Track Listing

1. Kick Back City
2. Loan Shark Blues
3. Continental Op (To Dashiell Hammet)
4. I Ain't No Saint
5. Failsafe Day
6. Road To Hell
7. Doin' Time
8. Smear Campaign
9. Don't Start Me Talkin'
10. Seven Days
11. Seems To Me
12. No Peace For The Wicked

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21719 in Music
• Released on: 1999-01-30
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Sags in the middle!
This was Rory's penultimate album, released in 1987, five years after his previous one. When compared to his output of at least one, and sometimes two albums a year in the seventies, it appears that the great guitarist was struggling creatively. However, it was more likely declining sales and corresponding problems with record companies that were the reason for the slumpin Rory's recorded output. He continued to tour relentlessly and live up to his deserved reputation as the 'hardest working musician in the business.' And unlike so many more celebrated performers Rory was a real musician if ever there was one.
I remember a friend playing me this when it was originally released on vinyl and to my shame I'd virtually forgotten about Rory. I was a fan as a kid briefly in the early seventies, but then like so many artists of his generation, Rory was supplanted in my music collection by more contemporary performers.
Well the tenth anniversary of his death last year and the release of the superb Live at Montreux DVD re-awakened my interest in Rory and I decided to see out more of his many albums to add to my paltry collection of `Blueprint' and `Tattoo', which I still think are his best albums.
`Defender' is good, even great in parts, but suffers from the `sagging in the middle syndrome' if ever an album does.
It begins with four strong tracks in a row, but then takes a distinct turn for the worse with the totally forgettable tracks `Failsafe Day' and `Road to Hell'. On these Rory leaves his beloved blues behind and sounds like a generic clumsy heavy metal performer. Things pick up ever so slightly with the next two numbers, `Doing Time and `Smear Campaign,' but without the last four tracks these wouldn't be enough to redeem the album. However next up is a brilliant version of Sonny Boy Williamson's `Don't Start Me To Talkin' one of Rory's best ever covers. The last track on the original album, `Seven Days', is also a winner. But it is the two bonus tracks which I think were included as a 7 inch (not sure why as Rory didn't release singles) with the original lp, that really up the quality. Both are excellent, particularly `Seems To Me', with its insistent driving rhythm.
Despite the considerable blip in the middle where it slumps into generic heavy metal, unworthy of Rory's talents, `Defender' emerges as perhaps his strongest album since `Calling Card' in 1976.
In all honesty I don't think Rory ever made a totally outstanding album, despite making a handful of very good ones, because as I recently read someone saying on the internet `it was Rory Gallagher's fate to be a very great musician but merely a good songwriter.'

Brilliant
Rory was one of the greatest blues rock guitarists of all time. His virtuosity was simply stunning, as are most of his albums. This album is no exception, it's excellent; has everything from acoustic slide on Seven days, a nod in the direction of texas blues on Seems To Me, brilliant harp on Sonny Boy Williamson's Don't Start Me to Talking and lots of more blues rock based tracks.
If you're reading this review, buy this album; in fact buy them all (except Jinx).

Irish blues rock from one of the greats....
Rory Gallagher's music introduced me to the blues, and although he was on the rock side of the idiom, he never lost sight of his roots. This offering, the first on his own label, displayed various facets of Rory's music, that will be familiar to fans the world over. His playing was always top notch, whilst the voice does occasionally struggle (perhaps evidence of the lifestyle?), but overall it is a strong outing. Favourite tracks are Loanshark Blues, a strong nod in the direction of John Lee Hooker; Continental Op, dedicated to Dashiel Hammett, a blues rock track about a private detective; and Dont Start Me to Talking, a classic blues number skillfully abetted with some excellent harp playing. Rory is sadly missed, and this showed him close to his best.