Vinyl of the Week - 31 May 2020

Notes from San Francisco, Rory Gallagher

This week is an artist that has been labelled the “guitarist’s guitarist”. Rory Gallagher is listed as an influence by many of the greats. Everyone from Clapton to Bonamassa have cited him as a guitarist they greatly admired. In fact, when Hendrix was asked what it was like to be the world’s greatest guitarist he replied “I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher”. Born in Ireland in 1948, Gallagher was given his first guitar aged 9. As a teenager he started playing live and purchased the Fender Stratocaster that accompanied him throughout his career. In the late 60’s he formed the band ‘Taste’ which toured extensively across the UK. Following the band’s break-up he toured under his own name and went on to have a successful solo career, his albums selling over 30 million copies. Tragically, Rory died at only 47 years old in 1995 after complications from a liver transplant. ‘Notes From San Francisco’ is a perfect album to discover Rory’s music. It contains never before released tracks from his studio sessions as well as live recordings from his ‘79 tour. It showcases his deep and honest lyrics, proving him to be more than just a great guitarist and gives you an insight into his live performances, which were renowned amongst his peers and fans alike. So if you haven’t delved into his music, this is a great place to start - DS