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ALBUMS
It’s no secret that Rory Gallagher is one of the most
criminally overlooked axemen of the guitar hero’s
golden age. But more releases like The Beat Club
Sessions may yet right that injustice. This archival
release is a record of Gallagher at his most laser-guided and nasty. And the opening cut “Laundromat,”
is a showcase for everything that made Gallagher
special—touch, dynamics, killer timing, and phrasing that slays. Working with his
equally deadly rhythm section—Wilgar Campbell on drums and Gerry McAvoy on
drums—Gallagher also gives his smoky and sonorous vocals a prominent place in
these tunes, further demonstrating that he was one of the most complete musicians
working in the fertile-to-overflowing ’70s blues-rock scene.
Rory Gallagher
The Beat Club Sessions
Eagle Records
gospel-infused duet that’s the perfect setting for King’s singing fills and trademark
vibrato. The combination of Guy’s blistering tone and drummer Tom Hambridge’s
spot-on production and songwriting make
this album a must for blues connoisseurs.
—Jason Shadrick
Los Lonely Boys
Keep on Giving: Acoustic Live!
Playing in Traffic
Attempting to play along and cop some licks with this record can feel a little like getting
worked over by a middleweight champ. Gallagher jabs, stabs, and delivers crushing hooks
that leave you staggering and wondering which sleeve concealed the trick that just left
you flat on your butt. But if you’re wise enough to just listen, there’s a lifetime of lessons
about economy, rhythm, and working with tones that fit a mix. Nothing is too muscular
or overblown on these tracks, even when the band is trucking at open-throttle muscle-car
speed. “Hands Up” is a raver that hooks together enough sweet lead phrases in six and a
half minutes to line a highway.
“Sinner Boy” and “Could Have Had Religion” are showcases for Gallagher’s deft and snaky
slide hand—the latter track combines screaming and sailing top-end runs with stuttering pull-offs that sound like Gallagher and his clone doing battle. When Gallagher drives
his tone into hotter spots, as he does on the gloriously overdriven “Used to Be” and the
roadhouse slide stomper “In Your Town.” he loses none of the snap that distinguishes
his cleaner, lightning-fast workouts, but you get to enjoy some gorgeously hanging-and-never-ending vibrato bends and skittering, positively squirrelly bottleneck stuttering that
sounds like you’re getting simultaneously doused by grease and broken glass.
Considering his soul, his songs, his pipes, and his well of outside-the-box blues moves
that is a mile deep, it’s shocking that Gallagher remains outside the pantheon of widely
heralded ’70s blues guitar gods. But doubtless, The Beat Club Sessions will leave another
legion of converts in its wake. —Charles Saufley
While most artists
tend to ratchet
things down a
notch when they go
“unplugged,” Los
Lonely Boys went
the other direction
with their recent
acoustic tour, which is captured here over
two nights in Colorado. Henry Garza can
still burn without his Texas Special-loaded
Strats, and he isn’t afraid to let the world
hear him do so in a very different way.
Refreshing to some but perhaps lacking
to fans expecting more of the same, this
album is like a cool, high-quality bootleg in
that you’re hearing raw, undoctored audio
from the power trio’s most stripped-down
performances ever. What’s lacking in pro-
duction gloss is more than made up for
with energy from Henry, JoJo, and Ringo
Garza, who have carved quite a niche for
themselves with their “Texican” fusion of
melodic pop and Texas blues.
Buddy Guy
Living Proof
Jive Records
38 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2010
With Living Proof,
Buddy Guy proves
that even at 74
years of age he
can put out one
of the most cohesive and biting
blues albums of
the year. Guy has nothing to prove but
still plays with the ferocity of guitar slingers a quarter of his age. During the solo
on the opening track—fittingly titled “ 74
Years Young”—Guy is in classic form with
his sustaining, overdriven tone and relentlessly energetic phrasing. Stylistically, Guy
doesn’t stray too far from his roots—check
out the guitar-boogie title track—and
gives Chicago-style blues an updated feel
while still sounding authentic. For the
first time in the studio, Guy brings in B.B.
King for “Stay Around a Little Longer,” a
www.premierguitar.com
Highlights include a fervent take on
Santana’s “Evil Ways,” a guest appearance from Alejandro Escovedo on the
Stones’ “Beast of Burden,” and, of
course, a stripped-down version of their
hit “Heaven.” The Boys’ tight, three-part
harmonies really shine in the extra sonic
space left open by the acoustic renditions.
The raw nature of the project precludes the
soaring tonal qualities that so many people
appreciate Henry and LLB’s music for, but
kudos to the brothers Garza for having the
balls to mix things up with the acoustic tour
and then release a CD showing another
side of their persona. Fans looking for a
new flavor of Texican will really dig this
album. —Joe Coffey
