Rory Gallagher: "Rory Gallagher" (1971).

Rory Gallagher made his solo debut with "Rory Gallagher" on May 23, 1971. The album was recorded at Advision Studios in London with Rory Gallagher as the producer. Eddie Offord was the sound engineer. The two had previously collaborated on "On the Boards" the year before.

By Martin Johannessen

After two studio albums and two live albums with Taste, it was time for Ireland's great blues maestro to go solo. And for that, he needed a new band, a power trio. Both Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding from the Jimi Hendrix Experience auditioned. However, the choice fell on drummer Wilgar Campbell and bassist Gerry McAvoy instead.

He was a prolific and creative artist. Between 1971 and 1974, he released his solo debut, "Deuce," "Live In Europe," "Blueprint," "Tattoo," and "Irish Tour '74." All of these are excellent candidates for any record collection.

Rory Gallagher had moved to Earls Court in London. The opening track "Laundromat" is inspired by the washing machine in the basement where he lived. It was started while Taste was still a band. A smashing blues-rocker!

Watch "Laundromat" live from Beat Club in Germany in May 1971 below.

Delicious Guitar
"Just the Smile" is more inspired by the British folk wave of the time. It's a nice song, but I prefer Rory when he has his guitar plugged into the amplifier.

The slightly jazzy "I Fall Apart" is also a quiet song. Fortunately, the guitar playing elevates the track considerably. And the solo that develops from the middle of the song onwards is beautiful stuff.

"Wave Myself Goodbye" is another acoustic track. Nice, but nothing more than that. As mentioned, Rory is at his best electrically. Vincent Crane from Atomic Rooster plays the piano on this track. The blues-rocker "Hands Up" closes side 1. Lots of delicious guitar playing!

String Acrobatics

Side 2 also opens energetically with "Sinner Boy." Songs like "Laundromat," "Hands Up," and this one quickly became staples on the setlist. The slide solo is fantastic!

"For the Last Time" is a laid-back blues track. It's always interesting to hear what Rory Gallagher can do with the six strings of his guitar. And on this one, there's a lot of gold.

"It's You" is another acoustic song, but it features a lot of fun slide guitar as well.

"I'm Not Surprised" is also an acoustic ballad with piano playing by Vincent Crane.

Rory Gallagher plays saxophone on the seven-minute-long closing track "Can't Believe It's True," which is also a jazzy song. A worthy ending to the first solo album of one of the world's greatest guitarists. And with over seven minutes, there's plenty of room for some amazing string acrobatics.

Power Trio
Rory Gallagher sticks to the trio format in the production as well, with some overdubs. This gives the album a cool live feeling.

They recorded the Muddy Waters cover "Gypsy Woman" and "It Takes Time" by Otis Rush, but neither of them made it onto the album. However, they were included when the album was released on CD many years later.

Muddy Waters was a hero to Gallagher, and they played together on "The London Muddy Waters Sessions," which was released the following year. Gallagher says:

“I learned from Muddy just tuning his guitar, sitting there with his cigar in his mouth - the whole calm vibe off him. But he could really switch on the menace when he played… The controlled power!”

Read about Rory, his career, and his guitars here.

Even though Rory Gallagher is a fantastic guitarist who has inspired many, he often ends up in the shadow of Page, Clapton, and Beck. There is, of course, no good reason for this. Gallagher deserves all the spotlight he can get.

Read more: Rory Gallagher – Rory Gallagher 50th Anniversary Edition