Rory Gallagher: Leaving a Taste that’s bittersweet

Despite a stunning performance at the Isle of Wight that’s about to be released on DVD, Rory Gallagher had a mixed time in his seminal early band, writes Ed Power

THE relative obscurity of Rory Gallagher’s first band, Taste, has long been a cause of frustration among hardcore fans of the Irish blues icon. Though Gallagher’s preeminence as one of the most important guitarists of the past 30 years is today widely acknowledged, Taste seemed for many years destined to languish as glorified footnote.

Even among Gallagher devotees, the power trio’s legacy was often misunderstood and under appreciated.