Rory Gallagher: Crest of a Wave

By: Dennis Cook

Time has been both kind and unkind to Rory Gallagher. One of the sturdiest musicians to emerge from the 1960s, the Irish guitar wizard finally has a wonderful introductory collection, and hopefully this incredibly well-picked anthology will help swell the dedicated cult that’s kept going strong since his passing in 1994. Full of blues soul, Gallagher was also a stellar chronicler of the life & atmosphere of road dogs and compelling outsiders, and these 24 tracks offer ample examples that’ll stop you in your tracks, particularly if you’re new to Gallagher’s work. His rep is largely based on his fluid, explosively inventive guitar playing, and that too gets a solid airing on Crest of a Wave (released August 25 on Eagle Records). If he’d accepted The Rolling Stones invitation to be Mick Taylor’s replacement in ’75 then the world would surely know his name, but as is there’s many who consider Gallagher the equal (or better) of Clapton, Beck, and Page. His offhand dexterity and easy flow set his playing apart from that holy trinity, but more importantly, the man always plays to the song, using solos only when they add something organic. And unlike a lot of so-called classic rock artists, there’s no drop-off in quality from his beginning to too-early end. Crest of a Wave offers a terrific door into Gallagher’s immensely rich world, and those who step through will likely find themselves as dumbstruck and pleased as existing converts.

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