Calling Card [Extra tracks, Original recording remastered]

Rory Gallagher | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 23, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Label: Buddha
• ASIN: B00002Z83J
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #222,935 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered edition of the Irish guitar legend's 1977 album. Rory's eighth solo album, Calling Card was recorded during 1976 at the famed Musicland Studios in Munich. All of Rory's previous releases had been self produced, for this album he was keen to find a producer who had an affinity with traditional Rock values but who was open to new ideas. Roger Glover, Deep Purple's bassist, offered his services to Rory, seeming to be a perfect candidate to produce the album. The band, Gerry McAvoy on bass, Lou Martin on keyboards and Rod de'Ath on drums added the final element to the `creative' mix. In the three years they had been performing together they had grown into a formidable band. This was the fifth and last release featuring this classic line-up. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Album, October 13, 2000

By 

El Kabong - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calling Card (Audio CD)

You probably should buy all of Gallagher's albums up to and including the recent (and phenomenal) BBC SESSIONS, but, hey, I might be a little biased. But if you had to limit yourself to one, clearly CALLING CARD is it. His songwriting was never better, nor his guitar playing, but there's an added x factor: you could call it chemistry, or kismet, or mojo. WhatEVER that elliptical, intangible magic that all too rarely occurs when the tape is rolling might be termed, this record is drenched with it. From the opening drum-and-Telecaster intro of 'Do You Read Me' to the down-home warmth of set closer 'Barley and Grape Rag', regardless of whether it's a rave-up ('Moonchild', 'Secret Agent Man') or a ballad ('Edged in Blue', the gorgeous title track), soul and heart suffuses these songs; you can't not respond to them. There is an infectious joy and depth of feeling in these tracks that does what hardly any of today's high-tech, digitally-perfect recordings can even attempt: they make you happy to be a human being and grateful to be alive. A gorgeous, luminous album - buy this and become a Gallagher fan for life.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't get any better than this, November 6, 2003

By 

angels_of_avalon (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Calling Card (Audio CD)

Rory Gallagher's "Calling Card" was never a huge commercial success and it will probably never make a top 100 albums list, but those who are lucky enough to know Rory's work are aware that this is perhaps the greatest album ever recorded.
First off, I can't overemphasize the incredible musicianship this album offers. Rory Gallagher was one of the most amazing guitar players who ever lived. Give him shred, blues, jazz, folk, rockabilly, he could play it and any given subgenre flawlessly. Also, he was a tasteful player. No "excess" noodling and repetitive A minor runs here. "Calling Card" also features the stunning Lou Martin on piano, Gerry McAvory on bass (great chemistry between he and Rory) and the enormously talented Rod de'Arth on drums.
There's no shortage of good rockin' tunes on "Calling Card". Most notably, "Country Mile", "Jackknife Beat", and the almost Deep Purple-esque "Moonchild".
But there's something for everybody, including the jazz/blues fusion title track, the melancholy acoustic number "I'll Admit You're Gone", the folk jam "Barley and Grape Rag", and arguably the best track, "Edged In Blue" (which might have been a hit for Rory had he decided to release singles).

I urge anybody to give "Calling Card" a listen. Without a doubt, you'll be hooked

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums you've never heard of, November 29, 2005

By 

S. J. West (Eads, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Calling Card (Audio CD)

I lived in ignorance of Rory Gallagher for a long time until I read an article on him in one of last summer's issues of GUITAR PLAYER magazine. He sounded like someone I liked so I searched up and down until I found this album. I can't say I was disappointed!

It's a shame that Rory never caught on in the US like he did in Europe because this is a damn fine album. With production from Deep Purple/Rainbow bassist Roger Glover and backing from Rory's seasoned touring band, Rory made an album that should've made him a star in America.

This is quite a diverse album. "Country Mile" and "Secret Agent" are uptempo rockers while "Do You Read Me?" and "Jacknife Beat" rock at slower beats. The title cut is blues with a jazz edge. "Moonchild" is a minor key rocker in the vein of Glover's bandmate Ritchie Blackmore. "I'll Admit You're Gone" and "Edge in Blue" are gorgeous, melodic ballads and the album ends with the acoustic rave-up "Barley and Grape Rag." The two bonus cuts are good, but seem to interrupt the perfect end "Barley and Grape Rag" provides.

I'm thankful I read the GUITAR PLAYER article and picked up this album. Rory was an amazing guitarist, writer, and singer. If you've never heard his music, give this CD a spin. For those of us who have heard Rory Gallagher, pass it on...