Against The Grain

Sealed brand new remastered 180 gram 2012 release made in the EU.

Against the Grain is a 1975 studio album by Irish musician Rory Gallagher. It was his first album with his new record company Chrysalis. The album is mostly new songs written by Gallagher as well as some classic blues and R&B numbers. In contrast to previous studio albums by Gallagher it received very favorable reviews.

The album name and cover were a play on words. The cover shows the wood "grain" of Gallagher's famous Stratocaster guitar which was well worn from his rigorous tour schedule. At the same time the phrase reflects Gallagher's relation with the music industry, that he always went "against the grain" and played the traditional blues and folk music he loved rather than focusing on singles and more commercially accessible music. As Gallagher himself described his feelings on this a few years later:

"I see music as a lifetime affair, I'm not in it for the big kill and then get out...We've toured the states twenty times now... although we don't have the big album to show off for it. But I'm not competing on that sort of level anyway. It's a conscious decision. I know we're not going to cut it on the smoke bomb/dry ice kick or pull the ridiculous publicity stunts. We're divorced from that circuit. We have a niche and we're staying there. I don't know if we've ever even released a single in the states... I'll never get the regular pop playlists because I don't churn out music that's instant and disposable, like a hamburger, I just don't run that race."^[3]