Animal Wednesday

 

Our journey today through animal-inspired songs begins in 1969, when Fleetwood Mac’s guitarist at the time was something of an anomaly for a band that played blues rock. No blues and no vocals, but instead cymbal crashes that, like gentle waves, laid the foundation for several minutes of enchantingly beautiful guitar and slide solos.

In 1977, the American rock band Heart released Barracuda, one of their biggest commercial hits. The song begins with a riff that was iconic for its time, and which might well feature in Jez’s series Rifftastic, mate.

To this day, I still cannot fathom how a song about a skunk that had been run over could become such a hit in the United States. The fact is, however, that in 1972 Loudon Wainwright III released a folk-inspired song which he probably didn’t take seriously himself.

Monday's Long Song

 

There was a time when guitarists used to encourage the audience to play air guitar. It has always been a bit of an embarrassment to watch old men doing this, re-enacting solos on their imaginary guitars. One of the men who inspired them was Rory Gallagher, an Irish guitarist who, in the early seventies, became one of the best, most famous and, by now, somewhat forgotten icons of his time.

He also made a name for himself through his live performances, in which he captivated his audience with his explosive playing and his passion for blues rock. In 1971, he released his second and finest studio album, Deuce, which encapsulates everything that set him apart. There are few guitarists whom you can recognise from the very first notes. His distinctive guitar riffs and slide guitar playing have certainly influenced more than just Johnny Marr. It’s time to remember him once again.

Rory Gallagher - In Your Town