Artist: Gallagher, Rory
Label: RCA Records
Released: 1973
Rating: 4/5
Rory Gallagher is one of the few musicians for whom the leap from the mostly blues-oriented bands that, with the explosion of the r / b revolution in the mid-sixties, started popping up in an already annoying number like mushrooms after rain, into a successful and above all completely independent solo artist was never a particular problem. Which, of course, comes as no surprise. Rory was never the type to blindly follow trends. If anything, you could say he was the guy who made those trends (even if, for many, in a negligible form). Gallagher was simply different, one of a kind in his love for the blues as well as for music in general, and of course in his interpretation of it, which, at least in its sincerity and often naive simplicity, remains unmatched to this day. Of course, Gallagher doesn’t deal exclusively with traditional blues frameworks. In fact, the only thing that remains traditional on Tattoo is his proverbial versatility, typically inspired from every direction, which only grudgingly reveals its true value to the more attentive listeners of his music. So Tattoo, besides Gallagher’s ever-convincing hopping around, with the exception of the highly moody debut, offers probably one of Rory’s most intimate testimonies, and undoubtedly one of his most moving as well.
Rory’s fourth album opens in the easygoing Tattoo’d Lady, in a tone that’s almost uncharacteristically mysterious for a guitarist, setting off one of Rory’s most relaxed personal confessions. The sleepy intro soon shyly hides in typical Gallagher style from the swagger of Cradle Rock, a classic Rory bluesy romper that you’d do well to get comfortable for beforehand, at least for your own good. Rory is bursting with life energy here, seasoned with just the right amount of irony and humor, which reaches its peak of delight in a hot-blooded harmonica solo, not to mention the completely shameless bottleneck debauchery. The unique blend of humor and irony also adorns the next one, 20:20 Vision, with which Rory develops a completely distinctive way of interpreting the blues, a sort of colorful minestrone of Chicago, seasoned with a pinch of traditional Irish folk chatter, which in its own way carries Rory’s naive message. Sleep On A Clothes-Line, with its typically easygoing Gallagher “riffing,” aims to lighten the mood. The simple song leans heavily on Rory’s early Taste adventures and by itself once again points to the guitarist’s dominant role in the now long-defunct trio. Rory’s ever-present sincerity dominates the sparkling, jazzy They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore (a nod to the famous words of Sonny Boy Williamson?), yet another grand triumph for the Irishman’s crew, where the harmonica and the brilliant Lou Martin go head to head in a duel. It’s one more testimony to the guitarist’s exceptional ability to interpret.
Gallagher’s dominant stance of passion is brought to boiling point once again with the dangerous Who’s That Coming. A standard Rory concert number, in this studio version it jealously hides its true charms from the curious. Its hot-blooded nature is quietly betrayed by a slide-flavored acoustic dobro, which once again hints at Rory’s fascination with the blues influences of the Mississippi Delta. Equally thrilling, but in a completely different mood in its melancholy, is A Million Miles Away, another phenomenal blues-rock creation, a simple yet moving testimony to Rory’s deeply introverted emotions. Gallagher rarely lets us take such a deep look into the confused and uncertain nature of his self. Joyful and naive in his simplicity, Rory, with astonishing control and ease of playing, in this inimitable showcase of contagious sadness, convinces once again.
With its charismatic and untamable character, Tattoo more than successfully continues the mission of its predecessors, on which, ever since the moody debut, the legend of Rory Gallagher is slowly but surely being built. The influence of his legacy on musicians of later generations is today incomparably greater than, say, the modest, you might even say shamefully negligible, number of records this blues guitar giant sold. A sad fact, but one that would most likely have pleased a purist of Gallagher’s type today.
Lineup
Rory Gallagher: vocals, guitar
Gerry McAvoy: bass
Lou Martin: keyboards
Rod de’Ath: drums
Production
Rory Gallagher
Track List
1.Tattoo’d Lady
2.Cradle Rock
3.20:20 Vision
4.They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore
5.Livin’ Like a Trucker
6.Sleep On A Clothes – Line
7.Who’s That Coming
8.A Million Miles Away
9.Admit It
Album Length: 48.32
