The late Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher used an unsatisfactory recording session in San Francisco as an excuse to scrap the planned album, reorganize his band, and come firing back with the hard rocking Photo-Finish. This was 1978, and Gallagher was already on a roll with a string of influential albums that combined blues, hard rock, and acoustic country, and with Photo-Finish, that roll just continued. Eagle Rock once again have put together a superb reissue here that you'll certainly want to add to your collection if you are just now discovering the discography of one of the all time greatest guitarists.
When you open up an album with the trio of "Shin Kicker", "Brute Force & Ignorance", and "Cruise On Out", three hard rocking and utterly brilliant songs containing ferocious guitar licks, tight rhythms, and powerful vocals, you know you are in for a wild ride. It doesn't end there, as Rory's muscular guitar riffs and harmonica lead in the heavy blues rock of "Cloak & Dagger", and he follows that with the majestic, blues-pop of "Overnight Bag", a tune that will please any Dire Straits fan with its wonderful, crying guitar lines. Next up is one of Gallagher's most famous tunes, the engaging "Shadow Play", complete with addicting riffs and an unforgettable chorus. The soloing from Rory on this one is immense, and he always stretched this out out when playing it live. More blues & boogie can be heard on the rousing "The Mississippi Sheiks", and Gallagher's biting solos are the highlight of the fun blues rock piece "The Last Of The Independants". Things slow down to a smoldering blues crawl on the atmospheric "Fuel to the Fire", a great example of Rory's fine vocals, which tended to get overlooked in favor of his superior guitar talents, but this guy could also sing with the best of 'em. Oh yeah, there are some searing guitar leads on this one for all the blues afficionados out there.
This reissue comes with two bonus cuts, the hard rocking "Early Warning" and the jazzy blues of "Juke Box Annie". Factor in the always engaging commentary in the booklet from Rory's brother Donal, and you have a mandatory re-release here of one of Rory Gallagher's most memorable albums.
Track Listing
1. Shin Kicker 4:03
2. Brute Force & Ignorance 4:17
3. Cruise On Out 4:42
4. Cloak & Dagger 5:20
5. Overnight Bag 4:52
6. Shadow Play 4:45
7. The Mississippi Sheiks 6:01
8. The Last Of The Independants 3:59
9. Fuel To The Fire 6:21
10. Early Warning 2:50
11. Juke Box Annie 3:19
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