Guitar Slinger From Ballyshannon's 4th Studio Album From 1973

Until his untimely death in 1995 aged just 47, Rory Gallagher gave the world a unique brand of blues rock which could bounce from barnstorming to bewitching to just plain beautiful with but a flick of the great man’s wrist. Celebrating 40 years since the start of his solo career, Rory’s first six albums have been overhauled, lovingly re-mastered and completed with liner notes from, amongst others, brother and former tour manager Donal Gallagher.

The 1970s was a particularly prolific time in Rory’s long career and it’s testament to his skill and imagination that Rory Gallagher (1971), Deuce (1971), Live! In Europe (1972), Blueprint (1973), Tattoo (1973) and Irish Tour ’74 (1974) are of such outstanding quality. He toured constantly throughout this period and it’s miraculous just how he found time away from the stage to write so many great songs. Tattoo is perhaps the pick of the bunch: a near-perfect document of the powerful, passionate performances that placed Rory in a league of his own. You’ve only got to glance at the list of guitarists that cite him as an influence – The Edge, Slash and Johnny Marr, to name but three – to realise just how special this guy was.

Rory really did let his guitar do the talking, lighting up the fretboard with one blistering lick after another. Never, however, did he feel the need to resort to histrionics in his efforts to dazzle and delight. Rory could hold his own with any of the axe-wielding giants of the day – indeed, he was linked to Deep Purple after Ritchie Blackmore quit – but even at its weightiest, Tattoo is always disciplined and tasteful. Where others wring the life from their instruments, Rory teases his trusty 61 Strat until it sings.

From the laidback vibe of opener Tattoo'd Lady, the raunchy riffing of Cradle Rock and Admit It to quieter moments such as the acoustically driven 20:20 Vision, this is a scintillating showcase for Rory’s mastery of his craft. His backing band are none too shabby either, long-time bassist Gerry McAvoy lining up alongside keyboardist Lou Martin and drummer Rod de'Ath for the kind of locked-in session that still oozes excitement even after all these years. A bonus cover of Link Wray’s Tucson, Arizona rounds off what’s both the perfect introduction to a guitar legend and a feast for hardened fans.

A creative commons review by Greg Moffitt at http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/5wrj/

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Log #136 - Living In The Live Age

Ah, the Live album! Love 'em or hate 'em they were a staple of 70s rock. Most of the stalwarts of the rock scene in that decade had a live album in them. Many had two. For some artists (Frampton, Cheap Trick, and Bob Seger, their live album became their career defining moment far surpassing anything they produced in the studio).

That was just the official ones: There used to be a major trade in bootleg live recordings too. Most bands didn't appreciate the inferior quality of the bootlegs that surfaced on the market - not surprisingly when you consider many such recordings were literally made by an audience member standing in the crowd with a cassette recorder, albeit some better recordings did emerge from sound desks. (The Grateful Dead however were unusual in being the one band that positively encouraged recordings of their shows and many high quality semi official releases exist).

The unofficial recordings nevertheless served a useful purpose for the fans. Bootlegs would present full concerts from one venue on one night, with all the songs in the intended order, and all the warts, fluffs, inter song banter, and audience coughs present. To relay the experience of actually being there these usually surpassed official releases.

Official live albums were usually variously enhanced with edits and overdubs, which meant the tracks were sonically better but this did defeat the object somewhat - one didn't really want to hear a live album where the songs were identical to the studio recordings.

For me the most interesting live albums were from artists that would perform significant reinterpretations of their studio recordings. An electric track would be played acoustically on stage, or a short track would be extended for instance. Bob Dylan and Neil Young were the obvious masters at reinventing their material. Sometimes an artist would present a live recording of entirely new songs.

While the 70s was probably the heyday of the live album many artists have recently begun to release multiple recordings of live concerts from their vaults. Young for example is releasing a series of live concert recordings, many (mostly inferior versions) of which had appeared as unofficial bootlegs previously.

Not all 70s rock artists released live albums. There are some surprising omissions, whether by contractual restriction or other reason. Some artists have recorded albums live of course, but in the studio without an audience. And not all live albums work, whether by poor design or recording, or the music simply not being reproducible or suited to live performance - some of the more complicated prog rock music for instance doesn't always seem to translate so well live.

Great cover, dated film, disappointing recording

Sometimes bands would make a hash of the multi venue edits or the crowd noise - rendering the live album devoid of atmosphere or continuity. The live offerings from some very revered live bands disappoint (evidence from youtube footage would suggest that classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath were exciting particularly in their early days, but even the most loyal fan would be hard pushed to argue The Song Remains The Same, or Live Evil, are good albums - perhaps their live albums just caught them on off days (or off tours), or simply past their peaks). Drugs certainly played a part with some bands who couldn't get it together live (although I always think not as much as you would have expected - if the lifestyles of these bands were as incessantly "rock n roll" as reported the bands would rarely have been able to turn up let alone play anything).

This week Eddy revisits 6 classic live albums from the era - there were of course 100s to choose from and the subject, like the Roger Dean covers log, probably deserves a series in future, but for now he has steered clear of some of the more obvious albums (like Live in Leeds and the aforementioned The Song Remains The Same) to present a Frampton Comes Alive Free Zone below):

Why is this album so famous? Right place right time? I honestly don't know (having never heard it).

Van Morrison / Too Late To Stop Now

Wishbone Ash / Live Dates

UFO / Strangers In The Night

Rory Gallagher / Irish Tour '74

Tom Waits / Nighthawks At The Diner

Scorpions / Live In Tokyo

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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.

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