Record Reviews

RORY GALLAGHER ~ CHECK SHIRT WIZARD: LIVE IN `77 CHESS 602508369469 (Barcode: 602508369469) ~ IRELAND ~ Blues-Rock This us a superb archival release presenting previously unreleased live concerts by Irish Blues-Rock superstar vocalist / guitarist / songwriter Rory GallagherFind albums by this artist, captured during his tour supporting the release of the "Calling CardFind albums with this title" album. The music was recorded by a quartet which also included keyboardist Lou MartinFind albums by this artist, bassist Gerry McAvoyFind albums by this artist and drummer Rod de`AthFind albums by this artist. The 2CD set presents twenty songs, mostly originals written by Gallagher, covering the material from the new album, but also some of his concert favorites. Starting with his brief but brilliant stint as the bandleader of Taste in the 1960s, and then throughout the solo career in the 1970s and 1980s Gallagher was the champion of the electric guitar and undoubtedly wrote a significant chapter of the Rock history with his stellar talent, as evident on his recorded legacy. He was first and foremost a stage beast and his live recordings are by far more characteristic of his energy and instrumental virtuosity. This album offers a most significant chunk of his superb showmanship during a relatively undocumented period of his career. In retrospect Gallagher was one of the great European / white Blues guitar heroes, who took the idiom a step further as far as instrumental virtuosity is concerned and proudly joined the ranks of Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Peter GreenFind albums by this artist, Jeff BackFind albums by this artist, Jimmy PageFind albums by this artist and others, who transformed the Blues into a new dimension. For the countless guitar freaks, Blues enthusiast and general Classic Rock connoisseurs, this is a brilliant piece of history and an absolute must in any decent record collection.

Updated: 11/05/2020Posted: 11/05/2020

CD 2 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

RORY GALLAGHER ~ IRISH TOUR `74 (40TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION) SONY 888750048820 (Barcode: 888750048820) ~ IRELAND ~ Blues-Rock Recorded: 1973 - 1974 Released: 2014 This is a monumental reissue project, which expands the original double LP live album by the Irish Blues-Rock guitarist / vocalist Rory GallagherFind albums by this artist into a Box Set with seven CDs and one DVD. The material was recorded during the last days of December 1973 and early January 1974 during Gallagher´s tour of Ireland (including Northern Ireland). The DVD presents the spectacular documentary film made by the British film director Tony PalmerFind albums by this artist (who specializes in music documentaries) made during this tour. Gallagher´s group during this tour included pianist Lou MartinFind albums by this artist, bassist Gerry McAvoyFind albums by this artist and drummer Rod De`AthFind albums by this artist. In spite of Gallagher´s idol status in the 1970s, his invaluable contributions to Blues and Rock legacy are today sadly almost forgotten. On stage Gallagher was a force of Nature and his incredible inventiveness and pure magic he managed to produce on his guitar were absolutely colossal. He definitely belongs to the very elite of white Blues guitarist, which also includes Mike BloomfieldFind albums by this artist, Eric ClaptonFind albums by this artist, Johnny WinterFind albums by this artist, Duane AllmanFind albums by this artist, Peter GreenFind albums by this artist and a handful of others. The whole issue of white Blues guitarists excelling in music which has its cradle in the Afro-American cultural legacy is quite fascinating and Gallagher is an extraordinary example how this legacy, which he learned from the very early age was transformed by him into a completely new level due to his talent of combining virtuosity, improvisation and complexity. Since these live shows were recorded only a few days apart from each other, they include quite similar set lists, which of course results in a certain amount of repetition as far as the material is concerned. The beauty of this set is, that each and every performance of the same tune present on these albums is so different from any other that the repetition is not only most welcome, but also extremely educational. These recordings are also a superb example of the spirit of music that was present on stage during the Golden Age, when charismatic and totally dedicated performers were Gods. It was all about music and all the rest (mostly money) was completely secondary. These raw performances had no element of staging or decoration and the only thing that mattered was how well everybody played. These days are sadly utterly gone. This Box Set is a great example of how to make Box Sets work. It includes brilliant top quality material, minimizes the packaging (and subsequently the price) to bare minimum and does not deal with fads and fashions of superfluous sound technologies. This is pure Gold from start to finish, exactly as it was forty plus years ago and it is here to stay forever. Of course this is absolutely essential for all Blues fans everywhere on this globe, a capsule of frozen greatness for us to recollect and for the younger generations to discover. Essential I said? Way beyond essential it is!

Updated: 26/01/2019Posted: 17/01/2016

7CD+DVD 8 Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend