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Deuce was released in 1971 and is the second album by Rory Gallagher. In contrast with his previous album Rory Gallagher which he believed to have an organised sound, Deuce was an effort by Gallagher to capture the energy of a live performance.
Deuce was recorded at Tangerine Studios in Dalston with Gerry McAvoy on bass guitar and Wilgar Campbell on drums and percussion. In order to capture the feeling of a live performance that Gallagher wanted, he would often record immediately before or after live performances while keeping production at a minimum.
Gallagher's first bands were showbands which played the popular hits of the day. In 1965 he turned The Impact into an R'n'B group which played gigs in Ireland and Spain. He formed Taste in 1966, but the line-up which became legendary was formed in 1967, featuring his guitar and vocals, the jazz-tinged drumming of John Wilson and intricate bass playing of Richard McCracken. Recordings of the earlier version of Taste are still available and it's interesting to compare Gallagher's rudimentary guitar playing to the virtuosity that became evident fairly soon after in the later Taste.
This was the group who released two studio albums, Taste and On the Boards, and made two live recordings, Live at Montreux and Live at the Isle of Wight. The latter appeared a long time after the band broke up at that same Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. A legend of blues music, Gallagher played with many of the genre's biggest stars, including collaboration with Muddy Waters and Jerry Lee Lewis on their respective London Sessions in the mid 70s and Gallagher received invitations to jam with The Rolling Stones following the loss of their lead guitarist Mick Taylor, and Canned Heat after the departure of The Eagle.
After the demise of Taste, Gallagher toured under his own name, hiring bass player Gerry McAvoy to play on his first eponymous 'solo' album (a relationship that would last twenty years on the road) and Wilgar Campbell on drums.
The 1970s were Gallagher's most prolific period. He produced ten albums in that decade, including two live albums, Live in Europe and Irish Tour '74 which for many captured best his bands' raw and naturally dynamic qualities.[citation needed] The classic line-up is largely considered to be with Rod De'Ath' on drums and Lou Martin on keyboards between 1973 and 1978. Other release highlights include Against the Grain and the jazz tinged Calling Card album, assisted in production by Roger Glover (bassist with Deep Purple) and the hard blues-rocking Photo Finish and Top Priority albums with Ted McKenna on drums.