Rory Gallagher

Generally regarded as one of the best musicians to ever come out of Ireland, guitarist Rory Gallagher’s career was always under appreciated on this side of the Atlantic. An amazing songwriter and quite a virtuoso in his own right, Gallagher’s professional career began in the late ’60s with Taste, a power trio similar in stature to Cream or the Jimi Hendrix Experience. While their career was short lived, Taste set the stage for Gallagher’s solo career, which started in 1971 with this self titled debut. Taking subject matter from the most simple everyday occurrences, Gallagher wrote songs like “Laundromat” that were simple, clever and exciting. Not as hard hitting as his previous Taste releases, Rory Gallagher represented a transition from a bombastic guitarist to an acclaimed songwriter and performer who could count luminaries such as Bob Dylan as career-long fans. This reissue marks the first North American release of this album, and it will be accompanied in the next few months by a number of Gallagher’s other ’70s releases, including other notables such as Irish Tour’74 and Photo Finish.