Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour
|
Our Price: $34.98 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $18.88 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Irish Tour
Free Music Review: Little-known slide-guitar master
Hit: 5 Stars
If you think a white Irish lad can't play Chicago-style slide-guitar blues, you haven't heard this CD. Not only can he sing and play the blues, but he also can handle hard guitar rock with equal aplomb. Rory Gallagher is right up there with other legendary guitarists like Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Johnny Winter and Stevie Ray Vaughan, but he's easily the least known of the group. He was said to be a quiet guy offstage, and he was never really interested in advancing his career through the release of Top 40 singles, so they say. He was regarded enough to appear on-stage with blues master Muddy Waters and others, but he was still better-known in Europe, especially his native Ireland, than the US. But this guy is among the great bluesmen of all time, and his on-stage persona, on this album, at least, is larger than life. He gets the crowd fired up with the opening track "Cradle Rock", belting out the lyrics, featuring solid guitar riffs and assisted by the keyboards of Lou Martin. He then winds down to his cover of Waters' "I Wonder Who (Will be Your Sweet When I'm Gone)", a solid piece of slide-guitar blues. My favorite track is "Too Much Alcohol", written by another Chicago bluesman, J B Hutto. He also can play sad, introspective songs like "A Million Miles Away". Other good track include "Tattoo'd Lady" and "Walk on Hot Coals". This is a good live album by any standard, and a good offering by an underappreciated talent.Free Music Review: The Glory of Rory!
Hit: 5 Stars
The definitive rock & roll statement if ever there was one, "Irish Tour" is Rory Gallagher at his peak, playing before his home town, one crowd pleaser after another. Smokin',powerful performances of some of his best solo tunes up to that time in 1974. You can hear the fire burning in him through his masterful guitar playing, the passionate fury in his vocals, hell- this is what rock & roll is all about! I dare anyone to listen to this without wanting to crank it up and wake the neighbors! Hell, you can't do it. Rory & his great band- Rod D'Ath on drums, Gerry McAvoy, long time bassist, & Lou Martin, keyboards, kick it out and blow the roof off! Sorry, I can't think of anything but old tired cliches to describe the performances here- but they really do apply. It's just impossible to select any favorite cut from this- "Cradle Rock" possibly (the definitive version), but then there's "Tatoo'd Lady" (brilliant), "I Wonder Who" (blues rocker), "Walkin On Hot Coals" (wow- check out how he plays lead & rhythm guitar simultaneously- true genius!), "Who's That Comin'" (more in your face guitar mastery). If you don't believe me, check out the other glowing reviews- these people aren't lying to ya. The last tune, "Back on My Stompin' Grounds" (blues slide guitar played to perfection)is from the rehearsal for the show, but it blows away the studio version completely IMO. Just get it already- and crank this sucker!Free Music Review: A true bluesman........
Hit: 5 Stars
as far as live albums go this one is one of the finest.recorded at concerts in Dublin, in Cork (where he grew up),
and in Belfast - at a time when the violence in northern Ireland was at its worst, rory was one of the few artists who would even consider playing there - a fact which endeared him greatly to his home fans.
the sound leaps from the speakers, demonstrating that he truly was at his best when faced with an adoring crowd. just let the crowd noise play out at the end of "whos that coming", you can still feel the electricity nearly thirty years later.
his live recordings are stunning (see also "live in Europe" and BBC sessions), and are looser than his studio work, with the band locking into a groove rather than faithful renditions of the originals.
"as the crow flies" is a particular highlight as is "too much alcohol" with the sound fading in at the begining giving the impression that the bass groove could've been going for hours...
"i wonder who" is one of those tracks you just have to sit back and have a smoke to. simple as that. great blues music.
its rare that i would feel compelled to write a review but this is one of those albums that if the house was burning down i would grab then maybe one of the kids....
anyway, get it and love it.
Free Music Review: 5 STARS X 100
Hit: 5 Stars
Where has this disc been all my life? I knew about Rory Gallagher of course, I even owned one of his studio LP's back in the 70's (Tattoo, I believe it was), but somehow this live LP escaped my attention. After reading the overwhemlingly positive reviews here, I ordered a copy.
I have to say his studio work doesn't do him justice. This disc is a revelation! After hearing it twice, I can unequivically say at the time this was released in 1974, Rory Gallagher was the best rock/blues guitarist working. Hendrix and Duane Allman were dead, Clapton was just coming out of a three-year heroin haze, and was doing far from his best work. Maybe Jeff Beck, another criminally underrated guitarist was as good, but he was getting into jazz fusion at the time.
Every track on this disc blazes with intensity. Rory's band is tight and polished, and his guitar work is endlessly creative. If I had to pick a favorite cut, it would be "A Million Miles Away", because that's where it takes me, but that's not to slight any other track here. I wish I'd seen him live back in those days, but he didn't play the States much, and wasn't well publicized when he did. Oh well, now I have to buy the Montreux DVD.
Free Music Review: Lost Genius
Hit: 5 Stars
The first time I saw Rory Gallagher live he was a warmup act, and he stole the show from Deep Purple, no easy thing to do. He was that good, blessed not only with technical skill but with a musical soul that shone through his music. This 1974 live recording is a tribute to his fiery blues-rock guitar playing and the heart behind it. I've been told by people who knew him that he was the nicest guy on earth, something that comes through in the video version of this recording available now on DVD, he was all music, no showbiz, a bluesman who seemed almost embarrassed when he became a rock star as well. If you don't know his work, this live album is a good place to start, just be prepared to buy more once you get a taste. The public has largely forgotten Rory just as they have Roy Buchannan, but guitarists will be impressed no end when you mention his name, they know how good he was and how much he loved the music. Maybe that's why the Rolling Stones considered him as a replacement for Mick Taylor, but somehow I can't see Rory wearing leopardskin jackets and leather pants. His life was too short, but at least we have this wonderful music to remember him by.