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Post by unomusette on Jun 9, 2015 22:15:00 GMT
What a treat to come back from my hols to a healthy bunch of reviews for Top Priority, thanks to all of you As ever, it's so interesting to find out what other ears hear in songs you think you know inside out. For instance, jrmugz hearing All Along the Watchtower in Philby and Chippa hearing The Kinks in Follow Me. This kind of comment made me listen again and look out for the clues, it gives the album a whole new aspect. It's also interesting to hear Helmut83's opinion from a more technical angle. I'm no musician at all but I do know that Rory is pretty well thought of amongst famous guitarists. It is a certain style though and you can usually tell him a mile off because of his trademark sound and approach. That's OK if you like that particular style, of course, but if you don't.... I appreciate you being as fair as you were though, and you're probably right about dragging Jeff down the aisle (I'd just have to fight off BSJ first).And I hooted at the bit about not recommending At the Depot to nervous people - priceless! Gosh, looking at @brax's review took me right back to my exam results, they were always listed like that. Thanks for the trip back down memory lane. Again the general opinion that Public Enemy No. 1 is a bit "meh" - I thought this too when I first heard it but it grew on me quite a lot. It seemed like a bit of a departure from his usual stuff and kind of playful. As for ballads, there's Ain't Too Good from the Against the Grain album, or Overnight Bag from Photo Finish. He's not a big balladeer though. I almost posted Against the Grain for CD of the week but it has longer tracks and takes maybe a bit more time to get into. I adore it though, I reckon it's his best. As jrmugz says, Photo Finish and Jinx are both excellent albums too, if you liked Top Priority you'll more than likely enjoy them as well. Thanks for listening!
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 10, 2015 2:46:31 GMT
My pleasure to play it uno, and thanks for the ballad names, and for confirming that Photo Finish and Jinx are good ones too. I'm sure I'll be checking those out!
Jim
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Post by Helmut83 on Jun 10, 2015 3:08:20 GMT
Uno, I'm sure Mr. Gallagher is majorly deemed a great guitarist and I'm not surprised to know it. I was really impressed by his work in Philby and a few others, and in terms of speed, which is a very valued attribute for a guitarist, the guy can surely play.
Then, there's the subjective factor. Some people like more one thing, other people like more the other. If we asked a number of random people about George Harrison as a guitarist, you would have all sorts of opinions, ranging from "he was a complete donkey" to "he was a maestro, my guitar hero".
I tend to appreciate more the flexible, adaptable, miltifaceted kind of guitarist over the technically gifted, speedy freak, but that's me. Proof of how subjective this matter is is that the main thing Chippa pointed out about the album was his soloist guitar work. Then there's a reason the guy is pretty highly rated among guitarists; they probably know better than me, but still all opinions are worth a listen.
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 10, 2015 11:34:21 GMT
Uno, I'm sure Mr. Gallagher is majorly deemed a great guitarist and I'm not surprised to know it. I was really impressed by his work in Philby and a few others, and in terms of speed, which is a very valued attribute for a guitarist, the guy can surely play. Then, there's the subjective factor. Some people like more one thing, other people like more the other. If we asked a number of random people about George Harrison as a guitarist, you would have all sorts of opinions, ranging from "he was a complete donkey" to "he was a maestro, my guitar hero". I tend to appreciate more the flexible, adaptable, miltifaceted kind of guitarist over the technically gifted, speedy freak, but that's me. Proof of how subjective this matter is is that the main thing Chippa pointed out about the album was his soloist guitar work. Then there's a reason the guy is pretty highly rated among guitarists; they probably know better than me, but still all opinions are worth a listen. For George Harrison, it seems like he gets the most compliments for his slide guitar playing. So I like that, and plus the fact that in The Beatles he made it all sound so natural and easy, like "Roll Over Beethoven" and the guitar solos on "Let it Be", I think there were at least a few different versions of that song each with a different guitar solo, that were all pretty good. He wasn't a flashy guitarist; but could get the job done with no problem. Interesting how on "Taxman" though, McCartney had the idea for the monster guitar part, and asked if he could do that part, which he did for that song. Yeah, I hate speed and technical, I have no use for it, I like more the tasteful guitar solos that enhance a song. I like Rory, the basic rhythm-blues guitar, kind of like BTO or something. Jim
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Post by Helmut83 on Jun 10, 2015 16:48:57 GMT
Jim, besides "Taxman", Paul McCartney also played lead guitar on "Back in the USSR", "And your bird can sing", "Good morning, good morning" and some parts in the counterpoint duel from "The end". Maybe "Drive my car" as well.
In my opinion, he was the Beatles best guitarist, best bassist, best drummer, best pianist, best singer and best songwriter.
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 10, 2015 19:30:38 GMT
Jim, besides "Taxman", Paul McCartney also played lead guitar on "Back in the USSR", "And your bird can sing", "Good morning, good morning" and some parts in the counterpoint duel from "The end". Maybe "Drive my car" as well. In my opinion, he was the Beatles best guitarist, best bassist, best drummer, best pianist, best singer and best songwriter. Guess would be hard to argue any of those, really. You may be right on that! Jim
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Post by unomusette on Jun 10, 2015 22:42:13 GMT
I agree that the guitarists that impress me most are the ones who seem to be effortlessly producing the perfect result for whatever type of song they're doing. Jimi Hendrix has always struck me as one of the best at this - you have the impression that he's not rehearsed at all and yet all this brilliance is coming out of him. Of course it's probably the result of endless practice as well as natural talent but the end result looks and sounds so super-cool and casual.
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Post by jrmugz on Jun 11, 2015 15:04:52 GMT
I agree that the guitarists that impress me most are the ones who seem to be effortlessly producing the perfect result for whatever type of song they're doing. Jimi Hendrix has always struck me as one of the best at this - you have the impression that he's not rehearsed at all and yet all this brilliance is coming out of him. Of course it's probably the result of endless practice as well as natural talent but the end result looks and sounds so super-cool and casual. Yeah, some people we think have lots of natural talent, have actually worked very hard on it. There are some books about it. I think Mozart learned at an early age because of something like, don't quote me, but his dad would transcribe everything he would play on the piano, so he got in the mindset of music and notes, etc. real quick at an early age. Jim
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Post by unomusette on Jun 11, 2015 23:06:01 GMT
That't it, get 'em when they're young and kids can pick things up at a phenomenal pace. Look at all those Japanese tots playing the violin like virtuosos. Might be something to do with them not seeing learning something new as such a task as older people, they're just endlessly curious and ready to try anything
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Post by queenofthehours on Jun 17, 2015 17:30:32 GMT
1. Follow Me – Fantastic opener. Perfectly suitable for 1978 and the punk era. Proof Rory is suited to any genre and can make them all rock. One of my very favourites. 2. Philby – Great clear opening guitar. Another of my favourites by Rory. Can’t help noticing the reggae beat in there. Pretty much perfect.
3. Wayward Child – A punk- type track but with Rory’s own style. I especially like how Rory’s guitar never takes totally over and how the music continues through his part as if to say "Rory wrote this song for a band not just for himself".
4. Key Chain – A quieter, more blues-y track but with no less of the power of the rest of the album.
5. At the Depot – Very punky but without the negativity that comes with that genre. Rory does it better. Is that a fiddle?
6. Bad Penny – One of my favourites, this can never date. Classic Rory. The guitar sings as well as any voice.
7. Just Hit Town – A bit of a punk sound here too, yet it sounds even more punky than punk! Love how the bass sounds on this fast track.
8. Off the Handle - Bluesy but still has the same passion as the rest of Rory's songs here. I'm no blues fan but Mr Gallagher could convince me.
9. Public Enemy No. 1 - Great guitar and bass and drums – everything is good here. The blues structure makes the tune really catchy.
I always have problems writing up on music I like lots and I like this lots! Rory actually reminds me a little of Robin Trower.
I feel very bad for not giving him a chance earlier; I did the very same thing that I did with Jeff Lynne before I loved him - I gave in to prejudice and wilful ignorance. I thought Rory would be a guitar show-off who'd appeal only to the types who bought guitar enthusiast magazines. How wrong I was!
Rory's songs are as much about other instruments (bass, drums) as they are guitar – as if he’s a whole band in himself. I don’t know what it is but Rory seems so powerful and modern but he seems to have organised his career with the intention of NOT being famous. While I think he’s a live performer like no other I’ve seen, he doesn't seem to have made much of a mark with his records.
This album is all about teamwork - Rory and the band, the songs never leave room for weakness and the whole LP is consistent. I wish some of the tracks were longer but at least they all rock! Not rock in the poodle-haired sense but natural rock as in "let's get a few beers in and some mates round with some instruments and see what we can come up with".
Great clear production makes this LP very special but I've heard people say that his albums are no match for his live work, well what's wrong with that? Who says albums have to be the only way to represent a musician?
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Post by unomusette on Jun 17, 2015 21:34:49 GMT
This is such a positive review, queenofthehours, I'm really pleased on Rory's behalf I think you have him spot on when you say he had almost no ego - putting on a successful show with his band-mates seemed to give him immense pleasure and he spent a lot of time keeping eye contact and grinning at them. He seemed to also tease them by making them guess which song he was about to launch into but they never missed a beat. When you see a band thoroughly enjoy themselves on stage you can't help enjoying yourself too and Rory's was a shining example. Don't forget if the short songs leave you wanting more you can always indulge in a marathon version of Shadow Play....
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