(2022) Rory Gallagher - Deuce (50th Anniversary)

Review:
Irish blues guitar superstar Rory Gallagher’s second album Deuce will celebrated and expanded with the release of the new Deuce 50th Anniversary Edition by UMC. The new set drops September 30th, 2022 and aims to give Gallagher fans an enormous helping of rare and remixed material to keep their speakers humming for a long time to come. Deuce was first released in late 1971, a mere six months after his self-titled debut album met the world. It was tracked at Tangerine Studios, a pint-sized reggae studio in Dalston in East London, due its connection with legendary producer Joe Meek. Gallagher produced the record himself with Robin Sylvester engineering. He was backed up in the studio by Gerry McAvoy on bass and Wilgar Campbell on drums, a fine rhythm section that made large contributions to the sound and feel of the proceedings. The goal was to get Gallagher’s live vibe on tape, so he captured these songs immediately after playing live gigs, when he and the band were hot, and gave them minimal production. He knew when he was at his best by then and took full advantage of it. The new mix of Deuce 50th Anniversary Edition is crisp, clean, and corpulent. Gallagher’s guitar tone is throaty and full, the bass warm and well-defined, and Rory’s vocals right up front where they belong. Tracks like “Used To Be” and “In Your Town” are inspiring and volcanic, practically writing a book about what a power trio should be and do. The more contemporary material is just as cool and a song like “Whole Lotta People” shows what was on Rory’s mind at the time and where he was taking his prodigious skills. Knowing what we know now, it’s easy to hear Gallagher’s legend building. The alternate takes will be of interest to collectors and complete-freaks, as they always are. Gallagher heads will have hours of fun comparing two new recordings of “Used To Be,” five new recordings of “Maybe I Will,” four of “Whole Lot Of People,” four of “In Your Town,” and many others. The recording process takes time and requires a lot from the musicians involved and many listeners will find these glimpses of the performances that weren’t chosen as just as compelling as those that were. Letting us hear them is a solid from Gallagher’s archive. The performances from the Radio Bremen session are exquisite and show Gallagher at the peak of his powers. His vocals and playing are spellbinding and will leave even hardcore Rory fans agape and cheering. His guitar work on the slow blues “Should’ve Learned My Lesson” is blazing and especially impressive. You can hear how what Gallagher was going for back then carried forward and influenced future guitar heroes like Stevie Ray Vaughan. The version of “Messin’ With The Kid” captured here burns just as hot and features some of Gallagher’s most ferocious guitar slinging on this entire set. Rory was helping create the future of blues/rock during this time period and listening to him doing it in real time is unforgettable. The Deuce 50th Anniversary Edition is a worthy acquisition for all who admire Gallagher’s body of work and hunger for more of it. There’s a lot to be happy about here so settle in and enjoy every note.

Track List:
CD 1
01. Used To Be (50th Anniversary Edition)
02. I'm Not Awake Yet (50th Anniversary Edition)
03. Don't Know Where I'm Going (50th Anniversary Edition)
04. Maybe I Will (50th Anniversary Edition)
05. Whole Lot Of People (50th Anniversary Edition)
06. In Your Town (50th Anniversary Edition)
07. Should've Learnt My Lesson (50th Anniversary Edition)
08. There's A Light (50th Anniversary Edition)
09. Out Of My Mind (50th Anniversary Edition)
10. Crest Of A Wave (50th Anniversary Edition)

CD 2
01. Used To Be (Alternate Take 1)
02. Used To Be (Alternate Take 2)
03. I'm Not Awake Yet (Alternate Take 1)
04. Don't Know Where I'm Going (Alternate Take 1)
05. Maybe I Will (Alternate Take 1)
06. Maybe I Will (Alternate Take 2)
07. Maybe I Will (Alternate Take 3)
08. Maybe I Will (Alternate Take 4)
09. Maybe I Will (Alternate Take 5)
10. Whole Lot Of People (Electric Alternate Take 1)
11. Whole Lot Of People (6 String Acoustic Alternate Take 1)
12. Whole Lot Of People (6 String Acoustic Alternate Take 2)
13. Whole Lot Of People (12 String Acoustic Alternate Take 1)
14. In Your Town (Alternate Take 1)
15. In Your Town (Alternate Take 2)
16. In Your Town (Alternate Take 3)

CD 3
01. In Your Town (Alternate Take 4)
02. Should've Learnt My Lesson (Alternative Acoustic Take)
03. Should've Learnt My Lesson (Alternative Take 1)
04. Should've Learnt My Lesson (Alternative Take 2)
05. Should've Learnt My Lesson (Alternative Take 3)
06. There's A Light (Alternate Take 1)
07. There's A Light (Alternate Take 2)
08. There's A Light (Alternate Take 3)
09. Out Of My Mind (Alternate Take 1)
10. Out Of My Mind (Alternate Take 2)
11. Out Of My Mind (Alternate Take 3)
12. Crest Of A Wave (Alternate Take 1)
13. Crest Of A Wave (Alternate Take 2)
14. Don't Know Where I'm Going (Home Demo)
15. Maybe I Will (Home Demo)
16. Should've Learnt My Lesson (Home Demo)

CD 4
01. Should've Learnt My Lesson (Radio Bremen 21/12/1971)
02. Crest Of A Wave (Radio Bremen 21/12/1971)
03. I Could've Had Religion (Radio Bremen 21/12/1971)
04. For The Last Time (Radio Bremen 21/12/1971)
05. Messin' With The Kid (Radio Bremen 21/12/1971)
06. Don't Know Where I'm Going (Radio Bremen 21/12/1971)
07. Pistol Slapper Blues (Radio Bremen 21/12/1971)


Media Report:
Genre: blues-rock
Country: Ballyshannon, Ireland
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits
Compression mode: Lossless
Writing library: libFLAC 1.2.1 (UTC 2007-09-17)


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