Log #135 - I Wish Tour '74

Father John Misty God's Favourite Customer 

Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74

Me'Shell Ndegeocello Peace Beyond Passion

John Grant The Queen of Denmark

Manuel Göttsching - Inventions for Electric Guitar

Wishbone Ash Live Dates

A couple of old favourite live albums this week. I used to love the cover to the Wishbone Ash Live Dates album. It feels very exotic and from another time and place, like Lawrence of Arabia, The English Patient, or Our Man In Havana. I don't think the reality was quite as exotic. Some of these live recordings come from err... Reading. They are superbly recorded though with long instrumental passages displaying the band's famous dual lead guitars.

The track titles are a bit sword and sorcery, like The Pilgrim, The King Will Come, Throw Down The Sword, and Warrior. But it's immaculately rendered if you like your guitar rock on the melodic and slightly soft end of the spectrum.

Several forms of the band are still touring relatively small venues today. I did see one version (with one of the original guitarists - I forget which one) tour Live Dates a few years ago in a church hall type venue. With the crowd seated in metal school chairs the atmosphere wasn't conducive to rocking out. Nevertheless the fans were lapping up the signed vinyl copies of the album after the show. I see they are back again at a venue near me this Autumn.

The cover to the Rory Gallagher album is suitably minimalist. Just some red type over silver chrome (and a gatefold of tour photos inside). It suits the music - straight forward blues rock played by one of the pre-eminent electric guitarists of his day. 

One time, many years ago (Rory died in 1995) I was lucky enough to see him live at a venue in Southampton. He played a blistering 3 hour set including my favourite song at the time A Million Miles Away (which is also on this album). I then drove to Cardiff to see a repeat of the concert the following night. They don't make 'em like Rory anymore.

In January 1974 against a backdrop of the Irish troubles Gallagher toured dates in Belfast, Cork and Dublin, refusing to cancel despite security issues (the day before the Belfast date 10 bombs went off at various locations around the city). 

Unlike many live albums which seemed to catch a band off colour Irish Tour '74 captured Gallagher and his bandmates at their peak, doing what they did best, playing hard and dirty blues rock to an ecstatic homecoming crowd.

With Rory, if he didn’t have somebody to look at then he couldn’t feed off the energy. That’s why Irish Tour is such a good bloody album because it was recorded live, he got the crowd there with him singing along and sort of like urging him along… without the presence of an audience the recording process for Rory was a bit of a strain.

Keyboard Player Lou Martin

Gallagher was one of those rare musicians who could literally make his instrument sing. The guitar became part of his body and the sound (hardly embellished by any effects save for a bit of whammy arm) became an extension of his voice. Indeed, it's been said many times, and probably on this blog before, but Jimi Hendrix allegedly said he was the best guitarist he'd ever heard.

[Can we have some more meat on that bone of a claim please Eddy? Ed.]

Well, not much actually.

There is evidence that in a TV interview (which I can't uncover) that when asked how it felt to be the best guitarist in the world Jimi responded: "I don't know, you better ask Rory Gallagher."

But this urban myth has also had the names Chet Atkins or Phil Keaggy or Randy California or Terry Kath inserted in place of Rory Gallagher, so it seems it probably didn't happen. I've also found claims that ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons was Hendrix's favourite guitarist.

Here, right now, I'll add my own versions of the alleged quote for the sake of confusing google searches!:

When asked what it was like to be the best guitarist in the world Jimi Hendrix responded, I don't know, you better ask Tommy Emmanuel.

When asked what it was like to be the best guitarist in the world Jimi Hendrix responded, I don't know, you better ask Andy Latimer.

[This is just getting silly now. Stop it. Ed.]

Ok, let's just say the dates could fit, and it could be feasible. Gallagher was an amazing guitarist and Hendrix could have heard him sometime after Gallagher's original band Taste were formed in 1966. Hear some of his music or check out footage on youtube and decide for yourself. 'Nuff said.