Customer Reviews

BBC Sessions

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I was very excited when I learned this was being released. I am a fan of great blues and blues/rock guitar playing and Rory Gallagher certainly fits the bill. This 2 cd anthology of his BBC recordings provides a fitting tribute to the now deceased Irish guitar hero. The first disc contains material from live concerts broadcast on the BBC while the second disc contains material recorded in the BBC studios. The set was recorded from 1971-1986. Rory Gallagher was one of the first world famous Irish rock musicians. He has influenced either directly or indirectly many of the Irish groups that followed such as Thin Lizzy and Gary Moore. He sort of reminds me of the Irish equivalent of Johnny Winter. Both are under appreciated and adept at playing both blues and rock. They played some of the same festivals, broke into the scene at the same time and play both acoustic and electric guitar equally well. The set includes some tracks not included on his studio albums. I think the live disc is the better of the two simply because of the live energy Rory was able to generate in concert (all of his live albums are worth picking up). My favorite cuts on the live disc include a killer version of "Calling Card", "Used To Be" and the trio of cover tunes "Got My Mojo Working", "Garbage Man" and "Roberta". Notable cuts on the studio side include "Hands Off", "Feel So Bad" "Toredown" and "Hoodoo Man". The only drawback is that it isn't longer. I keep hoping they will get around to compiling a box set which will contain all of my favorite tracks along with some unissued live and studio recordings. Until then I recommend this set along with the remastered versions of his original albums. It is also worth investigating his early more improvisational work with Taste.

I was a Rory fan when I was in high school. Now, in my late 30's, I have a tendency to listen to old jazz, and blues, and not too much for rock anymore. But, I still have every Rory Gallagher album, and a couple of Taste items as well. About a week before I got the news of Rory's passing, I was listening to his "Irish Tour" album in the car, not having heard it in several years, and was floored all over again. When I learned of his death, it was like losing a family member. I picked up the "BBC Sessions" today, the day of it's release, and I must say that there is some guitar work going on like I've never heard Rory do before, particularly on the live cuts. My jaw hit the floor several times during the course of the first CD. It's like he's playing beyond himself, or something. This is essential stuff, not only for Rory fans, but for all guitar fans in general.

Being a Corkonian, Rory has a special place in my CD collection. This double CD is well worth having in yours. Classic Rory on the live album, with the studio sessions showing the usual brilliance.

The only crib I would have is that the studio sessions seem a bit cold and lacking the fire of a live performance.

For the true Gallagher fan this is immaterial and any further criticisms are only relevant if you have a considerable collection of his albums already to compare it to.

For the uninitiated I wouldn't recommend this album as your first introduction to the genius that was Rory Gallagher, instead I would recommend the Calling Card album. From there bore your friends and convert them to the best driving/shagging/chillin' music you'll ever listen to.

The BBC sessions are well worth a place in any collection. Listen to it and marvel how such a truly gifted guitar legend could be so neglected by the mainstream and then wallow in the knowledge that for those in the know Rory Gallagher is one of the top rock musicians of the twentieth century.

I would highly recommend this album. If you don't have Calling Card - you should get that too! Then just fire up the CD player, plant feet firmly on the ground and play that air guitar to some of the best tunes this side of the sun!

Rory G (sadly deceased as of 95 and sorely missed) was The Flannel King of Irish Blues in a career that spanned 20-some years, from Cream-alike power trio Taste to his own solo band, hand-in-glove backed by longtime compadres Gerry McAvoy on bass, Lou Martin on keys, with drums handled first by Rod de'Ath and later by Ted McKenna. Besides being one of the last remaining virtuoso players to work his wizardry on a Telecaster (as opposed to the standard Les Paul or Strat), Rory had an uncanny knack for threading currents of heavy rock and Irish folk into his otherwise-impeccable take on Delta blues: what usually came out of the speakers was a magical, life-affirming, ringing-toned storm of notes that put enough of an individual stamp on those moss-backed blues chords and progressions to make the form seem excitingly fresh and new. Though Rory never Americanized his sound to the extent his record label would've liked, his unerring instinct for raucous riff and gorgeous melody alike seduces the listener immediately, even 30 years later. It's more than riffing and solos you respond to on a Rory record, though. What you're REALLY hearing in "Cradle Rock" and "Moonchild" is the sum total of one man's emotional, spiritual and creative being - everything he was and ever wanted to be - transmuted into music and captured for all time on wax (or digibits, or whatEVER the hell's in a CD that makes sound come out when you zap it with a laser beam.) You graybeards out there are no doubt reading this and nodding your assent right about now. BBC SESSIONS collects two cds worth of live and one-take studio performances of any number of Gallagher classics, among them "Calling Card", "Race the Breeze", "Daughter of the Everglades" and "Jack Knife Beat", to name four at random. All versions are expanded from their already-impressive lp versions, oozing with feel, improvisation, invention and audacity. This sucker will leave a newcomer a goofy-grinning Rory Gallagher fan for life. You might even begin wearing buttondown flannel shirts again, now that Seattle's safely in pop culture's rear-view mirror and receding further with each passing day. Hey, would I lie to you? Go get this affordable twofer and begin saving your green stamps for the rest of his back-catalog....and light a candle in remembrance for a musician whose like we won't see again, at least in this world.

bbc sessions from rory gallagher is one of the greatest blues rock albums i have heard.rory is one of the greatest slide guitar players along with johnny winter.this is an excellent combo of a live and a studio disc of great songs from the irishman.On the live disc you get to hear blistering versions of classics like CALLING CARD,JACKNIFE BEAT and COUNTRY MILE.one the studio disc which i felt was better you have blues rock classics like FEEL SO BAD,IT TAKES TIME,TOREDOWN and THEY DONT MAKE THEM LIKE YOU.very highly recommended.get this with IRISH TOUR from the same artist.

I'll keep this short and sweet
Both of these CD's would stand up alone as two of the best albums of all time!
Together they showcase Rory's awesome ability & energy on stage and his method of captivating even the smallest audience in the studio.
If you do not own this album, you should spend your last cent on it and listen to it daily!

Rory Gallagher excelled on every level, as guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, and this set reaffirms that fact. This 2-disc set features a both live and studio performances, with an interesting mix of both originals and classic covers of blues classics, and Rory's genius manifests itself throughout. In particular, the live performances show why Rory was one of the most dynamic, talented, and vastly underrated artists of all time. Special thanks are due to Rory's brother Donal, who has done a superb job in making Rory's music available, and keeping the legend alive. This set is a treat for any blues/rock fan seeking some of the best music ever made.

God...this cat could play!! I was lucky enough to see him live in a small town in Germany 1975..small University Gym..snow storm raging outside. He didn't canx the show--and EVERYONE showed up for a night of Blues Rock I know no one there has forgotten. Hearing these BBC disks brings it all back home. Rory always gave you his all..and he was all about the love of music and guitar in particular. That's something lacking today..artists like Rory--he never got rich or as famous as his talent should have made him--but he worked his ass off and poured his soul into every show and song he did. You just can't go wrong with this one!! Play on RORY!!

Rory was the Real Deal. Not much credit as a blues guitar player being a "white guy from Belfast" in the late 60's. For years his stuff was next to impossible to find in the US, but there is a bounty of reissues out now. This BBC 2x CD is really nice. The sets are all electric so Rory's "unplugged" blues efforts are not presented- I hope the BBC has some stored away for us! I saw him with Taste in 1969 in Detroit at Cobo Hall. Taste was a warmup for Clapton's Blind Faith. Rory ruled the night. I still remember being stunned by his powerful energy, honest emotion and scorching guitar work! Oh yeah, he had the flannel shirt then too. Got the Blues? Then get this set. Look for "Taste" CD's also.

Rory's MUST HAVE live disc still remains IRISH TOUR '74, but the second disc of this set is a close second.

The first disc, a "live in concert" suffers the same fate as the STAGE STRUCK live disc: poor song selection and less than inspired performances. The playing is merely GOOD, but it seems Rory's fires were burning low and he was counting on volume and distortion to take the place of passion. Unfortunately, it didn't. CALLING CARD and COUNTRY MILE are pretty good.

BUT disc two, the IN STUDIO disc... ah, that's a different story all together! Starting with RACE THE BREEZE, this part of the set, recorded between 1971 and 1974 (Rory's peak for me anyway, and excepting WHEN MY BABY SHE LEFT ME (based on SHE CAUGHT THE KATY) recorded in 1986 and also very well done) smokes with the same musical fire that pushed IRISH TOUR'74. The songs are some of the album tracks from Rory's first four solo albums and all are top flight performances. Add the blues of FEEL SO BAD (driven like RACE by a train type rhythym) and HOODOO MAN, this showcases EXACTLY where Rory and his band were in this period. If you get this JUST for the KILLER version of THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE YOU, you won't be disappointed, even when you get to TOREDOWN, the next song.