Customer Reviews

Crest of a Wave: The Best of Rory Gallagher

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another Rory Gallagher collection and four stars simply because the material is so good and is a fair representation of his solo career covering both the acoustic and heavy blues/rock side of Rory.

Long-time fans will not need this collection which will appeal to completists and those curious or unfamiliar with Gallagher's body of work.

All the tracks are staples but the stand-outs include; A Million Miles Away, Crest of a Wave, Moonchild, Tattoo'd Lady, Walk On Hot Coals and They Don't Make Them Like You Anymore.

This is a good collection but there are others out there which best this one. Check out BIG GUNS - THE VERY BEST OF RORY GALLAGHER which IS career spanning as it takes in TASTE and his solo career and packs more punch than this latest offering.

There are many best of cd's of Rory Gallagher,and they are all very good.
But for me this double cd is the best.
And it was a very nice surprise that there is a other version of Overnight bag on this cd.
Different than the original song on the photo finish cd.
This version have's a longer solo on the end.
For people that want to learn to know Rory's music,this cd will be a very good start.

I personally own every Rory Gallagher album he ever issued so there's no point in me buying a greatest hits cd. Nevertheless for someone interested in sampling the man and his music I agree with Colin that Big Guns is a better representation of Rory and his genuis. The man was a paradox extraordinaire but he was also one helluva musician. Rock on Rory. We're still listening.

A good cross section of Rory's studio work. Unfortunately, I received a bad pressing with a distortion on many of the tracks and seller refunded my money. In MHO Rory shined in a live setting. Get all of the live albums first then explore the studio work.

Rory Gallagher is a relatively unknown blues guitarist whom I treasure in my collection.
I especilaly enjoy the way he goes all the way back to the 1920's in his choices of cover songs. He always credits the original songwriters because it seems he realizes the doors they opened for all blues musicians. By knowing the history of the blues, and playing it to near perfection, his music actually enshrines him as one of the legends. I also really enjoy listening to his up-tempo original cuts. I have other RG albums but this is a great retrospective compilation.

Like alot here, have been a fan since Taste, & collected almost all of his releases as well. I suppose there are compilations & reissued Cd's I dont have. And yes there are other releases that also span his career. If I put my "Greatest Hits" together it would vary from everyone elses. I like Secret Agent alot for one. Only saw him twice in 1979 & 1990 when he was sick, but both shows were killer. There was never an hour & a half show by this man, he loved to play that guitar. I enjoy his rockier music over the bluesy stuff, just the music I like more. Pick up the book by his bassist Gerry McAvoy, he gives an inside journey of touring with Rory. I dont even have this Cd yet, thank god for the internet, it sure makes keeping up with releases alot easier these days. None of us OLD rockers are getting any younger. You cant go wrong by owning this cd though.

Great CD, seller and price. I recommend this seller. I am glad to see that Rory is not forgotten. He influenced so many players and he like Mick Ronson, will live forever because of the music they made and the influence.

A compilation CD of Rory Gallagher is an attractive option if you want to have some of his best songs in one place. It won't ever be complete, but that doesn't matter. That's what you have the original albums for.

But Crest of a Wave ain't it.

Be forwarned: unannounced, the songs have apparently been remixed; the sound has been altered. Basically the older songs have been made to sound like latter-day Rory (from the age of Top Prioirity, Jinx etc.). Anyone who likes Gallagher from his days in Taste and the early solo albums will know what I mean. If that sound is what your looking for, I'd stay away from this one.

The beauty of the MP3 world, which as an old fogy I am slowly working my way into, is that you can use 30 second snippets to investigate holes in the collection. I spent the last few nights working my way through the whole of the Rory Gallagher catalog, reading comments, etc. What I keep hearing is "why is this guy so overlooked?" There is always a reason. And the one that I almost always uncover is song writing. Rory, simply, has almost no ear for writing an interesting song. Which makes his albums a muddle...a kind of straight line along what I would call bar room boogie/blues regurgitation. There is no question he can play. I have moved about one or two songs per cd into a playlist and am quite happy with them. He does best with the occasional mid-tempo piece that creates a nice space for his fills, which work wonderfully. His guitar sound is great. Nice and fat and confident. Used to Be, Crest of a Wave, Million of Miles, Fuel to Fire, Seems to Me, Cruise on Out. Some stuff from Taste, the band he was in before he went with his own name...Catfish, Leavin Blues, It Happened Before made it onto the list as well. I am sure I have missed some others.

Most of these are not on the greatest hits but I could not think of a better place to put this comment. Obviously there is large contingent of folks who can live with great guitar in a mediocre setting...beware if you are not one of them.