Search - Gallagher, Lyle :: Gallagher & Lyle Best Of

Simple melodic pop with folk influences

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 03/07/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle were more interested in songwriting than performing and it was as songwriters that they first made an impact. The first song of theirs that anybody recorded was Mr Heartbreak's here again. Dean Ford and the Gaylords (later to become the Marmalade) released it as a single but it flopped. Gallagher and Lyle continued to develop and Mary Hopkin recorded Sparrow



At about that time, Manfred Mann disbanded (later to re-emerge with a different line-up as Manfred Mann's Earth Band) and two of its members, Tom Mc Guinness and Hughie Flint, formed their own group, Mc Guinness Flint. Gallagher and Lyle were offered places in this new group, which they accept. They wrote and performed on two UK top five hits for the group (When I'm dead and gone, Malt and barley blues) but the pressures generated by the success became too great so the group disbanded.



Gallagher and Lyle decided to continue as a duo, working at their own pace. They recorded some fine albums before, in 1976, they released their strongest album, Breakaway. Two UK hits (I wanna stay with you, Heart on my sleeve) both peaked at number six, while the title track was a minor UK hit. Art Garfunkel covered Breakaway and had an American top forty hit with it.



Again, Gallagher and Lyle resisted the commercial pressure to exploit their success although they recorded further albums and had another minor UK hit, Every little teardrop. They continued as songwriters, not always together. Graham Lyle had a huge international hit when he co-wrote What's love got to do with it for Tina Turner.



This compilation contains the best of their music after Mc Guinness Flint disbanded. An earlier (out of print) compilation includes the two Mc Guinness Flint hits, which are omitted from this set. If you enjoy simple melodic pop music, give Gallagher and Lyle a listen."

Correction

Jessa Guy | Anywhere USA | 03/02/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Correction to the album info above--G & L didn't write "And When I Die", Laura Nyro did. They did write "When I'm Dead and Gone", a jaunty minor hit for their previous group, McGuiness Flint. (FYI: Graham Lyle also co-wrote, among other things, "What's love got to do with it" for Tina Turner, for which I believe he won a Grammy.)"

Simply superb !!!!!

Peter Durward Harris | 07/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Talent is a precious thing and when two great talents like Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle get together then it produces only one thing - magnificent music. Trust me this is a superb example of musicianship and deserves to be recognised as such. Please listen and appreciate, thanks guys !!!!!"