Rory Gallagher – Against The Grain

One notable item about this album is the inclusion of a TASTE song, "At The Bottom," which they did once for BBC radio (Paris Theatre?) but was not on any of their albums. Like "Sinner Boy," it was saved and later used on Rory's "solo" records.

Great album. Rock, Blues, some folk and some country. Great cover of "I take what I want". Great sing "Cross me off your list". Great hard-blues "Souped-up Ford". My Copy has the sides indicated on the back cover misplaced. What should be the A side is the B side.

A great cover of Ledbetter's "Out on the Western Plain " , no doubt one of Ireland,s greatest guitarist,s.

At least to my ears 1975's self-produced and aptly-titled "Against the Grain" was a major surprise. For a guy who had always prided himself on his non-commerciality (I'm guessing that was the inspiration for the title), the album came off as quite slick and well produced. That's not to imply this was Gallagher's sell-out album. Remember we're talking about Rory Gallagher so anyone picturing faceless AOR material was simply way off target. Still, unlike earlier releases, this time out Gallagher largely steered away from tradition blues, instead focusing on a more blues-rock oriented sound. His blues roots were still clearly there, but the album sounded like Gallagher and company had put considerable time and effort into capturing their accumulated strengths. With three years of steady touring under their collective belts, Gallagher, keyboardist Lou Martin , drummer Ted McKenna, and bassist Gerry McAvoy were one of the tightest bands on the road. Lots of highlights on this one including virtually the entire first side, the melodic 'Lost At Sea', and my favorite number - 'At the Bottom'.   

"Against the Grain" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Let Me In (Rory Gallagher) - 4:03
Anyone who knew Gallagher has a hardcore blues artist was probably going to be surprised by the boogie-styled 'Let Me Go'. Maybe not quite top-40 material, but surprisingly commercial and accessible. YouTube has a clip of Gallagher performing the tune for a 1975 episode of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. It's worth watching just to see a somewhat stiff Kirshner reading the introduction off of cue cards. You had to wonder if Kirshner had a clue as to who Gallagher was: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2a9w3NPBj4 rating: **** stars
2.) Cross Me Off Your List (Rory Gallagher) - 4:26
If 'Let Me In' was a surprise, 'Cross Me Off Your List' was a major shocker. Opening up with almost a jazzy feel, the tune soon morphed into a rocking platform for Gallagher's overlooked voice (he seldom sounded as good) and his incredibly nimble fretwork. Kudos to drummer Rod De'Ath on this one. rating: **** stars
3.) Ain't Too Good (Rory Gallagher) - 3:54
Simply one of the prettiest tunes Gallagher ever wrote and in the right hands it could have provided him with radio airplay. YouTube has a clip of the band doing the song from a 1975 concert performance featured on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. The video quality is a bit shaky, as is the performance itself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rlc6CtnUOg rating: **** stars
4.) Souped Up Ford (Rory Gallagher) - 6:24
Guitar, guitar, guitar ...if you had to pick one Gallagher tune for a mix tape, this would be a good choice. It's also a great tune to see what your speakers are really made of. Can they handle Gallagher's awe-inspiring slide guitar? Many will fail the test. Makes you wish you could play slide guitar. It became a staple in his live show and YouTube has a couple of concert performances. The best of them is this 1977 clip from a German television RockPalast show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUYC5Q-bqgY rating: **** stars
5.) Bought and Sold (Rory Gallagher) - 3:24
Ironic give it may have been inspired by his frustration with the music industry, the rollicking 'Bought and Sold' was one of the most tuneful things he ever recorded and another track that had distinct commercial possibilities. Another stunning 1977 RockPalast performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELHxrxXmRoY rating: **** stars

(side 2)
1.) I Take What I Want (David Porter - Isaac Hayes - Teenie Hodges) - 4:22
Nice cover of the Sam and Dave Stax classic, though you won't forget the original ... The live 1977 RockPalast clip is even better than the studio version. Probably should be mandatory viewing for anyone interested in performing blues-rock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNe75UXomNo rating: *** stars
2.) Lost at Sea (Rory Gallagher) - 4:06
Another atypical tune that blended a wonderful melody with some of Gallagher's patented stratocaster moves.    rating: *** stars
3.) All Around Man (Bo Carter) - 6:14
Reflecting Gallagher's longstanding affection for the The Mississippi Sheiks, 'All Around Man' was one of the album's few straightforward blues numbers. Some nice slide guitar moves, but hardly one of the standout performances. Another one where there are numerous live clips. This 1976 performance on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test strikes me as being the best of the lot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og2XJjg2uCs rating: *** stars
4.) Out On the Western Plain (Huddy Ledbetter) - 3:53
The opening scat moves have never done a great deal for me, but when the song got moving, Gallagher's overlooked vocals came to the forefront. Wonderful sound quality on this one which also showcased Gallagher's talents on acoustic guitar. YouTube has a nice 1980 RockPalast perfomance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5JO-BTP1SE rating: **** stars
5.) At the Bottom (Rory Gallagher) - 3:19
My favorite performance on the album - a near perfect combination with another great melody; Gallagher's fantastic voice, and some of his most tuneful lead guitar. The little country riff at the end always makes me smile. rating: **** stars


Buddah catalog number 7446599686 2
Sony/Capo/Legacy catalog number 88725461492

I have absolutely no idea why, but when the Buddah and Capo labels reissued the collection in CD format in the late 1990s, they elected to have Tony Arnold remaster the album with what I'd argue was an inferior mix. The reissue package did include two bonus tracks - the instrumental 'Cluney Blues' and the rockabilly-influenced 'My Baby, Sure'). They also slapped on an inferior, alternate cover. Go for the original release. 

Any chance of knowing what pressing is this Lp with this catalog number? 6399 303 thnx