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Rating: The mid-Seventies Rock turns out to be, on the whole, a great jungle in which multiple genres coexist, such as Classic Rock, Funk/Rock, the Hard Rock of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and the like, the Progressive Rock of illustrious names like King Crimson, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Yes, Gentle Giant and many others, while in the meantime other genres like Pop, Disco, but especially Metal and the British Punk movement are gaining ground, preparing to mature with the advent of the Eighties.
And in all this mix, what place is reserved precisely for Rock/Blues? Well, Rock/Blues tends to "harden" more and more, as happens in the case of our friend Rory Gallagher who, after the glories of the "Irish Tour '74" and "Calling Card" of 1976, changes his lineup once again, ousting drummer Rod de'Ath and keyboardist Lou Martin, and returning once again to the "power trio" of his beginnings with Ted McKenna replacing de'Ath on the drums and the loyal squire Jerry McAvoy on bass.
With this ensemble, born after the initial unsuccessful attempts in San Francisco with a subsequent shift of production to Germany, the good Rory records between the end of 1977 and the beginning of 1978 this album unequivocally named "Photo-Finish" due to it being completed literally in "Zona Cesarini" (in just about 11 hours), meaning just in time compared to the "deadline" set by his record company of the time, Chrysalis Records (now under the control of Warner Bros. Records, for the record).
Despite this "tour de force," the result is nonetheless an album that faithfully respects the "musical creed" of the Ballyshannon musician: that is, a sound predominantly based on Blues/Rock, enriched with elements of Rock 'N' Roll and Hard Rock (with a hint even of Southern Rock), intended to make it even more powerful and solid.
The first tangible proof of this is found in the opening "Shin Kicker," an anthem suitable for Bikers of all kinds, in which Rory, as usual, decidedly heats his Stratocaster six-string with a couple of blazing solos.
The following "Brute Force & Ignorance" is instead a massive Rock/Blues piece, whose lyrics were inspired by a Sex Pistols concert that Rory and his band attended in San Francisco, enriched by a mandolin background played by the same versatile musician for the occasion.
With "Cruise On Out," the direction shifts even to Rock 'N' Roll of Elvis Presley and the like, with the only difference being that here the rhythms are quite high, thanks also to the excellent rhythmic section offered by his McAvoy-McKenna, allowing the usual Rory to express himself once again very well.
"Cloak & Dagger," inspired by one of the many "B-movies" about detectives loved by Rory himself, is another robust Rock/Blues piece of excellent level.
In "Overnight Bag," another glimpse of Rory's solitary "on the road" life is provided with a melodic sound, but again very well-suited.
"Shadow Play" is instead one of Rory's live showpieces, where he showcases his "a bit of Jekyll, a bit of Mr. Hyde" identity, as a verse of the song itself states, offering a bright and incisive Hard Rock for about 5 and a half minutes in duration.
In "The Mississippi Sheiks," the flamboyant Irishman decides to pay homage to the eponymous famous Blues duo of Walter Vinson and Lonnie Chatmon, also implanting here a tough Rock/Blues sound with the "slide guitar" as the absolute protagonist, giving it tones tending towards the Southern Rock of ZZTop and company.
"Last Of The Independents" is another Hard Rock piece with quick and incisive Rock 'N' Roll accents, inspired by a crime story dear to the Irishman, but which can easily be referred also to Rory's attitude as "the last of the independents" of his musical generation.
The conclusion is entrusted to the wonderful Rock/Blues ballad "Fuel To The Fire" which in some parts, especially in the spectacular mid-track solo, could resemble any Hendrix with the way his guitar here wails and manages magnificently.
In the re-edited version of 2018, we finally have two more Bonus Tracks such as the fast Hard Rock of "Early Morning" and yet another Rock/Blues episode with Southern accents of "Jukebox Annie" which add nothing nor take anything away from an album that can rightfully be considered one of the best in the Rock domain of that period, without any dispute.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
03 Cruise on Out (04:42)
Well that cat you will be payin',
You ought to make you there,
When that drummer hits the rim shot,
It almost busts the snare.
You put on your cat clothes,
And I will put on mine,
Together pretty babe,
We're gonna cruise on down the line.
Come on and cruise on out with me,
Won't you cruise on out with me.
Well that cat I will be paying,
C'mon and get your share,
I've got transportation,
And I can get you there.
Well I know your daddy's anxious,
That you told a lie,
I guess he's goin' to blow his stack,
If you don't come home on time.
Come on and cruise on out with me,
Won't you cruise on out with me.
Yeah...
Well this feelin' I will pick it,
Just as long as you will stay,
The boys in the band will play all night,
If they would have their way.
If you want to dress up to the nines,
And look like something else,
I'm goin' to put on my alligator shoes,
I'll go out to play..
Come on cruise on out with me,
Won't you cruise on out with me.
Well, the fat man plays that upright,
Freeze you at the knees,
This band's in full control,
of 37 and one half keys.
In this full scale commotion,
The place will never drop,
You better leave town gracefully,
If you're too pooped to pop.
You better leave town gracefully,
If you're too stuped to stop.
Come on cruise on out with me,
Well, won't you cruise on out with me.
Well that cat you will be payin',
You ought to make you there,
When that drummer hits the rim shot,
It almost busts the snare.
You put on your cat clothes,
And I will put on mine,
Together pretty babe,
We're gonna step on down the line.
Won't you cruise on out with me,
Come on, cruise on out with me.
Won't you cruise on out,
Cruise on out,
Cruise on out with me.
Won't you cruise on out,
Cruise on out,
Cruise on out,
Cruise on out with me.
Come on cruise on out,
Cruise on out,
Cruise on out,
Cruise on out with me.
Awwwhhhh
06 Shadow Play (04:45)
Seven days of thunder eight days of rain
The feeling that I'm under
Is like a ball'n chain, like a ball'n chain
Just round the corner I know a store
Gonna trade in my razor and bay a 44
And I'll come knocking knocking door to door
The feeling in my head is like all out war
All out war third world war
And if they catch me and put me in the chair
You can sit beside me there's plenty room to spare
You are the reason I am in tis fix will you cry for me
When they throw that switch throw that switch
This time they'll lock me up for sure
Throw away the key when they slam the door
City to city town to town
Seven days running
Will they track me down
Will they track me down
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