Rory Gallagher
Blueprint

THE REVIEW

An essential album to fully understand Rory Gallagher's musical style is undoubtedly this "Blueprint" released in early 1973, which indeed represents one of the so-called must-have albums of the ingenious Irish artist.

Its genesis is, however, somewhat peculiar: after the success of "Live! In Europe" in 1972, the band around Rory underwent a transformation, as Wilgar Campbell's place on drums was taken by the ambidextrous Rod de'Ath, and Lou Martin from Belfast, a bandmate of de'Ath from their "Killing Floor" days, a small Rock/Blues band they both initially played in, was added to keyboards.

The direct consequence of this little revolution within the "Rory Gallagher Band" is especially felt on a stylistic level, as the already powerful and recognizable sound of Rory is enriched with new elements, extending towards other musical styles, as we will see shortly.

The debut is a memorable one, entrusted to the beautiful "Walk On The Hot Coals," which already demonstrates this substantial change: Rory's always impeccable guitar wails and improvises, standing out against an enveloping sonic backdrop represented not only by the high-level McAvoy-de'Ath rhythm section but also by Martin's keyboards, which lend the piece an unprecedented yet absolutely original funky imprint.

"Daughter Of The Everglades" is an imaginative ballad that magically evokes even medieval-style atmospheres, thanks especially to Rory's always excellent work on (acoustic and electric) guitars.

With "Banker's Blues," however, we return to the more classic Blues, inspired by the figure of bluesman "Big" Bill Bronzy, where both Rory and Martin equally share the (beautiful) solo parts.

"Hands Off" is a Rock/Blues piece of great impact and power, where the usual Irishman's "slide guitar" is very much present, as is the case with the equally beautiful "Race The Breeze," where the rhythm seems to emulate that of the always fascinating steam locomotives, to which it seems the genius from Ballyshannon was inspired in creating such a brilliant piece.

With "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son," we even venture into almost psychedelic territories in the style of The Doors, as evident from the initial intro that almost seems to reference a "The End" track, for a total of almost 8 and a half minutes where Martin unfurls another excellent keyboard performance and Rory caps it off with a sharp solo about halfway through the song.

The instrumental "Unmilitary Two-Step" shows, conversely, Rory's Folk/Rock side, where for about 2 and a half minutes he entertains the listener with this acoustic song that, through some arpeggios, might even remind one of some acoustic pieces by Led Zeppelin, especially "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp," if you listen closely to some passages of it.

The finale is one marked by a very dreamy Country style and is represented by the magnetic "If I Had A Reason," which perfectly closes another album that every true Rock lover should have in their collection, especially to understand the greatness of the late Rory Gallagher.