From Amazon.com
Great Music - But Tracks are Remixes, Not the LP Originals
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Ten stars for the music, five stars for the remastering, but zero for the remixing. Like all of Rory's albums, this is a great one. If I were to choose one as his best, this would be it. The LP version of this album was my introduction to Rory, and it instantly made me a fan. Rory was in a class by himself, and his talent was on a higher level than anything I had heard before. This album is a classic and is one of my all-time favorites. Rory displays his talent on the mandolin and blues harp, and he creates riffs and solos from his Stratocaster as if it were a part of him. Every track is outstanding. While it is more rock-oriented than other releases, Rory still stays true to his blues roots.
BUT -- the remixes on this CD are NOT the original LP versions. A few differences are slight and merely annoying, but unfortunately some are great, to the detriment of the music. From what I have learned, Rory's brother Donal entrusted to recording engineers Colin Fairley and Tony Arnold the task of remastering the album for CD release after Rory's death. For whatever reason, they also remixed it to the extent that the content and sound of most of the tracks have been very noticeably altered. A reading of the credits and the third paragraph of the enclosed liner notes will reveal that Rory did not make these remixes, and they did not have his approval -- they were made two years after his death. They are instead the misguided work of Fairley and Arnold.
Here is a partial list of the ways the CD versions are different from the LP originals:
Shin Kicker - ending doesn't fade out completely like the original (one of only two instances in which the CD version may be as good as or better than the original).
Brute Force & Ignorance - different notes sung at 2:32 through 2:33.
Cruise on Out - different word sung at 2:54 ("step" instead of "groove"); ending begins to fade out, unlike the original.
Cloak & Dagger - different mix on guitar overdub.
Overnight Bag - the CD version may be better than the original. This track is a beautiful Celtic-flavored ballad with acoustic guitar overdubs. This version has a line added at 2:56 through 3:12 that had been omitted in the original, making it slightly longer. No other noticeable changes, thankfully.
Shadow Play - echo has been added to vocals.
The Mississippi Sheiks - excessive, muddy-sounding bass, and added reverb. Bass is much cleaner and tighter on the LP.
The Last of the Independants - echo has been added to vocals.
Fuel To The Fire - Fairley and Arnold did a LOT of damage here. Rory's guitar tone is distorted, there is excessive muddy bass and lots of added reverb, and there are overdubs where none existed on the LP original. Rory wrings a moving Celtic-flavored solo from his Stratocaster on this track, but the factors listed above completely destroy the mood of what was, in its original version, an outstanding blues song. This version is vastly different from the original, which is much cleaner and better in every way.
Despite all the negativity, for those who have the original LP, this CD is worth having for the bonus tracks (even though they are not essential), the liner notes, the remastering, and the longer version of Overnight Bag. Just try to overlook the horribly executed remixing efforts of recording engineers who chose to disrespect the greatness of a classic album from a Guitar Master, and for whatever reason, put their own spin on it. For those who have heard only the CD version of this great album - this is NOT what Rory wanted you to hear. Get an LP copy to hear what this album is supposed to sound like. Fuel to the Fire and The Mississippi Sheiks in particular sound much better in their original versions.
Rory is King
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Of all the Rory albums, of which you will not find a bad one, Photo Finish is probably the best one from start to finish. Songs like Shinkicker, Overnight Bag, and Fuel to the Fire are classics. He is a true genius of guitar and song writing. Rory is one of the few, if not the only, artists that I know of that I cannot point to bad record or a period that wasn't very good. You will not be disappointed with this album.
Best guitar songs and compositions . . . EVER!!!
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: Hey "Music Fan, 1999" were we at the same show in 1982?!?!? Veteran's Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa? Rory came out and with his shear energy and frenzied performance brought the house down!!! The day after the show I could hardly wait to get to a, (yeah, I show my age), record store and find those amazing songs: "Shin Kicker", "Brute Force and Ignorance", "Cloak and Dagger", " Mississippi Sheiks" and please don't forget, "Shadow Play". Those songs stuck out like a gold vein in the side of a mountain. Simply some of the greatest rock songs I've EVER heard!!! I bought the album and couldn't wait for the CD. Frankly, I could do without the extra tunes on any of the Rory Gallagher reissues. The extended liner notes are great but you can't improve, on what I believe to be, one of the best collections of guitar rockers committed to disk-whether it be vinyl or plastic!!!
Do yourself a favor and purchase this disk of doozies. I wish this Irish-rocker was still around to blow Rush off the stage again. (Hey, I like old Rush so don't hate me too bad.) Sadly, we lost this wonderful gentleman of Rock `n' Roll back in 1995.
A Sadly Overlooked Gem
Album Rating: (4 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: As a budding teenaged music fanatic in the mid-seventies, I often heard the name Rory Gallagher whispered reverently among musicians, critics and fans far-hipper than I.
Deciding to find out what all the fuss was about, I found a copy of 'Sinner...and Saint' in a cut-out bin somewhere in Chicago and took it home. Disappointed by its flat production and so-so songs, I filed it away, and promptly forgot about it, and Rory Gallagher.
Four or five years later, while a college student in central Illinois, I happened across 'Photo Finish'. Being in an experimental mood, I forked over four or five bucks and took it back to my dorm room.
Man. What a revelation. The songs and Rory's playing leapt-off of the vinyl. Rarely had I heard a record lead-off with anything like "Shin Kicker" and "Brute Force And Ignorance". I was floored. To make a long story short, I became a Rory Gallagher convert that afternoon. And 'Photo Finish'? I pretty-much wore it out.
Which is why I was so thrilled to see Buddah's re-issues. The sound is wonderful, allowing Rory's stripped-down, unadorned music to really take wing and fill a room in all its glory.
And track-to-track, this is undoubtably his best album. He never sounded so assured. Rarely does 'Photo Finish' falter. Steaming blues, Stax-inspired ballads, full-bore rockers--it's all here. And all good. And all drenched in Rory's sinewy and unflinchingly-honest guitar playing.
As shy and unassuming as Rory was in life, 'Photo Finish' remains equally-vivid and attention-grabbing in his passing.
Rest in peace, Rory. You were a wonder.
terrific blues/rock from a master
Album Rating: (5 of 5 stars)
Review Comments: If you're a fan of Johnny Winter, SRV, Ten Years After etc. and haven't heard of Rory Gallagher, then you should definitely get this. This is a perfect blend of blues and rock with plenty of nice chunky riffs to keep it all chugging along. Nice and raw but not too raw. Rory Gallagher--unlike some of his blues counterparts--could actually sing and his voice is gritty yet lyrical on this well-produced remaster. There's not a bad track here. Even the bonus tracks are good. Highly recommended.
Purchases
1 Shin Kicker
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