DANIEL GALLAGHER – Rory Gallagher’s Archives!
4 min read
Interview with Daniel Gallagher, the nephew of Rory Gallagher and the producer of The Best Of Rory Gallagher album, and the MD of the Rory Gallagher Archives.
1.There is a new “Best Of” album of Rory Gallagher, which is the reason behind this new release?
The last compilation of this type was made over a decade ago and that release hasn’t been available for several years. With Rory’s increasing popularity and growing base of younger fans I thought this ‘Best Of’ would be a great introduction to newcomers of his music.
2. The “Best Of” features a special bonus track “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – a rare outtake taken from Jerry Lee Lewis’ famous 1973 “London Sessions” featuring Rory singing and playing the Rolling Stones’ classic alongside the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis. Which is the story behind this famous collaboration?
Rory was invited to be a guest guitarist on Jerry Lee’s 1973 album recorded in London. At the recording session it was suggested that Jerry Lee record a ‘modern’ hit and the Rolling Stones song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” was picked. Apparently Jerry Lee didn’t really know how the song went so asked Rory if he would record the vocals on the first take so he could hear the melody. Rory agreed to sing it with him while also playing the main guitar part. Then Jerry Lee recorded a second take with just his vocals which is the version that was released in 1973.
3. How did you find this song?
A couple of years ago I heard Rory tell the story about working with Jerry Lee in an interview from Irish radio in 1984. I tracked down the multi-track tape which was lost in Universal Music’s archives. Amazingly this collaboration was still on the tape and hadn’t been recorded over. I took it into the studio with an engineer and mixed the track for the 2018 Blues album release but I couldn’t get permission from Jerry Lee’s people at the time to release it. So I spent the last year begging for permission to release it on this compilation and thankfully I got the OK a few months ago.
4. Are there any other unreleased songs for potential release in the near future?
I keep digging in the archives all the time and yes there are rare outtakes and alternate takes of material. It’s just important to make sure that they’re of a quality that Rory would’ve been happy to see released, I think.
5. How do you maintain the archive of Rory Gallagher, do you use any special space and temperature for the storage of the tangible material?
In 2017 we moved all of Rory’s tape archive to a new location in London which Universal Music maintains. It is an impenetrable fortress with all sorts of fire safety, temperature control, air conditioned specs you could hope for, to keep them in the best possible condition. They also have studio technicians who expertly digitise any tapes I need to work with.
6. Do you feel that Rory’s legacy has influenced the modern world?
I think to a number of modern artists Rory is a unique influence in that he showed that you don’t have to manipulate or manufacture yourself as an artist to succeed. Rory just loved being a musician, writing songs, making albums and touring the world, he achieved that without having to bend to record company or music industry pressure to change his look or style or persona.
7. Would you ever accept the use of a Rory’s Hologram for live performances?
I wouldn’t be against seeing a test of it to see how it worked but Rory was a legendary live performer and I don’t think it would be easy to recreate the passion he had on stage in a hologram.
8. Do you have any other plans for more new releases in the near future?
Next year is the 50th anniversary of Rory’s first solo album so I’m looking at what can be done to commemorate that. I have also collected all of his BBC tv and radio performances and I’d like to do a special release of those.
9. Are you in touch with any other band members of the Gallagher’s band?
Yes, I last saw Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O’Neil in December 2019 when they played in New York with Davey Knowles as Band Of Friends, it was a great concert. I email with them every so often as well.
10. Do you hold the rights for the full back catalogue of Rory Gallagher and are there any plans for re-issues of his albums?
I work with Universal on all of Rory’s catalogue and his albums were remastered and re-issued in 2017. This October they will all be available in high definition digital audio for the first time as well.
The Best of Rory Gallagher is released by UMC on October 9th and is available to pre-order from – https://rorygallagher.lnk.to/TheBestOfPR
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