Customer Reviews

Irish Tour '74

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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In the late 60's and early 70's, rock was ruled by the guitar gods. Clapton with his smooth licks and easy control. Hendrix with his brash individual style. And Page with his ever adventurous spirit. I had the privilege to see them all. Clapton in a tasty but rare appearance with Derek and the Dominoes. Hendrix in two inconsistent sets that flashed brilliance and boredom. And Page in an arena-sized homage to self indulgence.

Then there was Rory. Eschewing the wall of amplifiers and the "wish-to-kill sound", Gallagher stripped his set to the bare minimum. Small amps, small drum set, and a beat-up old Stratocaster. While the guitar gods brought their large amp banks and egos to match, Gallagher brought his "nice-guy" persona and determined work ethic. Always the gentleman, always the humble showman, Gallagher always put the audience first. And he always delivered a great show!

Clapton had his taste. Hendrix had his sexuality. Page had his trips to tonal nirvana. But nobody, NOBODY, could boogie like Rory! In the 70's, I saw Rory four or five times. Every time I left the concert with a big smile on my face.

IRISH TOUR `74 is proof positive of Rory's talents as a guitarist and a showman. The album displays Rory's "let's have a party" spirit with a band as tight as you'll ever hear. From Cradle Rock to Walk on Hot Coals, Rory will have you up and dancing around the room from the first note. Because it has some of the best blues-boogie music from the era, IRISH TOUR `74 is one of the best live albums of the 70's.

Rory, you gave us your best here below. Now, boogie with the angels.

What a great album. I first saw Rory in '72 in NYC opening for Deep Purple. Fabulous live show. When the Irish tour lp came out, I wanted the whole world to hear it. The CD sounds even better!!! Cradle Rock is classic Rory! You will love A million miles away, walk on hot coals,too much alcohol, as the crow flies is a superb acoustic number. Listen to this cd, feel the emotion that Rory plays with!!! You will love it!!

Rory is among the great unspoken and unknown guitar heroes of the 70's. Such a shame for the music business. If you like amazing guitar playing, soulfull writing and having a good time with music just listen to A million miles away. Sure you gonna buy it. Just one of the finnest blues rock CDs you gonna find.

I saw Rory three times in Boston. He was great every time. He was the opening act for Dave Mason around 1978. Dave Mason made a big mistake. Rory just blew the crowd away. 30 minutes into Mason's act the crowd was still screaming for Rory to come back out. I think Mason must have been humiliated. He simply could not follow Gallagher's set. Jimi Hendrix would have had trouble following Gallagher. He was truly one of the great live acts of rock history. The man could play. In two other Boston appearances at the Paridise he ripped the place apart. He simply loved playing and he was just so very, very talented. It is shocking to me that a man of his ability and stage presence was never more popular. I took my college buddies to see Gallagher. They all said it was the best show they had ever seen and they had never even heard one of his albums. This guy didn't need any complicted production or double trackig he could play it straight up. This is a very good album, but it is almost impoosible to understand how good this guy was unless you saw him play live. He had that rare ability to just take the crowd where he wanted them to go. If you want to hear a master, pick up this CD. If you can't hear the genius, then you just don't really understand ...

This is one of the best CD that I ever listen, especially "A milion miles away" it's very good. Rory was one of the best guitarist in the world, when I listent to his guitar I feel me in a different way, better I can say.

Buy the silver covered version... the cover with Rory on the cover has a low bass hum on the left speaker.. sounds like a mastering flaw. Buy from a company that offers money back. Otherwise with regards to the music... This was Rorys best ... the best tone (as captured)He isn't screwing around with the vocals as he tended to do after this 2 year period ... his guitar playing is fiery and yet whimsical: truly his own sound and approach!!... A true talent at the height of his career. Listen for Lou Martins overdub on his Tatoo'd Lady solo! He layed it right over the live one and I wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the DVD. The band is SO in sync which gives Rory his best backdrop ever to command from... This is a must have.

My only regret is that I did not buy this album when it first came out (I would have been ~ 14). I rank this with Jimi's "Band of Gypsys". It is a timeless classic that gets better with age....and better and better and better. This type of passion is so rare, and watching him play drives home just how special he was (get the DVD!!). Any one of "Million Miles Away, Walk on Hot Coals, I Wonder Who, or Who's That Comin'" would have made this a great album. The fact that they are all on one CD is stunning. I simply cannot get enough of this masterpiece. Snag the DVD for an extra treat...having the visuals makes the music even more alive. In the words of Donal...God Bless Rory.

Let's just say that "Irish Tour," which has sold the most copies of any of the late Rory Gallagher's albums, captures one of the finest blues-rock guitarists of our time in peak form. This gem of a live recording was assembled from various gigs across Mr. Gallagher's troubled native Ireland in 1974, and he clearly relishes playing for the home crowd.

Mr. Gallagher and company churn through some longer versions of Walk on Hot Coals, Too Much Alcohol, and Who's That Coming, which allows Mr. Gallagher to improvise and experiment a bit. (There's not a bad number here, but why is Just a Little Bit not included on the CD version?)

I'm not prone to lavish adjectives on recordings, but there is more than enough intensity, passion, and virtuosity here to help the uninitiated learn what all the fuss is when it comes to Rory Gallagher's place in rock history.

Red hot guitar rock right up there with some of the finest recordings from the genre giants such as Cream or The Yardbirds. When rock was rockin' and the working class lads had a chance of getting out of the slum. A guitar was heckuwa better than construction work in Sydney, the docks of Liverpool or Sheffield steel. In those golden times even Pittsburg Steelers still played at the famed Three Rivers Stadium! Seriously, this is one rip roarin album. Get yaself a pint and don your greens 'cause Rory rocks!

This album captures one of Ireland's most loved musicians. He is back in his native land at the pinnacle of his powers. Perfectly capturing the live connection between the audience and performer, "Irish Tour", is not only one of Rory Gallagher's best albums, but is surely one of the best live albums ever released. The album was recorded in Belfast, Dublin and Cork, and shows Rory putting in some performances of awesome power. The fact that, after 28 years, it still makes you yearn to be there in the audience when Rory, in his check lumber jack shirt and battered stratacaster in hand, drags the band back on stage for the fourth or fifth encore speaks for itself. This line up of the Rory Gallagher band had already released 2 albums and been on the road for 2 years, so they were as tight as the British Lions front row of the 1974 tour of South Africa. Rory could just let himself go, knowing that the band would follow him anywhere with an understanding and passion of the music they played - like Barry John to a young Gareth Edwards, "You chuck it son, I'll catch it". By 1974 Rory's development and belief in his own abilities is almost palpable as is his confidence. He allows Lou Martin, the keyboard player, plenty of space to shine with solos before Rory storms back to show who is the boss. Throughout this album the guitar tone is colourful and hard hitting, whilst still maintaining a controlled sensitivity. Rory constantly demonstrates his incredible guitar technique. It is definitely worth pointing out skillful backing chord work, volume control and his switching of tone which deepen the musical expression of the album. The M.C.'s announcement and the sound of Rory tuning his guitar before the opening song, "Cradle Rock", gives an atmospheric intro to the album. The songs are a fine collection of self composed numbers and splendid cover versions. Rory made J.B.Hutto's "Too Much Alcohol" one of his own. It perfectly captures the warmth between audience and artist, especially when Rory and the fans count from 91-100. Another classic originally recorded for the "Tattoo" album is the 10 minute workout of "A Million Miles Away", where the musical development from the original studio recording is outstanding. `Irish tour' shows Rory's different characters, from the gutsy hard rocking guitar hero to delicate, gentle performer. His unique style shines through on every track. This album has sold in excess of two million copies worldwide and is a must for any Rory fan wanting their live `fix'. During the live set closer, "Who's that coming", you can almost hear the adrenaline pumping through the viens of both band and crowd, as the music builds and accelerates into a truly dynamic sound with each band member playing his heart out and Rory really excelling himself on slide guitar. As the band leave the stage you are left with the Cork crowd singing: "Nice one Rory Nice one Son Nice one Rory Let's have another one". Nice one indeed Rory. Mott the Dog.