The haunting, spellbinding moment a young Irish visionary stepped away from his blistering guitar amplifier, picked up a harmonica, and proved to a European television audience that a heavy blues-rock trio could carry the deep, melancholic soul of a traditional folk ballad. The legendary power trio Taste delivers an absolute masterclass in atmospheric roots precision and raw, emotional showmanship fully live on the set of the celebrated West German program Beat-Club. Broadcast by Radio Bremen on February 28th, 1970, for Episode 52, this extraordinary archival clip captures the band at their absolute creative peak, treating the studio to a beautifully unique, multi-instrumental performance of “If The Day Was Any Longer.”
This early 1970 television broadcast stands as a monumental showcase of musical versatility and telepathic group chemistry. Front and center, a young Rory Gallagher completely commands the room, swapping his ferocious electric fretwork to anchor the track with a soulful acoustic guitar foundation and an aching, gravelly vocal delivery. The performance reaches a deeply poignant climax when Rory steps into the spotlight to blow a crying, lonesome harmonica solo that cuts directly through the studio air. Behind him, the rhythm section drops into an elite, minimalist pocket—with Richard “Charlie” McCracken weaving warm, melodic bass lines around the progression while drummer John Wilson drives a crisp, beautifully restrained brush-led rhythm.
Originally released in January 1970 on their seminal sophomore masterpiece “On the Boards” the second and final studio album before their tragic disbandment following a historic, show-stopping set at the Isle of Wight Festival—the composition perfectly highlighted the band’s willingness to stretch past conventional 12-bar structures into progressive folk and jazz textures. Do you think the intimate, unpolished focus and live television sweat of this 1970 German Beat-Club appearance capture the true, multi-instrumental genius of Taste’s short-lived legacy even better than the tightly wrapped studio tracking they cut for the original LP?
