Notes from San Francisco

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox album | name = Notes from San Francisco | type = studio | longtype = / Live album | artist = Rory Gallagher | cover = Cover Art for Notes from San Francisco Album.jpeg | alt = | released = {{start date|2011|05|17|df=y}} | recorded = December 1977 (studio album) December 1979 (live album) | venue = Old Waldorf, San Francisco, California | studio = His Master's Wheels, San Francisco, California | genre = Blues rock | length = {{duration||120|24}} | label = Capo/Legacy/Eagle Rock | producer = Elliot Mazer, Daniel Gallagher | prev_title = Wheels Within Wheels | prev_year = 2003 | next_title = | next_year = }}

'''''Notes from San Francisco''''' is a posthumous album by Irish musician Rory Gallagher. Released in 2011, it consists of two CDs. The first disc is a never-released studio album that Gallagher recorded in San Francisco in December 1977; rather than producing this album himself, Gallagher worked with producer Elliot Mazer. However, Gallagher decided to scrap the album, after which he re-recorded and produced some of the songs and released them as the 1978 album ''Photo-Finish''. Shortly before his death, Gallagher reportedly gave his brother Dónal permission to eventually release the original San Francisco versions of the songs if they were remixed. Dónal had his son Daniel remix the songs in 2011. The second disc is a live performance also recorded in San Francisco in December 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/notes-from-san-francisco-mw0002132783 |title=Notes from San Francisco – Rory Gallagher: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |last=Horowitz |first=Hal |accessdate=2012-08-18}}</ref>

==Background== The first CD included in ''Notes from San Francisco'' is an unreleased studio album by Gallagher. Rather than producing it himself, he hired Elliot Mazer, a successful producer who had a long track record with artists such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and the Band. At the last minute—causing great distress to his manager and brother Dónal and to his record company—Gallagher decided to pull the record. In an interview, Gallagher stated, "it wasn't because of the material or the musicians or anything like that. It was a song thing that I didn't think on the technical side everything worked. So I scrapped the thing". After scrapping the album, Gallagher fired all of his musicians except for his bass player, and hired a new drummer. This new Gallagher power trio re-recorded some the San Francisco songs, and some others, with Gallagher producing and released them as ''Photo-Finish''.<ref name=RoryGallagherPhotoFinishInterview>{{cite web|last=Gallagher|first=Rory|title=Photo Finish Tour Interview|url=http://www.rorygallagher.com/#/archives/interviews/photo-finish_tour_interview}}</ref> Shortly before his death in 1995, Gallagher reportedly gave Dónal permission to one day release the original San Francisco versions of the songs, so long as they were remixed. Dónal had his son Daniel remix the songs in 2011.

The second CD included in ''Notes from San Francisco'' is a live performance by Gallagher taken from four nights recorded at the Old Waldorf in San Francisco in December 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/notes-from-san-francisco-mw0002132783 |title=Notes from San Francisco – Rory Gallagher: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards |publisher=AllMusic |last=Horowitz |first=Hal |accessdate=2012-08-18}}</ref>

==Track listing== All songs composed by Rory Gallagher.

'''Disc one (studio album, 1977)''' # "Rue the Day" – 4:26 # "Persuasion" – 4:45 # "B Girl" – 4:42 # "Mississippi Sheiks" (*) – 5:56 # "Wheels within Wheels" – 3:40 # "Overnight Bag" (*) – 4:46 # "Cruise on Out" (*) – 5:19 # "Brute Force & Ignorance" (*) – 5:45 # "Fuel to the Fire" (*) – 5:43 # "Wheels within Wheels (Alt. Version)" – 3:55 # "Cut a Dash" – 3:49 # "Out on the Tiles" – 4:22

(*) These songs were re-recorded and released in the 1978 album ''Photo-Finish''.

'''Disc two (live performance, 1979)''' # "Follow Me" (from ''Top Priority'') – 6:25 # "Shinkicker" (from ''Photo-Finish'') – 3:42 # "Off the Handle" (from ''Top Priority'') – 7:01 # "Bought and Sold" (from ''Against the Grain'') – 4:43 # "I'm Leavin'" – 4:35 # "Tattoo'd Lady" (from ''Tattoo'') – 6:49 # "Do You Read Me" (from ''Calling Card'') – 6:11 # "Country Mile" (from ''Calling Card'') – 3:51 # "Calling Card" (from ''Calling Card'') – 5:51 # "Shadow Play" (from ''Photo-Finish'') – 5:11 # "Bullfrog Blues" (from ''Live in Europe'') – 5:38 # "Sea Cruise" – 3:29

==Personnel== '''Disc one (studio album, 1977)''' *Rory Gallagher – guitar, vocals, harmonica *Gerry McAvoy – bass guitar *Rod de'Ath – drums, perussion *Lou Martin – keyboards *Martin Fiero – saxes on tracks 1 and 8 *Joe O'Donnell – electric violin on track 4

'''Disc two (live performance, 1979)''' *Rory Gallagher – guitar, vocals, and harmonica *Gerry McAvoy – bass guitar *Ted McKenna – drums

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.rorygallagher.com/#/discography/photo-finish Information at rorygallagher.com] *[http://www.rorygallagher.com/#/archives/interviews/photo-finish_tour_interview Photo-Finish Tour Interview with Mark Stevens at rorygallagher.com] * [https://www.allaboutjazz.com/rory-gallagher-notes-from-san-francisco-by-doug-collette.php?width=768 Review by Doug Collette at All About Jazz]

Category:Rory Gallagher albums Category:2011 albums Category:Albums published posthumously Category:Albums produced by Elliot Mazer Category:Music of the San Francisco Bay Area