1970s Blues/Rock bands
- Thread starter E-Z
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My friend Bill was a huge fan of Roy.....and played the crap out of his first lp...I appreciated his guitar talent but the songs he covered and overall style never appealed to me....but he sure knew how to play.
I really like his early lps with Stewart and Wood....and the next two with Tench ,Middleton, and Powell....especially Rough and Ready which is brilliant imho. Just listen to his lead on 'Situation'.
After that I tend to agree unless one is into fusion stuff...though Blow By Blow is a land mark for the fusion of that era,
E-Z
Senior Member
Yeah dr wu Truth & Beck-Ola are good albums and the two albums with Bobby Tench on vocals are ok as well.
E-Z
Senior Member
After Cricklewood Green I like Watt, A Space In Time, Rock n Roll Music To the World (which I especially like) and Positive Vibrations and with Positive Vibrations that has sounded better as the years go by for me!.
E-Z
Senior Member
I have read a few comments down the years one or two people didn't like his singing voice although he sounded ok with me.
As has been said before about Rory Gallagher "He never made a bad album" which is true plus he never had any 'filler tracks' on his albums.
Roy was a bit too quiet for me when he sang but I did like the guitar work.
I dont currently own any Buchanan lps....but I have the two Taste lps and several mid period Gallagher on old vinyl,,, Irish Tour, Calling Card, etc. I play Rory from time to time....but these days I dont play that much blues being so into various prog things and obscure rock and folk the last 30 years.
E-Z
Senior Member
With regards to Rory's voice with him being brought up from a child in Cork in southern Ireland the Cork accent is spoken in a soft quiet accent so that probably has a lot to do with it. Also with regards to Rory I actually prefer his Taste era records (1969-70) in some ways over his Rory Gallagher band albums which are the two official studio Taste albums and the two official live Taste albums with all four records being released on Polydor records. The albums that were released after Taste when it was the Rory Gallagher band they are all good albums although I prefer some more than others. I like the first Rory Gallagher album (1971) and the Deuce album (1971) and Live In Europe (1972) album. Then Blueprint (1973) Tattoo (1974) & Irish Tour 1974 are all ok albums but I rarely play either Tattoo or Irish Tour 1974 these days. Then the albums Against The Grain (1975) & Calling Card (1976) I like and I particularly like Photo Finish (1978) Top Priority (1979) Stagestruck (1980) & Jinx (1982) and then both Defender (1987) & Fresh Evidence (1990) albums are both more bluesy although I particularly like Fresh Evidence and occasionally still play it.
With regards to Roy Buchanan I haven't played any of his albums for ages maybe around 25 plus years although I still have an old Best Of Roy Buchanan single cd on Polydor records that I bought back in the mid-1990s and at one time I did own 3 or 4 complete Roy Buchanan cd albums from the early/mid 1970s on Polydor records again back in the mid-1990s.
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BluesRocker
Senior Member
I liked Rory G for so many reasons...he was a roaring lion on the stage and a perfect gent off it..he stuck to what he believed in and wouldn't kowtow to those that said he should do things their way..there was no nonsense or b*llshit with Rory, no showbiz, no glitz n glamour, he just came out on to that stage dressed in his trademark checked shirt, jeans and pumps, with that battered old strat slung over his shoulder, which he would just plug into his old amp and away he went, and he took us all with him..He had no need for any gimmicks, effects, fancy pedalboards and he never needed stacks and stacks of amplification..He was a very unique guitar player, had his own style, never copied any other guitar players and was extremely versatile playing many types of stringed instruments and covered a wide spectrum of music from blues, blues-rock, rock, folk, country and jazz...He always had great musicians with him that were really tight as a band..Gerry McAvoy was superb and whenever you watch him on stage, he watches Rory like a hawk coz he never knew what Rory was gonna do next, lol..He made some great albums but he was never really comfortable in the recording studio, everything about him was LIVE ON STAGE and playing to an audience in a theatre or club, that is what Rory was all about..he didn't really like the huge venues and stadiums but had no problem playing at outdoor festivals..He was very knowledgeable about the blues, and whereas a lot of white boy players only covered that 50's style electric Chicago blues in their music, Rory would take it back further to pre-war blues, country blues, the street singers and its roots and origins..He was a brilliant slide player, played great blues and was also a kick ass rock n roller too...But i most liked Rory when he would play that good old stomping blues-rock on tracks like 'Bullfrog Blues,' Souped-Up Ford,' and 'Walk on Hot Coals.'..Watching him live in concert really was something special, the music and his guitar playing was fantastic and he always put on one helluva show playing for well over 2 hours at every concert, he was all over the stage prowling and having a good old boogie..i saw Eric Clapton once at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the music and guitar playing was excellent, but to watch him was a complete snooze-fest, he just stood there..Rory was all over the stage..i first saw Rory in 1981 at Liverpool University in UK, this was on a UK tour where he was playing at all the big city universities and polytechnics, and this tour was dubbed as his 'University Challenge Tour.'..What a show he put on, this was during his rockier period but he never left out the blues... i have seen a few great guitarists over the years, but its Rory i fondly remember the most.. Rory was completely anti-drugs, yes, he liked a good old drink, but recreational drugs , he never got caught up in that nonsense, and he was never too keen on any of his band smoking a bit of dope..That assumption that musicians are at their most expressive when high as a kite and with a few drinks down them,.. Rory sure put that notion to bed...His classic barnstorming 'Irish Tour '74' live album is the most authentic live rock/blues album i have ever heard..He was brilliant throughout all his years but i always thought he was at his VERY best around the years 73, 74, 75...Gone but never forgotten, GOD BLESS YA RORY!..They don't make them like you anymore!
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E-Z
Senior Member
A very good post Blues-Rocker and you basically covered every aspect of Rory's life which I totally agree with.
I like the story I read of Rory and his band when they were playing various venues around the UK back in the 1970s & 1980s and a University student who dealt with booking various bands said in an interview that a lot of bands had 'riders' stipulating what items were to be provided backstage after the gig and it became a bit silly when a band would stipulate 'at what temperature the wine was to be served' but when he booked Rory and his band to play the University the ONLY request was for a "large plate of cheese sandwiches and a crate of Guinness" to be left in the dressing room. I like that story and it sums up the man perfectly, no showbiz and no fuss!!.
I like the story I read of Rory and his band when they were playing various venues around the UK back in the 1970s & 1980s and a University student who dealt with booking various bands said in an interview that a lot of bands had 'riders' stipulating what items were to be provided backstage after the gig and it became a bit silly when a band would stipulate 'at what temperature the wine was to be served' but when he booked Rory and his band to play the University the ONLY request was for a "large plate of cheese sandwiches and a crate of Guinness" to be left in the dressing room. I like that story and it sums up the man perfectly, no showbiz and no fuss!!.
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