Rory Gallagher

Irish Tour '74 (Polydor ’74) Rating: A-
When discussing Irish rockers, I supposed you'd start with Van Morrison and U2, followed perhaps by Thin Lizzy. But you'd better damn well fit Rory Gallagher into the discussion somewhere, at least based on the evidence of Irish Tour '74, as well as his reputation for several other fine albums. My friend Guy Peters declares this to be the essential Rory Gallagher album, and since the man knows his Rory Gallagher, that's good enough for me (though I hope to find out for sure myself someday). Anyway, the highlights of this 71-minute live showcase are Gallagher's fiery guitar playing and his band's loose but powerful ensemble playing. Fittingly, a blues player of Gallagher's stature attracted sidemen of sizable talent; Lou Martin lends several spotlight stealing keyboard runs throughout the album, while drummer Rod De'Ath and bassist Gerry McAvoy ably hold down the bottom end. Yet Gallagher is the album's biggest star. Although they do Muddy Waters proud on "I Wonder Who (Who's Gonna Be Your Sweet Man)," and their version of Tony Joe White's "As the Crow Flies" is an impressive Unplugged-styled interlude, these are mostly his songs, after all, certainly the best ones are, and the band burns big time on "Cradle Rock" (a high energy thumper), "Tatoo'd Lady" (a fast, explosive rocker that's my personal favorite), "A Million Miles Away" (a moody, slow burner with a simmering intensity), "Walk On Hot Coals" (another explosive if slightly over-long entry), and "Who's That Coming" (a stellar slide showcase with a powerhouse performance by De'Ath). Sure, these long (the average song length is over 7 minutes), mostly mid-tempo songs have their downs as well as their ups, mostly on the more straightforward blues tunes, which can plod in places. Yet even on these songs Gallagher and co. perform with great conviction, and the ups on the album far outweigh the downs. Simply put, Gallagher was one of the premiere blues rockers of the 1970s, and these songs do rock, with an expansive power and imagination that would do Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page proud.

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