Customer Reviews

Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour 1974

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Rory Gallagher is quite possibly the most criminally underrated guitarist from the seventies. He has been described as the Irish version of Eric Clapton or Johnny Winter. Like these two guitarists he is comfortable playing blues or rock but he can also play in a more folk oriented style or even a jazzier style if the situation warrants it. This documentary of his 1974 Irish Tour should go a long way to rectify the situation. While Gallagher's reputation may have suffered due to his fear of flying and his humble nature, his playing more than speaks for itself. This fact is evident during the interviews and non-concert footage from the DVD. Gallagher's primary motivation appears to be the music and his fans, not the money and acclaim. Rory appears almost embarrassed at times about his fame and while taking the time to sign autographs for his fans he appears almost shy. His stage apparel of jeans and a checkered shirt and battered Stratocaster are legendary and further prove that he is not on some sort of star trip.

The music itself is both incendiary and emotion filled. Aided by long time bassist Gerry McAvoy along with former Killing Floor members Rod de'Ath on drums and Lou Martin on keyboards Gallagher succeeds in translating the live concert experience to disk. The concert itself contains three numbers "Hands Up", "Going To My Home Town" and the raucous encore "Bullfrog Blues" lamentably not issued on the compact disk version of the "Irish Tour 1974". Gallagher is adept at both acoustic and electric guitars as evidenced by his acoustic cover of Tony Joe White's "As The Crow Flies". Rory was also an excellent slide guitarist and "Who's That Coming" provides a testiment to his slide guitar playing. His emotional reading of the slow blues "A Million Miles Away" is another highlight. The smile on Rory's face during the concert shows the viewer that he is both having a great time, which translates to the audience and is emotionally involved in the music. The concert footage is alternated with footage of Ireland and areas where Rory performed and grew up. This allows the viewer to identify with Gallagher's struggle to get his music heard outside of his native Ireland. Commentary is provided by both bassist Gerry McAvoy and Rory's brother and manager Donal. Some of the most interesting non-concert footage is of Gallagher jamming with the band before the concert and explaining the various styles and techniques he uses on both the acoustic and electric guitars. He also seems amused while shopping at a music store to find sheet music for some of his songs with his first band Taste.

I highly recommend this to fans of great blues and rock guitar playing. Rory Gallagher fans will find this essential due to the dearth of available live Gallagher footage and the three unissued versions of songs from the Irish Tour 1974. The film also provides valuable insights into Rory's background and personality. It also enhances the legacy of one of Ireland's greatest musicians.

Anyone who's a big fan of blues-rock or guitar-hero rock of the sixties and seventies should get a huge thrill out of this gem. It begins with scenes of the sea thrusting into the Irish coast and then makes its way into a spellbound onstage version of 'Walk On Hot Coals'. Rory Gallagher was definitely the most under-rated blues-rock guitarist of all time; this DVD is proof of it. His style and tone are both blustery and unrefined, but natural and brown-toned as well. His band of himself on vocal and guitar (mainly a strat player), Gerry McAvoy (bass), Lou Martin (piano), and Rod de'Ath (drums), is loud and raw blues-rock heaven. The backstage interviews are interesting, too, as they show how electrified and personable he was. It's blatantly obvious how much he loved playing live by the huge smile on his face and the way he interacts with the crowd. The scenes of Belfast and the rough old Irish nightclubs and venues just add to the raw beauty of the music. This one will be all worn out by the time I'm done watching it and listening to it. It's one of my favorite DVDs.

Rory Gallagher remains the best kept secret in blues/rock history. If you are just discovering this largely over-looked musician, you are in for a real treat! IT'74 is a fantastic way to start your investigation of one of the greatest rock and blues guitarists of all times. Tony Palmer, the film maker does a great job in capturing a young Rory with this film. It's a great little chunk of history that depicts a special time in music history, a vital, energetic and creative time. Rory Gallagher died much to young. He played and toured into the early nineties, so you are looking at a snapshot of his early work, which just happened to coincide with a dangerous time in Ireland. Rory was the only major artist to consistently play and tour venues in Ireland, that other musicians avoided. IT'74 captures the excitement and love of this great man in a magnificent look back at these shows. Hopefully, many new fans will get a chance to enjoy the work of this very humble man. I hope that IT'74 is the "first" Rory Gallagher DVD and that we can look forward to more in the future. This is definitely worth the price of admission. Don't miss it!

This is a classic performance of Rory Gallagher Irish Tour 74. A film ( documentary) by Tony Palmer released for `cinema' in 1974,capturing the high energy of these concerts.Rory At his best!! This DVD is a great gift for all fans. The `documentary' shows the band`s members before the concert,jokes,jams sessions and Rory in a musical instrument store trying acoustic guitars and others curiosities. The song `A Million Miles Away 'is absolutely great !!Rory isn`t forgot. The image isn`t a digital perfection (remember, this concert was in 1974,recorded for a `movie' documentary),but the quality and the sound are good for me,worth see and buy this rare Rory`s performance.( Remastered in 5.1 surround sound ). This DVD have discography informations and a `bonus' session recorded Live in Japan 1974.A blured image,but rare. 83 minutes of the best`s Rory Gallagher concerts !!! 27 Years to see this,until now !!At last.

I plugged this DVD into the player to let it run in the background while I was busy at other stuff. The intro music caught my attention and I left what I was doing to take a look. I was glued to the TV until the DVD finished and I just sat mesmerized. It is testimony to the quality of this product that the only criticism levelled at it relates to the second rate camerawork or the poor editing. The music scene in Ireland in 1974 was light years from what it is today, and playing the City Hall was as good as it got in Cork. One look at the backstage conditions and the state of the band's gear and one can imagine that they were probably lucky to have two decent cameras at any gig, so there probably isn't a ton of footage to edit from.
That aside, the tracks on this DVD, and the quality of the music show Rory Gallagher at his best. Tattoo'd Lady, A Million Miles Away, Who's that Coming all brought back great memories of my youth in Cork. I was 11 years old in 1974 and the footage of downtown Cork and Cobh is the way that I remember that place. The music is an even more powerful memory. Rory was a huge hero for us at a time when Cork was in a downward economic slide and our few treasured LP's at the time were so much more valuable to us that the hundreds of throwaway CD's we have today.
And the man himself? An unpretentious, enormously talented genius. His talent and love of the music oozes from this video. He walks the streets of Cork - just another bloke barely recognized by passers by, except for a great scene where he signs some kid's wrist, who in turn gives him a respect-filled pat on the back.
We used to be so proud that one of our own was the "second best guitarist in the world" - after God know who, maybe Clapton. After watching this DVD I know he wasn't second best. I cannot think of anybody, living or dead, who is better. If you're a Rory Gallagher fan, this is a must. If you're new to this legend, it's a great place to start.

ok rory gallagher fans, here it is, a great dvd from the classic irish tour of 74'. some people said there were to many close-ups of rory in this film, and not enough of rory playing his guitar. i did not think so! in fact i think it was filmed very "evenly" giving the other band members a chance to shine, as well as the fans, and some very interesting footage of ireland. there is one scene where rory walks into a guitar shop and starts playing some guitars, i think he mentioned it was where he got his first guitar, or something to that extent!
it's nice to here rory talk to the fans, and to the movie interviewer. about how he plays certain guitars, uses his slide, etc...you just can't help, but like this guy! you can just see how nice and humble he really was!
the mixing on this dvd is great for something almost 30 years old.you can really crank it up! "cradle rock", and "tatoo lady" sound very nice!
the bottom line is, if you're a rory gallagher fan, you must have this dvd. i hope this is a forward trend for some other rory shows to come out on dvd, like "live in cork" and maybe some hidden treasures nobody has seen!

I love Rory Gallagher. The picture quality is great, the sound is great, but the way in which the programme has been edited is frustrating.

Every time the camera should include the guitar in shot all we see is Rorys face!

As a musician this winds me up immensely. I want to see him play and see his brilliant technique. This is an awesome gig, only problem is you cant see it!

1st class in all other respects, but for me the DVD gets only 2 stars.

Surely I'm not the only person with this major gripe?

I'm from the US and it is quite obvious from the UK-centered reviews that this dvd is held under greater scrutiny, probably because folks in britain were fortunate enough to be able to see this INCREDIBLE guitarist in his prime while, for whatever reason, Rory Gallagher remains in this country anyway, an afterthought when it comes to classic rock(?), and an unheared-of genius (much like Roy Buchanan). Do yourself a favor and BUY THIS DVD! If you have come this far in your couriosity about Rory Gallagher, then you have reached the point at which you CAN make up your mind! Rory Gallagher is AWSOME and you will not be able to deny this after watching this dvd. Yes the footage is dated, but the HEART (IRISH HEART) is there!

Irish Tour the film.What can one say.This film depicts what we have been listening to these past 28 years on the vinyl record double album then titled Irish Tour '74.To be honest if you come from Cork City,like I do it makes the film that little bit more sentimental.Viewing old footage of Cork City and remembering these shops when I was younger just like Rory,it brings back lots of fond memories indeed.The film is fantastic in so far as we get to go backstage with the band in the dressing rooms,tuning the guitar for Rory,the old bottles of Guinness being drunk,and the band hanging out with their old buddies in Cork.We see Rory and Donal walking the streets of Belfast in the height of the troubles.Probably what stands out for me really is the great relationship two brothers shared.It must have been some buzz for both Rory as the performer and Donal as manager to successfully steer his career from these early,almost primitive days in 1974 to what he finally achieved before his sad and untimely death in 1995.It's obvious they had a special relationship.The concert footage is also a great insight into the Ireland of that particular time.It's hard to explain to people outside of Ireland,but what the Gallagher brothers(the original Gallagher Brothers) were doing back in those days was the start of something huge.Rory has influnced U2 along the way,among others.This film is a must have for any self respecting music fan,let alone Rory fan.Do yourself a favour,go out and buy it before it's all sold out.

Back in 1976 when I was a teenager, I lived in Germany and
happened to watch Rockpalast Live on the TV. I was impressed by
Rory Gallagher and tried to buy CD's and Video. It was very
difficult to buy them when I moved back to Korea.

Rory Gallagher is a straight forward Blues guitarist with Irish
feel. My impression of Rory Gallagher is "Rory talks and
communicates his thought and feeling with his guitar in the for
of Blues."

Most important numbers of Rory Gallagher in his early days are
in the DVD. Sound is also nicely mastered and transfers
atmosphere of the live hall in a full scale even in a living
room.

Not only live music videos are nice, but also backstage talks
and introduction of his day-to-day life was also interesting.
Matter of fact, Rory Gallagher appeas to me "Shy" when he is
not on stage.

The contents, Music and ordinary life of Rory Gallagher, in
this DVD is well balanced.

I was happy to find this DVD after tens of years looking for it.