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L'idea che si ha del Rory Gallagher chitarrista/cantautore/polistrumentista è quella di un allenatore che, pur cambiando talvolta moduli o schemi di gioco, rimane sempre fedele alla propria idea di calcio e cerca di applicarla a ogni tipo di contesto, anche a costo di risultare un poco anacronistico rispetto ai tempi che corrono.
Ebbene, dopo Calling Card del 1976, il buon Rory torna alla formula del "power trio" con il fido Gerry McAvoy al basso e il rutilante Ted McKenna alla batteria e con tale rinnovata band incide in studio due ottimi album di matrice Hard Rock come Photo Finish nel 1978 e un anno dopo l'altrettanto buonissimo Top Priority e, soprattutto, un album Live, il terzo e ultimo della serie, considerato anch'esso fondamentale per la storia del Rock/Blues mondiale (al punto da esser considerato dalla rivista "Rock Hard" uno tra i 500 album Rock e Metal di tutti i tempi), quale Stage Struck, registrato tra il novembre 1979 e il febbraio 1980 ed ufficialmente pubblicato il 2 novembre dello stesso anno.
Rispetto alle precedenti produzioni Live, su tutte il favoloso "Irish Tour '74" (presente anche in CD doppio rimasterizzato nel 2018), abbiamo qui da un alto una minor sperimentazione sonora, ma dall'altro una chitarra Hard Rock imbevuta di Blues da parte del genio di Ballyshannon che assurge decisamente a ruolo di protagonista assoluto.
Il platter (poi "rimpolpato" nella riedizione del 2018 da ben 3 "Bonus Track", per modo di dire, come vedremo in seguito) inizia con la bruciante "Shin Kicker" nella quale le sei corde di Rory sono già "on fire", come si dice, seguita immediatamente a ruota da "Wayward Child" veloce ma intensa nel suo andamento.
Un momento di relativa calma la si ha con il Rock/Blues di "Brute Force And Ignorance", ma prontamente interrotta da un'altra potente scarica Hard Rock rappresentata da quella "Moonchild" tratta dall'album "Calling Card" che regala in questa versione Live assoli al fulmicotone.
Questa avvincente cavalcata Hard Rock prosegue con la scatenata "Follow Me" scandita dal potente riff iniziale e che sfocia in un altro paio di assoli mozzafiato da parte della Stratocaster Sunburst di Rory. Pezzo altrettanto riuscito è "Bought And Sold" tratto dall'album "Against The Grain" del 1975 con un altro irresistibile incedere Rock/Blues.
"The Last Of The Independence" rispetto alla versione in studio contenuta in "Photo Finish" è, invece, un concentrato di velocità e potenza con un altro paio di assoli di altissimo livello, mentre il finale è tutto per il sontuoso e trascinante Hard Rock di "Shadow Play" che chiude alla grande un altro album Live a dir poco imprescindibile e che ogni fan del chitarrista irlandese dovrebbe possedere assolutamente nella propria collezione.
Ultima nota è riservata alle 3 "Bonus Track" menzionate prima: la prima è l'Hard Rock classico ma ben fatto di "Hellcat", la seconda è una bellissima versione di "Bad Penny" e la terza è, infine, "Keychain" che condensa in circa 5 minuti e mezzo un Hard Blues allo stato puro con qualche cenno addirittura di Heavy Metal specialmente nel secondo assolo del pezzo stesso.
Elenco tracce testi e samples
01 Messin' With the Kid (06:24)
What's this I hear going all around town?
The people are sayin' you gonna put the kid down
Lordy, what your doing?
You call it what you want,
I call it messin' with the kid.
You told me you loved me
You told me a lie,
I love you woman till the day I die
Lordy, what you doin
You can call it what you want
I call it messin' with the kid
You took the kids' car and drove all around town
Tellin' everybody you're gonna put me down,
Lordy, what you doing
Call it what you want
I call it meson' with the kid
Messin' with the kid
Messin' with the kid
Messin' with the kid
Messin' with the kid
Lordy what you doing
You call it what you want,
I call it messin' with the kid
You told me you love me
You told me a lie
I love you woman till the day I die
Took my car and drove all around town,
Tellin' everybody you gonna put me down
Lordy what you doing,
I call it messin' with the kid
Messin' with the kid
Messin' with the kid
Messin with the kid
Messin' with the kid
Messin' with the kid
02 Laundromat (05:09)
What do you think of that?
I'm sleeping down at the laundromat
If you should pass by be sure to drop my bag
Come 'round and meet my friends
They'll be there with me right through to the end
Right through to the end
Right through to the end
What do you think of that?
I'm sleeping down at the laundromat
If you should pass you should drop my bag
But I don't have no clothes to clean,
to put inside the machine
It was the craziest place I've ever been
Oh, come around and meet my friends
They'll be there with me right through to the end
Say I told you so
Maybe bad times come and go
You don't know that right now but then you'll never know
What do you think of that
I'm on the street like an old stray cat
If you should look for me you'd know exactly where to go
Oh, come around and meet my friends
They'll be there with me, with me to the end
What do you think of that
I'm sleeping down at the laundromat
If you should pass by drop right in
But I have no clothes to clean
To put inside the machine
It was the craziest place I've ever been
Oh, come around and meet my friends
They'll be there with me right through to the end
03 I Could've Had Religion (08:37)
I could've had religion, I could religion
But my little girl wouldn't let me pray
I swear to the world she drove my spirit away
She drove my spirit away, she drove my spirit away
I could've had religion, I could've had religion
But my little girl wouldn''t let me pray
I tell the truth, she drove my spirit away
She drove my spirit away
I could've been, I could've been a preacher,
But I changed my mind the other nigh
The woman I have now, she would not treat me right
She would not treat me right
I've been a bad man, as bad can be
Gonna pray to the Lord above to send his blessing on me
I want some mercy, you got set my soul free
Set my soul free, Please..
I could've had, I could've had religion
But my little girl wouldn't let me pray.
Well, demon woman, you sent the devil my way,
You sent the devil my way.
Oh Lord above please send my fire,
Send your mercy right down to me.
That woman set the devil on me,
She set the devil on me,
She set the devil one me,
She set the devil on me.
Could've had religion
06 Bullfrog Blues (06:44)
Well, did you ever,
Well, did you ever,
Well, did you ever,
Well, did you ever wake up,
With them bullfrogs on your mind?
Well, did you ever wake up,
With them bullfrogs on your mind?
You had to sit there laughin',
Laughin' just to keep from crying.
Well, did you ever wake up,
With that one woman on your mind,
Well, did you ever wake up,
With that one woman on your mind,
Sit there laughin',
Laughin' just to keep from crying.
My mother got em,
My father got em,
My sister got em,
My brother got em.
I woke up this morning,
My grandmother had them too,
Well, don't you know about that,
I got the bullfrog blues.
Bullfrog
My mother got em,
My father got em,
My sister got em,
My brother got em.
I woke up this morning,
My grandmother had them too,
Well, don't you know about that,
I got the bullfrog blues.
Called up my doctor,
Was not feeling so well,
Well, I called up the doctor,
Was not feeling so well.
He looked inside his bag and said,
"Well, well"....
You don't need no doctor,
You don't need no pill,
You don't need no doctor,
You don't need no pill.
Just take my advice,
It'll surely cure your ills.
Head on down to New Orleans,
Prettiest place you ever seen,
Get on down to the river bend,
That's where the music never ends.
Open your ears,
Don't you feel good?
Get yourself one helluva shot of rhythm 'n' blues.
Go on down to new Orleans,
The greatest place you ever been,
Head on down to the river bend,
Dig the music of the Cajun bands,
Honky-tonk piano,
Make you feel good,
Open your ears,
To rhythm 'n' blues.
Well, did you ever wake up,
With them bullfrogs on your mind?
Well, did you ever wake up,
With them bullfrogs on your mind?
You had to sit there laughin',
Laughin' just to keep from crying.
Well, did you ever wake up,
With that one woman on your mind,
Well, did you ever wake up,
With that one woman on your mind,
You had to sit there laughing,
Laughing just to keep from crying.
08 Wayward Child (04:28)
Well you always were a problem
Always running wild
Trouble is your middle name
You know you're the wayward child
You always get your feet wet
You always play with knives
Watch that you don't cut yourself
You know you're the wayward child
They call you the wayward child
Well you've always gone your own way
Sometimes you play with fire
Well can you run forever
Before you run right out of time
Will you run right out of time
Nothing's gonna change you
It ain't no use
Well who is gonna tame you
Tie you in a noose
Well no one's gonna change ya
Ain't no use
And no one's gonna tame you
Tie you in a noose
Well you always were a problem
Never meek and mild
Life is just a street fight
Well you know you're the wayward child
You always get your feet wet
You always play with knives
Watch that you don't cut yourself
You know you're the wayward child x3
09 Brute Force and Ignorance (04:13)
Brute Force and Ignorance,
Just hit town,
Looking like survivors,
From the Lost and Found.
Brute Force and Ignorance,
Have come to play,
A one-night stand at eight o`clock,
Then they`ll be on their way.
This old town`s exploding,
And the mayor`s uptight,
He`d like to make it to the show,
But he knows it`s not his night.
He`s got to be beholding,
To his legal spouse,
But she`s put the thumbscrews on him,
And snuck out of the house.
There she goes.
The picture on the poster,
Raised an eyebrow or two,
At fifty-five to seven,
Lord, you should`ve seen the queue.
City slick and country hick,
They came one and all,
The traffic-light girl and the downhome kids,
Assembled in the hall.
Brute Force and Ignorance,
Yes, that`s the name,
The young folks gonna miss them,
Now they`ve gone away.
Well, the show got so crazy,
Today they took the billboard down,
I`ll never forget the scene last night,
When the band was escorted out of town.
This little town`s back in slow motion,
I`m sad to say,
After the confusion,
It`ll never be the same.
Well, I took a walk down Main Street,
Just to pass the time,
And I could hear that music,
Still rolling through my mind.
Brute Force and Ignorance,
They sure hit town,
And if you want to find them, buddy,
They`re down at the Lost and Found.
10 Moonchild (06:05)
You are a moonchild and pretty soon child
I've got that feeling
That I'm gonna make you smile forever
If I can.
Just give me a sign and I'll show you my plan
You are a blue child, forever true child
You know I'll try to paint the skies blue forever
If I can.
Just give me a sign and I'll show you my plan.
Tell me why you look so sad,
Time slips by like grains of sand
Just put your future in my hands
You are a moonchild and pretty soon child
I've got the feelin I'm gonna make you smile forever.
If I can.
Just give me a sign and I'll show you my plan,
Just give me a smile and I'll show you my plan,
Just give me a sign and I'll show you my plan
11 Follow Me (06:00)
I want to plant to the star in the sky,
One you can find at the end of the night.
I want to climb a ladder to space,
Leave without trace, `cos now is the time.
Things are gonna be so clear,
When I`m light years from here,
In some other space.
Let me take the tear from your eye,
Leave it behind, stay by my side.
Won`t you follow me where I`m bound,
Time`s for borrowing now.
Won`t you follow me, time is tight,
Before things swallow me down.
I`ve been locked in this cage,
Gonna break away, before it`s too late.
I`m gonna re-write the page,
Take the stage, and live tomorrow today.
You`ll find the dreams you mislaid,
They won`t run away, all the dues have been paid.
Yes, it`s time to depart, go with your heart,
Follow the flame.
Won`t you follow me where I`m bound,
Time`s for borrowing now.
Won`t you follow me, time is tight,
Before things swallow me down.
Won`t you follow me where I`m bound,
Time`s for borrowing now.
Won`t you follow me, time is tight,
Before things swallow me down.
Won`t you follow me where I`m bound,
Time`s for borrowing now.
12 Bought and Sold (04:38)
All right...
I'm feeling bought and sold,
You're just a three card trickster.
That's something I should've known,
All the good's sure gone bitter.
Hear me now, hear me right.
You think you've got it made,
You think you've got my number.
You'd better check again,
I don't intend to stay here.
Hear me now, hear me right.
It's time-wasting,
Checking up on you.
You're high-flying,
You'll be crash-landing soon.
That's true.
All right.
You want your world my friend,
I think those days are numbered.
I've had it up to here,
Everything's come asunder.
Hear me now, hear me right.
I'm feeling bought and sold,
You're just a three card trickster.
That's something I should've known,
All the good's sure gone bitter.
Hear me now, hear me right.
13 Shadow Play (05:11)
Seven days of thunder eight days of rain
The feeling that I'm under
Is like a ball'n chain, like a ball'n chain
Just round the corner I know a store
Gonna trade in my razor and bay a 44
And I'll come knocking knocking door to door
The feeling in my head is like all out war
All out war third world war
And if they catch me and put me in the chair
You can sit beside me there's plenty room to spare
You are the reason I am in tis fix will you cry for me
When they throw that switch throw that switch
This time they'll lock me up for sure
Throw away the key when they slam the door
City to city town to town
Seven days running
Will they track me down
Will they track me down
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