Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour' 74 (7CD Box Set, 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition 2014) + Irish Tour' 74 (Original Album)

 

By 1973 Rory Gallagher was also growing increasingly frustrated at not being able to capture the energy of his live shows in the studio. During one session, he threatened to “chuck the tapes in the

dustbin”. It was no ideal threat – he would go on to shelve whole albums in the future.
“He was a live performer,” said keyboard player Lou Martin. “He didn’t like the studio because he was playing to the walls and wasn’t getting any feedback from the audience. But he had to do the albums for the recordcompany.”
Onstage, it was another matter entirely, and Gallagher understandably jumped at the chance to record another live album. But this one would be different: it would be recorded in Ireland.
                                        

“We were one of the only bands to play Belfast,” says Lou Martin proudly. “Thin Lizzy wouldn’t do it because of the aggravation. But Rory insisted on it. I was from Belfast, Gerry was from Belfast and there was co-operation from ‘The Organisation’ to make sure the concerts went OK.”

“We were taken care of very well,” said drummer Rod de’Ath. “The hotels that we stayed at were carefully chosen, without going into too much detail.” (Neither man was willing to go into more detail about ‘The Organisation’, though we can presume that they’re not talking about the British government).
The resulting album, Irish Tour ’74, remains the highlight of Gallagher’s career. Recorded in Belfast, Dublin and Cork, it finally nailed his live performances on vinyl. While the sound quality is variable – partly due to the fact that they couldn’t get insurance for Ronnie Lane’s Mobile Studios in the more troubled areas – the album never loses its primal, raw urgency. It’s the sound of a band leaning out over the precipice – something Gallagher deliberately encouraged, making up the show as he went along.
                                

Gallagher never enjoyed going into the studio to make records. Playing to a live audience was essential,

he thought, to get the real energy needed for the kind of music he wanted to play. The members of his band felt the same way. Speaking about the Irish tour album keyboardist Lou Martin said "Albums were always done in a rush because we were on the road so much, and then we’d come back to London and it could be two weeks – like Blueprint was done in two weeks – and that is ridiculous,... but Irish Tour was an absolute highlight,... the band came to fruition in the Calling Card days, by that time we were well seasoned … everybody knew everybody else’s style of playing... The studio was not the best environment for recording.
                                      

He wasn’t at his most comfortable or happiest, I mean a lot of people really adapted to it really well like The Allman Brothers or Little Feat. With Rory, if he didn’t have somebody to look at then he couldn’t feed off the energy. That’s why Irish Tour is such a good bloody album because it was recorded live, he

got the crowd there with him singing along and sort of like urging him along… without the presence of an audience the recording process for Rory was a bit of a strain"
Gallagher's 1974 tour of Ireland coincided with one of the most tumultuous times in Belfast. Violence between the IRA and British Army was erupting throughout the city even at rock concerts. As a result, most rock acts refused to play in the city. The day before Gallagher's scheduled concert in Belfast ten bombs went off at various locations around the city. Everyone expected Gallagher to cancel as all the other big names had but he went on with the concert and was rewarded with one of his best shows.

What they said...

"Irish Tour captures some of his finest known live recordings and, while it's impossible to tell which songs were recorded where, across nine in-concert recordings (plus one after-hours jam session, Back on My Stompin' Ground), the energy crackling from stage to stalls and back again packs an intensity that few live albums – Gallagher's others among them – can match." (AllMusic)
                             

"Unlike many other of his contemporaries, he lived long enough to see his legacy and influence take

hold and flourish in the musical world. This display of one man’s ability to unite a people and a country in turmoil through his music is an essential listen for all rock fans, young and old, and is a crucial part of Irish musical history as well as the very legacy of blues rock." (Sputnik Music)
                                  

"From the moment the music starts, Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour '74 more than justifies itself. Gallagher

played like his guitar was plugged straight into the universal source, and it probably was. That Gallagher was on his home turf for this tour only increases the sense of some sort of direct connection with his sound. Every note played, every string struck and every song sung vibrates with all the passion and intensity of a spiritual experience, which this surely was." (Pop Matters)
                                                                          

FEATURING:

Rory Gallagher (Vocals/Guitars/Mandolin/Harmonica)
Gerry McAvoy (Bass Guitar)
Rod De’Ath (Drums)
Lou Martin (Keyboards)

Rory Gallagher – Irish Tour' 74
Label: Strange Music – 88875004882, Sony Music – 88875004882, Capo – 88875004882, Legacy – 88875004882, Eagle Records – 88875004882
Format:    7 x CD, Album, Box Set, Deluxe Edition
DVD, DVD-Video, NTSC
Country: Europe
Released: 2014
Genre: Rock,
Style: Blues, Rhythm & Blues

DISC ONE - CORK CITY HALL (3rd & 5rd JANUARY 1974)

                                                                   

01. Messin' With The Kid (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Mel London
02. Cradle Rock
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
03. I Wonder Who
Written-By – McKinley Morganfield
04. Tattoo'd Lady
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
05. Walk On Hot Coals
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
06. Laundromat (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
07. A Million Miles Away
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
08. Hands Off (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
09. Too Much Alcohol
Written-By – J.B. Hutto

MP3 @ 320 Size: 173 MB
Flac  Size: 512 MB

DISC TWO - CORK CITY HALL (3rd & 5rd JANUARY 1974)

                                                              

01. As The Crow Flies
ritten-By – Tony Joe White
02. Pistol Slapper Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Blind Boy Fuller
03. Unmilitary Two-Step (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
04. Bankers Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Big Bill Broonzy
05. Going To My Hometown (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
06. Who's That Coming
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
07. In Your Town (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher

MP3 @ 320 Size: 115 MB
Flac  Size: 331 MB

DISC THREE - DUBLIN CARLTON CINEMA (2rd JANUARY 1974)

                                                 

  
01. Cradle Rock (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
02. Tattoo'd Lady (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
03. Hands Off (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
04. Walk On Hot Coals (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
05. Laundromat (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
06. Too Much Alcohol (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – J.B. Hutto
07. A Million Miles Away (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher

MP3 @ 320 Size: 130 MB
Flac  Size: 377 MB

DISC FOUR - DUBLIN CARLTON CINEMA (2rd JANUARY 1974)

                                

                             
01. As The Crow Flies (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Tony Joe White
02. Pistol Slapper Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Blind Boy Fuller
03. Bankers Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Big Bill Broonzy
04. Unmilitary Two-Step (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
05. Going To My Hometown (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
06. In Your Town (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
07. Bullfrog Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher

MP3 @ 320 Size: 123 MB
Flac  Size: 345 MB

DISC FIVE - BELFAST ULSTER HALL (28th & 29th DECEMBER 1973)     

                                              

  
01. Messin' With The Kid (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Mel London
02. Cradle Rock (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
03. I Wonder Who (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – McKinley Morganfield
04. Tattoo'd Lady (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
05. Walk On Hot Coals (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
06. Hand Off (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
07. A Million Miles Away (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
08. Laundromat (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher

MP3 @ 320 Size: 137 MB
Flac  Size: 397 MB

DISC SIX - BELFAST ULSTER HALL (28th & 29th DECEMBER 1973)

                                                      

01. As The Crow Flies (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Tony Joe White
02. Pistol Slapper Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Blind Boy Fuller
03. Unmilitary Two-Step (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
04. Bankers Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Big Bill Broonzy
05. Going To My Hometown (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
06. Who's That Coming (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
07. In Your Town (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
08. Bullfrog Blues (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher

MP3 @ 320 Size: 136 MB
Flac  Size: 387 MB

DISC SEVEN - CITY HALL IN SESSION (4th JANUARY 1974)       

                                          

01. Maritime (The Edgar Lustgarten Cut)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
02. I Want You / Raunchy Medley (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By [I Want You] – Bob Dylan
Written-By [Raunchy] – Bill Justis, Sid Manker
03. Treat Her Right
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
04. I Wonder Who (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – McKinley Morganfield
05. Too Much Alcohol (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – J.B. Hutto
06. Just A Little Bit
Written-By – Rosco Gordon
07. I Can't Be Satisfied (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – McKinley Morganfield
08. Acoustic Medley (Previously Unreleased)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
09. Back On My Stompin' Ground (After Hours)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
10. Stompin' Ground (Alternate Version)
Written-By – Rory Gallagher

MP3 @ 320 Size: 118 MB
Flac  Size: 316 MB

Tracks CD1-1, CD1-6, CD1-8, CD2-2 to CD2-5, CD2-7, CD3-1 to CD3-7, CD4-1 to CD4-7, CD5-1 to CD5-8, CD6-1 to CD6-8, CD7-2, CD7-4, CD7-5, CD7-7, CD7-8 previously unreleased.

THE ORIGINAL ALBUM: RORY GALLAGHER - IRISH TOUR' 74

 
                     

Rory Gallagher – Irish Tour '74
Label: UMC – 5797707
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Europe
Released: Mar 16, 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Electric Blues, Classic Rock

TRACKS

                                         

01. Cradle Rock
02. I Wonder Who  (Written-By – Muddy Waters)
03. Tattoo'd Lady
04. Too Much Alcohol  (Written-By – J.B. Hutto)
05. As The Crow Flies  (Written-By – Tony Joe White)
06. A Million Miles Away
07. Walk On Hot Coals
08. Who's That Coming?
09. Back On My Stompin' Ground (After Hours)
10. Just A Little Bit

MP3 @ 320 Size: 185 MB
Flac  Size: 549 MB

Rory Gallagher: Blues (3 CD Deluxe Edition Box Set) 2019

 

In what would have been the 50th year of Rory Gallagher’s recording career, Chess / UMC are pleased to announce the release of ‘BLUES’. From the vaults of the Gallagher estate’s tape archive comes this collection of rare and unreleased recordings of Rory playing his favourite blues material. Ranging from

never heard before tracks to special guest sessions with legendary blues artists (Muddy Waters / Albert King) and lost radio sessions, this album uncovers Rory’s love of the blues throughout his solo career from 1971 right through to 1994. Rory Gallagher was voted the world’S No 1 GUITARIST IN THE MELODY MAKER’S ANNUAL SHOWBIZ POLL RECENTLY. And it’s easy to say we told you so. Sure, everybody knew that Gallagher had it in him. He used to sleep with that battered guitar in the bed with him, its paint flaking off. And it wouldn’t have surprised us to hear that he used his amp as a pillow. Rory Gallagher, for as long as we knew him, has been interested in only one thing – music.
                                              

“Music is something that grows, it’s not something that you have to keep shocking the public with or shocking newspapers with, or thinking it’s time you changed the style of dress. It just doesn’t show progression and progression is something that you feel yourself, and the audience can feel it. It’s not

when it’s up to your manager or your make-up artist to make it look like you’re sounding new. I keep touring and writing songs and working on sessions and unless I’m very unlucky I’m sure I’ll hardly digress.”
“I have ideas though to make, let’s say, off-the-beaten-track albums — an acoustic album is one thing I’d like to do — and maybe do an album with off-the-beaten-track instruments. But I see doing albums in terms of the stage and the band. I rarely use guys who aren’t in the band at the time. If people come and see a concert there’s no point not being able to do something you’ve recorded.”
                                                   

Rory started playing guitar in Cork, Ireland, his home town, at a very early age. But Rory tells the story much better. “I was listening to music when I was six, seven and eight, that’s when rock and roll was starting to come into being. It was called skiffle in Britain. The guys that I really liked at the beginning

were guys like Elvis, Fats Domino and a guy you’ve probably heard of called Lonnie Donnegan. He would do Woody Guthrie stuff and Leadbelly material and call it skiffle even though it was country blues. When I was nine, I got a guitar and I learned how to play all the skittle songs and rock and roll, did school concerts and talent shows, you know, variety shows as a young boy guitarist. Then when I was twelve I got an electric guitar and I started playing in school bands. I played in a dance band when I was fifteen. That was the Fontana Showband. So we played in all the Irish dance halls where we could get work, which wasn’t much. We did a tour of Spain and did some work in England; the Irish dance halls there.”
                                                      

"When I was seventeen, I left that because I didn’t want to do the mixture of music that they were playing. I was already writing at the time and I wanted to do some of my own material. I went to Hamburg, Germany with a bass player and drummer from the Showband which had broken up by that

time. Then in ’65, I went back to Ireland and in ’66 I got Taste together. By that time the whole group thing was starting to finally build up in Ireland. The good musicians were finding each other and starting to get together. Anyway, that formation of Taste lasted two years. We worked in Ireland, went back to Hamburg, did a little work in England, which was very hard to find at that time. Eventually we moved to England, this was the second lineup of Taste with John and Ritchie, and that lasted two years and two albums.”
                                  

Rory is concerned about his audience. He prefers to play in smaller clubs that lend a more intimate environment rather than the Madison Square Gardens type of gig. “I prefer to play small clubs, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t do concert dates. Concerts can be great, so long as you’re not playing to an outrageous amount of people who can’t see or hear you. For instance, even on this tour we’re doing

some dates with Deep Purple in some pretty big places. Those dates are good for exposure, experience and making money, but you’ve got to be prepared to get down a little more to the people’s level. After all, they are the ones who pay the bills.” Gallagher as a Blues guitarist strode his own path and never looked back – he started out forming Rock’s first Power Trio in Taste (John Lennon’s favourite ban some say); he took over from Clapton in Melody Maker’s famous Musician of the Year Poll in 1972; he was first choice to replace Mick Taylor in The Stones and was David Coverdales’ second choice (after Jeff Beck) to replace Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple. He, however, chose to continue to make his own music. Gallagher was the man Clapton attributed with getting him back into the Blues and the man that Brain May says he appropriated his sound from. He is also the man who really understood the heart and soul of the Blues particularly the Chicago and Delta styles. But when you throw into the mix his prowess as a saxophonist and the fact he was a helluva vocalist you get a true individual talent.
                                         

Gallagher was also the first of his generation to eschew Marshall stacks in favor of his small Vox and Fender combo amps. He craved and cared about the sound. And whilst he played electric and

acoustic Blues like the best of them most of all for me the real true magic of Gallagher was his improvisation, something more than Beck, Clapton or even Hendrix had in their bag of tricks.
This 3CD set from the vaults of the Gallagher estate’s tape archive encompasses it all and whilst it misses so much it really does capture the essence of the man split as it is into three sets – ‘Electric’ (CD1); ‘Acoustic’ (CD2) and ‘Live’ (CD3). Best for fans though is that this is essentially Rory playing his favourite material and all of it is either rare and/or unreleased.
                                  

The ‘Acoustic Disc’ is a joy from start to finish comprised as it is of outtakes and radio sessions and the ‘Live’ disc is just the icing on the cake, I could pull out highlights and wax lyrical but it would be rather moot as there’s nothing here that isn’t there for a reason. This really is a collection to treasure. Gallagher was one of the few modern day Bluesmen who is instantly recognisable and I think I love his

playing so much as it feels so real, he wasn’t interested in ‘note perfect’ copies of the classics, he never seemed to play the same song in the same way twice and in that you could feel the joy the Blues gave him, the force of nature that guided his fingers. The Blues is a living thing and like B.B. King and Buddy Guy before him, Gallagher let his guitar take you on a trip through the story and into the belly of the song. His vocals were perfect for what he did, and with an acoustic in hand he could channel Lead Belly and Big Bill, but not without adding and giving part of himself.  Most of all he believed in his vision and remained true to it throughout. To me there’s no-one quite like Rory and this is a wonderful addition to any Blues collection.
                                                        

Rory Gallagher – Blues
Label: Chess – 5386801, UMC – 5386801
Format:    3 x CD, Album, Deluxe Edition, Stereo, Digipak
Country: Europe
Released: May 31, 2019
Genre: Rock
Style: Chicago Blues, Blues Rock, Acoustic, Electric Blues

DISC ONE - ELECTRIC BLUES

                                                 

01. Don’t Start Me Talkin’(Jinx Album Session 1982)  3:33
Drums – Brendan O'Neil
Piano – Bob Andrews
Written-By – Sonny Boy Williamson
02. Nothin’ But The Devil (Against The Grain Album Session 1975)  
Written-By – Jerry West
03. Tore Down (Blueprint Album Session 1973)  5:09
Written-By – Sonny Thompson
04. Off The Handle (BBC Radio 2 Paul Jones Blues Show 1986)  4:36
Drums – Brendan O'Neil
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
05. I Could’ve Had Religion (WNCR Cleveland Radio Session 1973)  5:55
Arranged By – Rory Gallagher
Written-By – Traditional
06. As The Crow Flies (Tatoo Album Session 1973)  4:08
Written-By – Tony Joe White
07. A Million Miles Away (BBC Radio 1 Bob Harris Session 1973)  7:47
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
08. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson (Deuce Album Session Outtake 1971)  7:36
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
09. Leaving Town Blues (Remixed)  6:02
Bass – Jim Leverton
Drums – Richard Newman
Written-By – Peter Green
10. Drop Down Baby  3:07
Acoustic Guitar – Roger McKew
Bass – Alan Jones
Blues Harp [Harp] – Leo Sayer
Drums – Henry Spinnetti
Piano – Zoot Money
Vocals – Lonnie Donegan
Written-By – Sleepy John Estes
11. I’m Ready (1972 Version)  4:08
Bass – Rick Grech
Drums – Herbie Lovelle
Guitar – Sammy Lawhorn
Harmonica – Carey Bell Harmington
Piano – Georgie Fame
Vocals – Muddy Waters
Written-By – James Moore, Willie Dixon
12. Bullfrog Blues (WNCR Cleveland Radio Session 1973)  6:59
Arranged By – Rory Gallagher
Written-By – Traditional

MP3 @ 320 Size: 150 MB
Flac  Size: 409 MB

DISC TWO - ACOUSTIC BLUES

                                       

01. Who’s That Coming (Acoustic outtake from Tattoo album sessions 1973)  5:15
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
02. Should’ve Learnt My Lesson (Acoustic outtake from Deuce album sessions 1971)  3:04
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
03. Prison Blues (Unreleased track from Blueprint album sessions 1973)  4:10
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
04. Secret Agent (Unreleased acoustic version from RTE Irish TV 1976)  5:26
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
05. Blow Wind Blow (Unreleased WNCR Cleveland radio session from 1972)  3:41
Written-By – McKinley Morganfield
06. Bankers Blues (Outtake from the Blueprint album sessions 1973)  4:49
Written-By – Big Bill Broonzy
07. Whole Lot Of People (Acoustic outtake from Deuce album sessions 1971)  3:38
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
08. Loanshark Blues (Unreleased acoustic version from German TV 1987)  2:27
Written-By – Rory Gallagher
09. Pistol Slapper Blues (Unreleased acoustic version from Irish TV 1976)  3:06
Written-By – Fulton Allen
10. Can’t Be Satisfied (Unreleased Radio FFN session from 1992)  3:58
Written-By – Muddy Waters
11. Want Ad Blues (Unreleased RTE Radio Two Dave Fanning session 1988)  3:05
Written-By – John Lee Hooker
12. Walkin’ Blues (Unreleased acoustic version from RTE Irish TV 1987)  4:13
Harmonica – Mark Feltham
Written-By – Son House

MP3 @ 320 Size: 11 MB
Flac  Size: 282 MB

DISC THREE - LIVE BLUES

                                                      

01. When My Baby She Left Me (Live At The River Records Radio Concert Broadcast - Unreleased track from Glasgow Apollo concert 1982)  6:28
Drums – Brendan O'Neill
Written-By – Sonny Boy Williamson
02. Nothin’ But The Devil (Live At The River Records Radio Concert Broadcast - Unreleased track from Glasgow Apollo concert 1982)  6:56
Drums – Brendan O'Neill
Written-By – Jerry West
03. What In The World (Live At The River Records Radio Concert Broadcast - Unreleased track from Glasgow Apollo concert 1982)  7:39
Drums – Brendan O'Neill
Written-By – Willie Dixon
04. I Wonder Who (Unreleased live track from late 1980s)  6:35
Drums – Brendan O'Neill
Harmonica – Mark Feltham
Written-By – McKinley Morganfield
05. Messin’ With The Kid (Unreleased track from Sheffield City Hall concert 1977)  4:18
Written-By – Junior Wells
06. Tore Down (Unreleased track from Newcastle City Hall concert 1977)  4:51
Written-By – Sonny Thompson
07. Garbage Man Blues (Unreleased track from Sheffield City Hall concert 1977)  6:21
Written-By – Willie Hammond  
08. All Around Man (Live At The Old Grey Whistle test - Unreleased track from BBC OGWT Special 1976)  11:11
Written-By – Bo Carter
09. Born Under A Bad Sign (Unreleased track from Rockpalast 1991 w/ Jack Bruce)  7:19
Bass, Vocals – Jack Bruce
Drums – Brendan O'Neill
Harmonica – Mark Feltham
Piano – Geraint Watkins
Written-By – Booker T. Jones, William Bell
10. You Upset Me (Unreleased guest performance from Albert King album ‘Live’ 1975)  5:47
Bass – Lonnie Turner
Drums – Joe Turner
Guitar, Vocals – Albert King
Horns – Nate Fitzgerald, Steve Wilson , Wayne Preston
Keyboards – James Washington
Written-By – B.B. King, Joe Josea, Jules Taub, Maxwell Davis
11. Comin’ Home Baby (Live In Swindon - Unreleased track from 1989 concert with Chris Barber Band)  5:24
Bass – Vic Pitt
Drums – Alan "Sticky" Wickett
Guitar – Jon Slaughter
Trombone – Chris Barber
Written-By – Ben Tucker, Bob Dorough
12. Rory Talking Blues (Interview track of Rory talking about the blues)  2:20
Written-By – Rory Gallagher

MP3 @ 320 Size: 176 MB
Flac  Size: 482 MB

Bass – Gerry McAvoy (tracks: 1-1 to 1-8, 1-12, 3-1 to 3-8)
Drums – Rod De'Ath (tracks: 1-2, 1-3, 1-5 to 1-8, 1-12, 3-5 to 3-8)
Executive-Producer – Daniel Gallagher
Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, Mandolin – Rory Gallagher
Mastered By – Frank Arkwright
Mixed By – Martin Dubka (tracks: 1-2, 1-3, 1-8, 1-9, 2-1 to 2-3, 2-6, 2-7, 3-5 to 3-7)
Piano, Guitar, Keyboards – Lou Martin (tracks: 1-2, 1-3, 1-5 to 1-8, 1-12, 2-3, 2-6,3-5 to 3-8)
Producer – Rory Gallagher

Rory Gallagher: Original Album Classics (5 CD Box Set) 2008

Since Rory Gallagher’s death, aged 47 on June 14 1995, his true stature has become ever more clear.

This soft spoken Irishman, characterised by his flowing locks and trademark working man stage clothes, was far from ordinary. Gallagher was a self taught virtuoso who forged a musical revolution in his native land, shunned the traps of fame and stardom yet became a universally acclaimed international folk hero.
                                  

Rory’s rock solid devotion to his calling never wavered and the respect of his musical peers was universal. Eric Clapton credited Gallagher with “getting me back into the blues”, The Rolling Stones tried to get him to replace Mick Taylor.Rory’s influence spread through the generations – from Slash to

Johnny Marr, from U2’s The Edge to Queen’s Brian May, and onto The Manics’ James Dean Bradfield – any aspiring player who encountered him was bound to be energised or transformed. Of all the guitar greats who emerged in the post war era Rory Gallagher was predestined to become a Celtic Warrior King. He shared his name with Ireland’s last native monarch, was born (to rock) at Rock Hospital in Ballyshannon, Donegal (March 2nd 1948) while his father was employed constructing a hydro electric power plant on the nearby Erne river.
                                                   

In due course, whether using electric firepower or acoustic mastery, the unassuming Gallagher would be transformed into a musical giant, yet he always maintained the most human feeling, eschewing extraneous FX and gizmos in favour of his own raw, primitive, string-bending genius. Acknowledged

as ‘the people’s guitarist’ Rory would amass 20 million sales but the emotive connection he made with audiences across the globe was greater than statistics could show. Gallagher’s fire in the fingertips feel was the thrilling result of hard work and dexterity, tireless energy and dynamic drive. In addition to his facility on guitar, mandolin, and, on occasion, sax, Rory’s songwriting gifts gave perfect platform to his vocal flair and instrumental talent. Whether exuberantly unbounded (‘Walk On Hot Coals’) or reflectively subdued (the hauntingly self aware ‘A Million Miles Away’), his compositions were directed by an instinctive, natural feel for the blues that resided deep within his heart and soul.
                                         

As a pre-teen growing up in 1950s Cork, in a home with no record player, the single-minded determination that would hallmark Rory’s career quickly became apparent. The discovery of Elvis and

early rock n rollers lead him to seek out blues masters on American Forces radio such as later collaborator, Muddy Waters. “The more I heard the more I got addicted,” he later recalled. He was already a local, talent show-winning star, brandishing a cheap guitar, when the first down payment was made on the celebrated 1961Sunburst Fender Stratocaster that would – its paintwork stripped by his own highly alkaline sweat – become a lifelong totemic tool of his trade.
                                  

In early 60s Ireland opportunities for a guitar God waiting to shine were constricted by the only available outlet : identically suited showbands. Rory pushed against the envelope when he hit the road with The Fontana and later The Impact challenging the accepted routines of the day. His sensational

displays of unfettered magic on the fretboard may have earned rebukes from local promoters and Ballroom owners keen on regimentation but Rory assuredly made lifelong fans in audiences hungry for a new sort of freedom. Playing in show bands was a stepping stone and Rory realised he was “only passing through”. But, like Jimi Hendrix when he escaped the chitlin circuit, the skills established as a restricted sideman would explode in the years ahead when Rory became the main attraction. After enjoying the release of playing in Hamburg clubs, Rory seized the opportunity to get off the show band leash back home, putting himself centre stage in the power trio, Taste.
                                              

Establishing a base in the thriving Blues scene that had built around Van Morrison’s Them at Belfast’s Maritime, Taste became an instant sensation. A residency at London’s Marquee club in 1968, where

John Lennon joined an ever growing fervent following, lead to support slots with Cream and Blind Faith. Taste’s formidable presence was captured on two great studio albums and two outstanding live albums including their Live At Isle of Wight album, recorded at the 1970 festival. Then, with their world seemingly at their feet Taste, torn apart by management disputes, imploded, playing their farewell show in Belfast on New Years Eve 1970.
                                                  

The loss of a band at their incandescent peak hit Rory deep (check the aching ‘At The Bottom’, on his 1975 ‘Against The Grain’ album) but there was little time to dwell in regret (‘Used To Be’ on ‘Deuce’

1972). A natural bandleader, Gallagher regrouped embarking on the most productive decade of his solo career with 1971’s self titled solo debut. ‘Deuce’, ‘Blueprint’, ‘Tattoo’, ‘Against The Grain’, ‘Calling Card’, ‘Photo Finish’, ‘Top Priority’ – the albums followed in quick succession each offering original compositions (‘In Your Town’, ‘Who’s That Coming’, ‘Walk On Hot Coals’, ‘Tattoo’d Lady’) that spoke directly to his audience, attained instant classic status . These songs and many more would gather even greater vibrancy in live performance. The albums ‘Live In Europe’, ‘Stagestruck’ and ‘Irish Tour ‘74’ albums show how.
                           

As witnessed in the exceptional Tony Palmer documentary that accompanied the Irish Tour ‘74 release, throughout ‘the troubles’ Rory’s Belfast shows galvanised a joyful communal riposte to the tension, fear and divisions that tore the city apart. Where others shunned the Northern Irish capital, Gallagher made a point of always returning, giving hope and inspiration, to those who would follow his lead.

Rory would later guest on albums by Belfast bands he directly inspired – Energy Orchard and Stiff Little Fingers. Across the border he headlined and organized Ireland’s first outdoor rock festival at Macroom in tandem with younger brother and manager Donal (Rory’s only sibling), an event that would pave the way for U2’s stadium rock. Yet Rory’s quasi evangelical belief in the unifying healing power of music was tempered by a suspicion of celebrity. “It seems a waste to me to work and work for years, really gettin’ your music together; then to make it big, as some people do, and just turn into some sort of personality. You play less, you perform less, you circulate less. It becomes something completely different,” he’d told Rolling Stone in 1972.
                              

This caution left him to completely shun the singles market, even when his label boss insisted the gorgeous yearning Edged In Blue (from 1976’s ‘Calling Card’) was a contender for US number one. The body of work he has left behind is remarkable for its consistency, honesty and earthiness. Rory’s recordings are remarkably of a piece bearing out his oft quoted assertion that “what I play is in my all the time, not just something I turn on”. A determination to make original music that stayed faithful to

the root sounds that inspired him was carried through to the end. Unsullied by jarring studio trickery or momentarily fashionable techniques, cavernous drum sounds or click tracks, what he’s left behind is a recorded legacy defined by rugged purity of form and feeling. The unaffected approach highlighted the many flavours – kick ass country, jazzy sophistication, spit n sawdust folk, floorboard quaking roof raising rock – that fed Rory’s lovingly nurtured blues. His dedication to maintaining what he called “a good vintage, ethnic” sound, favouring pre digital over modern recording equipment, would undoubtedly have been one of the attributes that endeared Rory to admirer Bob Dylan, a backstage visitor at a 1978 LA show after initially being turned away unrecognized.
                                               

Gallagher’s yearly gig quota often would top 300, sweat soaked nights in which he never gave anything less than 110 per cent . And he was always ready to give a little more, come Christmas time he would

often embark on impromptu tours in rural Ireland which naturally attained legendary status. A cross tribal musical hero who appealed to trad rockers, punks and heavy metal hordes, Rory was a true musical journeyman going where the music took him. He guested on albums for many including key influences Jerry Lee Lewis, Albert King, Albert Collins and the aforementioned Muddy Waters, an experience he particularly relished.
                                                     

By 1990 Rory had played 25 stateside tours and appeared at the UK’s Reading festival and Montreux Jazz festival more times than any other act. Sadly, he swelled up as drink and various prescription medications to deal with the rigours of life on the road had prematurely and noticeably aged him. “The

blues is bad for your health,” he shrugged, “its as simple as that, it goes with the territory.” Breaking away from major label and setting up independently, Rory’s output had become less prolific as he increasingly agonized over recordings. Even so later albums ‘Jinx’, ‘Defender’ and ‘Fresh Evidence’, the last release before his death, showed him still moving forward, breaking new territory. The soaring ‘Loan Shark Blues’ is a timelessly potent cry of financial desperation while ‘Heaven’s Gate’ and ‘Ghost Blues’, the title of Ian Thuiller’s excellent career spanning 2010 Gallagher documentary, cut from the same self revealing cloth as ‘A Million Miles Away’, contemplated life’s fragility.
                                         

His dedication to the muse was absolute, perhaps at a cost to his personal life: he had no marriage, no long-term relationship and no children. The man who could unite thousands in performance lived a

solitary unindulgent life away from stage, seeming to identify with the solo operatives who peopled the noir detective fiction of such as Dashiell Hammett from which he often took lyrical inspiration. So tied was he to life on the road that his final years were spent living in a hotel overlooking Chelsea harbour. Rory literally played until he dropped, after collapsing onstage in Rotterdam in January 1995, he was hospitalised in London with liver failure. Following a successful transplant operation he seemed to be recovering, but he caught an infection and died in June 1995.
                                

The music world sent their condolences, 15,000 lined the streets of Cork as he was laid to rest. But Rory’s dedication to the rock’s skills base would also see him teach a budding player how to play a riff or get a certain sound – Brian May was one such beneficiary – and he took pride in founding the still

prominent Registry of Guitar Tutors. Since his death Rory’s reputation has grown. Perhaps its only with the passing of the time that the sheer scope and immensity of his achievements can be assessed. A true original his resolutely ordinary working man image, the unvarnished consistency of his art (and his paint stripped Strat!) appears all the more extraordinary in the era of media saturation. In 2003 the posthumously released ‘Wheels Within Wheels’ album provided another career highlight, focusing on the acoustic side of Rory’s art featuring collaborations with Martin Carthy, Bert Jansch, Lonnie Donegan, Flamenco great Juan Martin and The Dubliners.
                                    

This year sees the first ever release of the abandoned 1978 album recorded in America ‘Notes From San

Francisco’. Rory’s memory lives on across the globe, in the memory of those who experienced his shows and met him. Legions are the fans who , like a young aspiring Manchester guitarist Johnny Marr in the early 70s, cherished meeting Rory and came away walking on air. More than once in the heat of a show where stage invasions were commonplace the Strat would be handed to an audience member for a quick strum. The feeling he could create in a hall in Belfast or Montreux, in London or LA, you couldn’t ask anymore from a gig, really.
                                         

Gallagher is commemorated throughout Ireland, a bronze statue in Ballyshannon, a sculpture in Cork where the local theatre is named after him, a mounted guitar in Dublin, a plaque in Belfast and his

famously battered paint stripped Sunburst strat has been marketed by Fender in a tribute model. There’s a Rue Rory Gallagher in Paris, an annual festival in Ireland and tribute concerts held each year in his honour around the world. Rory’s story, it seems, will not end. Readily accessible on awe inspiring live performances preserved on a wealth of DVDs, a comprehensively curated official website and remastered recordings – a legacy lovingly maintained by his family, brother Donal and nephew Daniel, his music remains ready to inspire and thrill generations old and new.
                     

Rory Gallagher died too young with much still to achieve and offer but the wealth and quality of the material he produced in his lifetime insures his ever questing, hungry spirit lives on.
                                                                  

ORIGINAL ALBUM CLASSICS

Rory Gallagher – Original Album Classics
Label: Capo – 88697311862, Sony BMG Music Entertainment – 88697311862
Series:    Original Album Classics
Format:    Box Set, Compilation
Country: Europe
Released: 2008
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock, Electric Blues

DISC ONE: DEUCE 1971

                                                            

      
01. I'm Not Awake Yet    5:24
02. Used To Be    5:06
03. Don't Know Where I'm Going    2:42
04. Maybe I Will    4:15
05. Whole Lot Of People    4:57
06. In Your Town    5:47
07. Should've Learnt My Lesson    3:36
08. There's A Light    5:59
09. Out Of My Mind    3:05
10. Crest Of A Wave    6:00

BONUS TRACKS

11. Persuasion    4:43

MP3 @ 320 Size: 123 MB
Flac  Size: 337 MB

DISC TWO: CALLING CARD 1976         

                                               

  
01. Do You Read Me    5:21
02. Country Mile    3:19
03. Moonchild    4:48
04. Calling Card    5:25
05. I'll Admit You're Gone    4:26
06. Secret Agent    5:46
07. Jackknife Beat    7:05
08. Edged In Blue    5:32
09. Barley & Grape Rag    3:39

BONUS TRACKS

10. Rue The Day    4:14
11. Public Enemy (B-Girl Version)    4:33

MP3 @ 320 Size: 128 MB
Flac  Size: 358 MB

DISC THREE: TOP PRIORITY 1979

                                               

      
01. Follow Me    4:41
02. Philby    3:51
03. Wayward Child    3:31
04. Keychain    4:09
05. At The Depot    2:57
06. Bad Penny    4:03
07. Just Hit Town    3:37
08. Off The Handle    5:37
09. Public Enemy No. 1    3:46

BONUS TRACKS

10. Hell Cat    4:50
11. The Watcher    5:44

MP3 @ 320 Size: 111 MB
Flac  Size: 346 MB

DISC FOUR: JINX 1982       

                                               

  
01. Big Guns    3:34
02. Bourbon    4:06
03. Double Vision    5:07
04. The Devil Made Me Do It    2:54
05. Signals    4:46
06. Jinxed    5:03
07. Easy Come, Easy Go    5:48
08. Nothin' But The Devil    3:12
09. Ride On Red, Ride On    4:36
10. Lonely Mile    4:40
11. Loose Talk    4:08

MP3 @ 320 Size: 114 MB
Flac  Size: 326 MB

DISC FIVE: FRESH EVIDENCE 1990       

                                      

01. Kid Gloves    5:41
02. The King Of Zydeco    3:44
03. Middle Name    4:15
04. Alexis    4:08
05. Empire State Express    5:08
06. Ghost Blues    8:02
07. Heaven's Gate    5:10
08. The Loop    2:23
09. Walkin' Wounded    5:10
10. Slumming Angel    3:40

BONUS TRACKS

11. Never Asked For Nothin'    4:29
12. Bowed But Not Broken    3:26

MP3 @ 320 Size: 130 MB
Flac  Size: 367 MB

Tracks 1-11, 2-10, 2-11, 3-10, 3-11, 5-11 & 5-12 are bonus tracks, and are not on the original albums.