve more than as a basis (the structure of the piece being already there in almost its entirety) for what will become, two albums later, 'Public Enemy N°1'. The organ solos will then be removed and the length of the piece reduced from 4:42' to only 3:36'. The presence of Gery's bass takes on more scope. We will bitterly regret that the final guitar solo is badly shunted. Then comes what will become a monument 'Mississippi Cheiks', a slow tempo and, for the bridge, a very fat guitar solo as we like them, the piece goes from 5:56 to 6:05.  'Wheels Within Wheels' is a magnificent ballad, a love song, a little desperate, like all those that Rory will produce. A Lou Martin, for once very gentle, on his magic keyboard. What a splendor this extraordinary 'Overnight Bag' is, which perfectly describes his life on the road: "Pack my regrets in a bag, a toothbrush, a guitar, I'll leave with the next breeze that blows. My head is heavy like a rainy sky,''. Another love story without solution, he must resume his journey: ''hear my prayer and save me - I wrote you my thoughts, sent them to you in a blue envelope, sealed it full of hope, it seems you never received it''. Everything is said! We return to a freight train rhythm with 'Cruise On Out'. Lou's piano solo is, once again, stunning in feeling. The song is again shortened from 5:19 to 4:42. A 'Brute Force And Ignorance' weighed down by slightly too present interventions of the drums and a curiously treated guitar with, to finish, a totally useless sax. The piece will undergo a welcome slimming cure and will be concentrated from 5:45 to 4:22. For my part, I will particularly remember this sublime version of 'Fuel To The Fire', in my opinion superior to the one recorded later for 'Photo Finish', the guitar part having been too shortened and deeply modified. A nicely electric version of 'Wheels Within Wheels'. Weird song that this 'Cut A Dash'... Jazzy (?) not much else to say about it. 'Out on The Tiles' will be one of the definitively rejected pieces. A little tough Chuck Berry mood Rock'n'Roll which will not make history. Not much to say about it. 

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