There’s a Light: Rory Gallagher’s “Deuce” Goes Super Deluxe

September 20, 2022 By Joe Marchese — 1 Comment
Rory Gallagher Deuce
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Over the past couple of years, UMC has been busy revisiting the catalogue of late Irish guitar virtuoso Rory Gallagher.  Following last fall’s box set celebrating Gallagher’s eponymous 1971 debut, the label is turning its attention to his second album, 1972’s Deuce, for another deluxe, expanded edition.  The similarly expansive 4CD release, due on September 30, boasts:

  • A new mix of the original album;
  • 28 previously unreleased alternate takes;
  • A six-song 1972 BBC Radio In Concert performance; and
  • Seven Radio Bremen radio session tracks.

The package also contains a 64-page hardcover book with a foreword by The Smiths’ Johnny Marr as well as additional essays, Gallagher memorabilia, and previously unpublished photos by the album’s original photographer, the late Mick Rock.  If that’s too much Rory for your tastes, UMC is also offering 2CD and 3LP highlights versions as well as an exclusive 1LP green vinyl edition of the BBC In Concert session.

Deuce was cut at East London’s Tangerine Studios, chosen by Gallagher for its association with the innovate, late producer Joe Meek.  Producer-guitarist Gallagher was accompanied in a power trio format by Gerry McAvoy on bass and Wilgar Campbell on drums and percussion.  The same line-up had played on his debut album.  Gallagher brought along ten original compositions and gave the arrangements plenty of breathing room as he sought to recreate the raw feel of a live performance in the studio.  He reportedly held the sessions right before or after his live shows while the band was still in that energetic mode.

While the original release in November 1971 on Polydor in the U.K. and Atco in the U.S. was met with a kind if tepid response, the album became influential to artists including Marr, who called playing along with the Deuce album “a complete turning point for me as a guitar player.”  Gallagher took the relative the commercial disappointment in stride, observing, “Deuce made the top twenty for one week.  I guess I was a little disappointed but not depressed; after all, 17,000 copies is not bad.” Gallagher’s influence has hardly waned.  Jimi Hendrix was an early fan, and other admirers who have been influenced by his sharp, incendiary style have included Jimmy Page, The Edge, Slash, Brian May, and Joe Bonamassa.

The box set features alternate takes of every song on Deuce as well as three home demos.  The BBC and Radio Bremen sessions show Gallagher and his band further transforming the album’s songs as well as material from Rory Gallagher and songs which would appear on his third album, 1972’s Live in Europe, including “Messin’ with the Kid,” “I Could’ve Had Religion,” and “Pistol Slapper Blues.”

The various editions of Deuce arrive on September 30 from UMC.  You’ll find the track listings and pre-order links below.

Rory Gallagher, Deuce: Deluxe Edition (Polydor 2383 076, 1971 – reissued Polydor/UMC, 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: The Original Album (2022 Mix)

  1. Used to Be
  2. I’m Not Awake Yet
  3. Don’t Know Where I’m Going
  4. Maybe I Will
  5. Whole Lot of People
  6. In Your Town
  7. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson
  8. There’s a Light
  9. Out of My Mind
  10. Crest of a Wave

CD 2

  1. Used to Be – Alternate Take 1
  2. Used to Be – Alternate Take 2
  3. I’m Not Awake Yet – Alternate Take 1
  4. Don’t Know Where I’m Going – Alternate Take 1
  5. Maybe I Will – Alternate Take 1
  6. Maybe I Will – Alternate Take 2
  7. Maybe I Will – Alternate Take 3
  8. Maybe I Will – Alternate Take 4
  9. Maybe I Will – Alternate Take 5
  10. Whole Lot of People – Electric Alternate Take 1
  11. Whole Lot of People – 6 String Acoustic Alternate Take 1
  12. Whole Lot Of People – Deuce Album Session / Alternative Acoustic Take / 1971 *
  13. Whole Lot of People – 12 String Acoustic Alternate Take 1
  14. In Your Town – Alternate Take 1
  15. In Your Town – Alternate Take 2
  16. In Your Town – Alternate Take 3

CD 3

  1. In Your Town – Alternate Take 4
  2. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Deuce Album Session / Alternative Acoustic Take / 1971*
  3. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Deuce Album Session Outtake / 1971*
  4. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Alternate Take 2
  5. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Alternate Take 3
  6. There’s A Light – Alternate Take 1
  7. There’s A Light – Alternate Take 2
  8. There’s A Light – Alternate Take 3
  9. Out of My Mind – Alternate Take 1
  10. Out of My Mind – Alternate Take 2
  11. Out of My Mind – Alternate Take 3
  12. Crest of a Wave – Alternate Take 1
  13. Crest of a Wave – Alternate Take 2
  14. Don’t Know Where I’m Going – Home Demo
  15. Maybe I Will – Home Demo
  16. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Home Demo

CD 4

  1. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  2. Crest of a Wave – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  3. I Could’ve Had Religion – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  4. For The Last Time – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  5. Messin’ With The Kid – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  6. Don’t Know Where I’m Going – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  7. Pistol Slapper Blues – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  8. Used To Be – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  9. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  10. Out Of My Mind – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  11. I Could’ve Had Religion – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  12. Crest Of A Wave – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  13. Messin’ With The Kid – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972

2CD Highlights (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: The Original Album (2022 Mix)

  1. Used to Be – 50th Anniversary Edition
  2. I’m Not Awake Yet – 50th Anniversary Edition
  3. Don’t Know Where I’m Going – 50th Anniversary Edition
  4. Maybe I Will – 50th Anniversary Edition
  5. Whole Lot of People – 50th Anniversary Edition
  6. In Your Town – 50th Anniversary Edition
  7. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – 50th Anniversary Edition
  8. There’s a Light – 50th Anniversary Edition
  9. Out of My Mind – 50th Anniversary Edition
  10. Crest of a Wave – 50th Anniversary Edition

CD 2: Bonus Tracks

  1. Used to Be – Alternate Take 1
  2. I’m Not Awake Yet – Alternate Take 1
  3. Maybe I Will – Alternate Take 1
  4. Whole Lot of People – 12 String Acoustic Alternate Take 1
  5. In Your Town – Alternate Take 3
  6. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Alternate Take 3
  7. There’s A Light – Alternate Take 1
  8. Out of My Mind – Alternate Take 3
  9. Crest of a Wave – Alternate Take 2
  10. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  11. Crest of a Wave – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  12. I Could’ve Had Religion – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  13. For The Last Time – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  14. Messin’ With The Kid – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  15. Don’t Know Where I’m Going – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  16. Pistol Slapper Blues – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971

3LP Highlights (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Side A: The Original Album (2022 Mix)

  1. Used to Be – 50th Anniversary Edition
  2. I’m Not Awake Yet – 50th Anniversary Edition
  3. Don’t Know Where I’m Going – 50th Anniversary Edition
  4. Maybe I Will – 50th Anniversary Edition
  5. Whole Lot of People – 50th Anniversary Edition

Side B: The Original Album (2022 Mix)

  1. In Your Town – 50th Anniversary Edition
  2. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – 50th Anniversary Edition
  3. There’s a Light – 50th Anniversary Edition
  4. Out of My Mind – 50th Anniversary Edition
  5. Crest of a Wave – 50th Anniversary Edition

Side C

  1. Used to Be – Alternate Take 1
  2. I’m Not Awake Yet – Alternate Take 1
  3. Maybe I Will – Alternate Take 1
  4. Whole Lot of People – 12 string acoustic Alternate Take 1

Side D

  1. In Your Town – Alternate Take 3
  2. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Alternate Take 3
  3. There’s A Light – Alternate Take 1
  4. Out of My Mind – Alternate Take 3

Side E

  1. Crest of a Wave – Alternate Take 2
  2. Crest of a Wave – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  3. Don’t Know Where I’m Going – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  4. I Could’ve Had Religion – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971

Side F

  1. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  2. For The Last Time – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  3. Messin’ With The Kid – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971
  4. Pistol Slapper Blues – Radio Bremen 21/12/1971

BBC In Concert LP (uDiscoverMusic)

Side A

  1. Used To Be – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  2. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  3. Out Of My Mind – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972

Side B

  1. I Could’ve Had Religion – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  2. Crest Of A Wave – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
  3. Messin’ With The Kid – BBC In Concert – Live at The Paris Theatre, 13 January 1972
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Joe Marchese
Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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