Released in
November 1971, just six months after his solo debut, Rory Gallagher's second
album was the summation of all that he'd promised in the wake of Taste's
collapse, and the blueprint for most of what he'd accomplish over the next two
years of recording. Largely overlooked by posterity's haste to canonize his
next album, Live! In Europe, Deuce finds Gallagher torn between the earthy
R&B of "Used to Be," a gritty blues fed through by some viciously
unrestrained guitar playing, and the jokey, country-billy badinage of
"Don't Know Where I'm Going," a too-short snippet that marries Bob
Dylan to Ronnie Lane and reminds listeners just how broad Gallagher's sense of
humor was. Reflecting the laid-back feel of Rory Gallagher, "I'm Not Awake
Yet" is a largely acoustic piece driven as much by Gerry McAvoy's
gutbucket bass as by Gallagher's intricate playing; "There's a Light",
too, plays to Gallagher's sensitive side, while stating his mastery of the
guitar across a protracted solo that isn't simply spellbinding in its
restraint, it also has the effect of adding another voice to the proceedings.
But such notions of plaintive melodicism are utterly exorcised by the moments
of highest drama, a sequence that peaks with the closing, broiling "Crest
of a Wave." With bass set on stun, the drums a turbulent wall of sound,
and Gallagher's guitar a sonic switchblade, it's a masterpiece of aggressive
dynamics, the sound of a band so close to its peak that you can almost touch
the electricity. Of course, that peak would come during 1972-1973 with the
albums upon which Gallagher's reputation is today most comfortably set. Deuce,
however, doesn't simply set the stage for the future, it strikes the light that
ignites the entire firestorm.
Dave Thompson. AllMusic.com
