Customer Reviews

Live in Europe

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Back in the early '70's my friends and I used to refer to Rory Gallagher as the "King of the Cut-out Bin". A frist rate
guitarist with a great feel for all kinds of blues, soulful singer, and charismatic performer (though without pretense), Gallagher was, for some reason, a non-seller. This album was the first Gallagher cut-out I bought and when the CD was released I didn't flinch at all at paying full price because this is some of the best live blues and rock on earth. After a perfunctory introduction and some enthusiastic applause from what sounds like a small audience, Gallagher rips into the first notes of his cover of Junior Wells' "Messin' With The Kid" and never lets up. His acoustic blues are just as impassioned as his electric rock; his performance of "Pistol Slapper Blues" is actually reminiscent of Blind Boy Fuller's, complete with fine Piedmont style fingerpicking and "Going To My Hometown" features mandolin and audience participation. Bassist Gerry McAvoy and drummer Wilgar Campbell fir perfectly with him. ther challenge and push him without getting in the way. Campbell's fills never intrude on the music, rather they help to fill the background and tend to keep the intensity up. Gallagher's own virtuosity never seems to exist for its own sake; his ego seems totally subsumed in the music. This is the mark of a true musician. The production is competent without being the least bit slick and there are just enough wrong notes to indicate a minimum of overdubbing. This is a great live rock album, doubtless one of the best, and an object lesson for many musicians with great chops and little maturity. Don't miss it.

Of the many inanities on the Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest guitarists that came out with great fanfare a few years ago, the most absurd is this: Rory Gallagher did not make the list. One can argue about where various guitarists should have been placed, but around 65 of the guitarists on the list truly belonged there. But 90 or 95 of the ones on the list must cringe with embarrassment that they were ranked above Rory Gallagher. There is simply no way that one can listen at any length to Rory play one scintillating solo after another and place him outside the top ten guitarists in the history of rock. Yeah, he was never terribly popular and even now is not especially well known to the public at large, but the fact is that he had utter mastery over his primary instrument. And unlike most guitarists, Gallagher was a multi instrumentalist. It is widely reported that when Mick Taylor left the Rolling Stones, the first choice to replace him was Gallagher. It is easy to see why. He was even more of a blues purist than any of the remaining Stones, was a better slide player than Keith Richards, Brian Jones, or Mick Taylor, would have provided far better back up vocals than anyone ever has for the band, would have brought some of the same multi-instrumental mastery that Brian Jones contributed in the sixties, and just generally would have forced everyone else in the band to get better just to keep up.

A lot of guitarists fake it in the studio. They get the benefit of multiple takes, double tracking, and various sound effects. Live albums show what you can really do, and luckily we have two great live albums from Gallagher, this one and IRISH TOUR. I actually prefer this one, however, because most of the cuts here did not appear on other albums. For the most part, he sticks with reworkings of classic blues songs. Unlike many bands, his versions never, ever sound like parodies of the originals (for instance, Led Zeppelin on all their blues covers except the truly haunting "When the Levee Breaks"). This album illustrates something that I think shows just how special Gallagher was: how superbly he managed to play while singing. The overwhelming majority of guitarists shift to a sort of back up or rhythm mode when they are singing, moving away from a kind of counterpoint until the singing stops and they can shift to lead guitar mode. Even a guitar god like Richard Thompson does this (though his "back up" mode is far better than most). What is eerie about Gallagher is how is intermixes his singing with lead playing. He often is effectively soloing or playing counterpoint to his singing, as if he able to devote separate parts of his brain to singing and playing. The only other guitarist that I know who does this as well as Gallagher is Jimi Hendrix. Anyone wanting to see what I'm talking about should just listen to this album carefully, noticing not just how he shifts from singing to playing, but how he is playing WHILE he is singing. This also comes across with the way he can play a guitar solo while also playing the harmonica. Whatever else this proves, it demonstrates his almost freakish musical gifts.

Every cut on the album is nothing short of amazing. Later in his career Gallagher would throttle back ever so slightly on his playing, adding more of a lyrical touch when he played. But here he is playing with almost reckless abandon, though never out of control. The only rock guitarist that I think was better on slide was Duane Allmann and on several cuts here Gallagher shines in his slide work. I utterly love, for instance, the way he shifts from regular playing to slide on "I Could Have Had Religion" while also moving from vocals to harmonica. And while he is equally as impressive on cuts like "Messin' with the Kid" and Laundromat" and "Bullfrog Blues," the icing on the cake is what he does with acoustic guitar on "Pistol Slapper Blues" and mandolin on "Going to My Home Town." The most astonishing thing about the number he performs on mandolin is how incredibly exciting it is. One wouldn't normally imagine this to be the case, but the proof is in the listening.

This is without question one of the great live albums ever released and vivid proof of how great Gallagher was. It also stands a rebuke to whatever morons were in charge of that silly Rolling Stone list.

Rory Gallagher's "Live in Europe" ranks up there with the greatest live albums in rock music. It's certainly in the same league as The Allman Brothers "Live at the Fillmore", Frampton Comes Alive and The Who "Live at Leeds".

From the first song 'Messin' with the Kid' Rory's guitar comes out swinging. Backed by excellent bass and drums, this power trio delivers rock-n-blues at its best. Another fine highlight is Blind Boy Fuller's 'Pistol Slapper Blues' a Rory Gallagher favorite. Perhaps no song among in this fine collection shows just at what a high level of playing this trio was capable of than 'Bullfrog Blues'.

If you've never heard Rory Gallagher before prepare to be pleasantly surprised. One warning, other Rory Gallagher albums-studio and live- are, in my humble opinion, of equally high quality. You'll want them all.

Highly recommended!

This album is a personal gift from Rory to your fans all over the world.All the tracks are intense with great solos,acoustic tones and intense vocals.Bullfrog blues is astonishing;'Going to my hometown' deeply soulful,and his band,is not of this planet!!!!! Great work Rory!Buy this cd,and you can rescue the roots and begginings of an unrecognized guitar heroe,one of the bests of ever!!!!!!!

The list of blues guitar legends is long(and growing longer so I hear)but Rory Gallagher deserves a place higher up near the top of that list.Gallagher never played the game and he payed the price but when it comes to playing the blues with passion and fire you will be hard pressed to find his equal.Rory was a phenomenal live performer and is captured here in fine form ( even when he picks up the mandolin for" going to my hometown" .
"Live in Europe" is a must have for any serious fan of the blues or those who just love to hear the guitar sing.
At his peak Rory was untouchable and he was close to his best here.His finest work however is on Taste- live at the Isle of Wight.

Rory Gallagher was, without a doubt, one of the most underappreciated musicians in the world. "Live in Europe" was an early success for him, showcasing his raw and rocking blues playing. "Messin with The Kid", "Bullfrog Blues", and "Laundromat" occupy sacred space in his canon, making this record a must-own for fan and new recruit alike. Rory's great versatility is on display with "Pistol Slapper Blues" (great ragtime blues) and "Going to My Hometown" (a mandolin stomper). Few of the so-called "Guitar Heroes" would ever show the intesity, honesty, and versatility that Rory does on this record. Don't hesitate, buy this cd and enjoy the great Irish blues master in his natural element, live.

I had never heard of Rory until a bandmate of mine turned me on to this album (thanks Ken Smith). We played it until it wore out and then bought another copy. The band ended up doing 5 songs of this particular LP and we went to see him play at the Colonial Tavern in Toronto, Canada. We went on a Monday night and were so impressed that we went back for the rest of the week. Each night, the buzz got bigger and the audience was at full capacity by Thursday night. He and the band were on fire and we were knocked out. I consider this album to be his best live work and is on par with other "better selling" live works (Humble Pie/Fillmore, Allmans/Fillmore, Muddy Waters/Newport and so on). I've been a fan of Rory's ever since that cold Monday in Toronto back in '75 and on a recent trip to Ireland, I stopped by his gravesite to pay homage and respect to a musician's musician. Live on Rory!

This excellent early live set shows why Rory Gallagher was always at his best when performing on stage. This disc features both electric and acoustic music, with a nice mix of originals and covers, and all selections are played to perfection by Rory and his incredibly tight band. The addition of two bonus tracks sweetens the deal, making this an excellent choice for old and new fans alike, providing a stunning audio portrait of the most underrated artist of all time. Get this one - it's a keeper!

If you're debating which Rory Gallagher live experience to purchase, I HIGHLY recommend going with Irish Tour '74 over Live in Europe.

The problem with Live in Europe is that it doesn't really showcase Rory's amazing guitar soloing skills. Trust me, you really need to hear those guitar solos because I'm willing to bet they'd leave you completely speechless.

Unfortunately, Live in Europe is such a laidback, traditionally blues-dominated live performance that you rarely get to hear the rip-roaring side of Rory that I personally associate with his music. He even rips some really mean solos on his studio albums, so I'm not sure why he didn't bother laying down mean licks for a live recording.

Plus, Irish Tour '74 does a splendid job with the song selection- most of his better known songs appear on that album and are improved considerably thanks to, again, Rory's fantastic guitar solos.

However that's not to say there's something really wrong with Live in Europe- there's nothing wrong with it. On a rainy cool quiet night, the bluesy vibe of songs like "What in the World?" capture the atmosphere perfectly.

It's just that we're dealing with two VERY different live albums.

If you hear a lot of admiration for Rory Gallagher's talents and pick up Live in Europe as your first exposure to his music, don't be surprised if you're left feeling like he's overrated. He's NOT overrated- this would just be a bad first purchase.

This is still a good album though. You just have to be in the mood for a slower-paced side of Rory Gallagher's many talents.

I submit this review on a whim. I first heard this record in the early 70s when I was but a lad and just beginning to explore blues, both American and Brit 60s interpretations. At that time his guitar wizardry was what impressed me the most. I just finished listening to it again, and now, almost 40 years later and well educated in all blues, I still love this album. The song selection is outstanding, the production value is outstanding for the time, and the band is remarkably tight. Plus, the guitar wizardry holds up. Gallagher was hit and miss throughout his career, but for my money this is his best work ever. Pick your favorite guitarists of all time, and Gallagher holds up well with the best of them. Any fan of blues, British blues, and great guitarists needs to own this record.