The Fat Angel Sings

The Irish blues-rock guitar icon made strong, often great albums in the Seventies. But he was at his best, always, on stage. Rory Gallagher‘s present to the home country, at the turn of ’74, was seven shows in three cities, including Belfast, where sectarian violence had scared off most touring bands. A fantastic 1974 double LP was taken from riotous gigs in Cork, where Gallagher grew up. This boxed set is the tour complete, with similar set lists but vigorously different performances each night by one of rock’s most reliantly electrifying guitarists.

Rory Gallagher was also growing increasingly frustrated at not being able to capture the energy of his live shows in the studio. During one session, he threatened to “chuck the tapes in the dustbin”. It was no ideal threat – he would go on to shelve whole albums in the future.

“He was a live performer,” said keyboard player Lou Martin. “He didn’t like the studio because he was playing to the walls and wasn’t getting any feedback from the audience. But he had to do the albums for the record company.” But  onstage, it was another matter entirely, and Gallagher understandably jumped at the chance to record another live album. But this one would be different: it would be recorded in Ireland. Although his previous live album Live In Europe has a more raw, one-take sound, Irish Tour ‘74 showcases Rory’s growth as a songwriter and shines where he explores his then-most recent studio album, the very musically varied Tattoo. Opener Who’s That Coming, Tattoo’d Lady and the lengthy, looser version of A Million Miles Away show a man who’s enjoying his talent to the fullest musically.

“We were one of the only bands to play Belfast,” says Lou Martin proudly. “Thin Lizzy were not doing it because of the aggravation. But Rory insisted on it. I was from Belfast, Gerry was from Belfast and there was co-operation from ‘The Organisation’ to make sure the concerts went OK.”. “We were taken care of very well,” said drummer Rod de’Ath. “The hotels that we stayed at were carefully chosen, without going into too much detail.” (Neither man was willing to go into more detail about ‘The Organisation’, though we can presume that they’re not talking about the British government).

The resulting album, “Irish Tour ’74”, remains the highlight of Gallagher’s career. Recorded in Belfast, Dublin and Cork, it finally nailed his live performances on vinyl. While the sound quality is variable – partly due to the fact that they couldn’t get insurance for Ronnie Lane’s Mobile Studios in the more troubled areas – the album never loses its primal, raw urgency. It’s the sound of a band leaning out over the precipice – something Gallagher deliberately encouraged, making up the show as he went along.

A DVD of Tony Palmer’s eyewitness film, “Irish Tour ’74”, captures the soft-spoken Gallagher defying the bloodshed in Belfast, determined to play for fans on both sides of the Troubles with no guns drawn except for the one in Blind Boy Fuller’s “Pistol Slapped Blues.” The 40th anniversary expanded deluxe edition release of one of Rory Gallagher’s most celebrated recordings. The most expansive edition to date, of this landmark album.  Featured for the first time on record, all three shows.  Packaged in a special deluxe edition 8 cd, 10” boxset and including previously unreleased tracks, remastered audio, photos, extensive liner notes, feature length documentary, memorabilia and more.

“Irish Tour captures some of his finest known live recordings and, while it’s impossible to tell which songs were recorded where, across nine in-concert recordings (plus one after-hours jam session, Back on My Stompin’ Ground), the energy crackling from stage to stalls and back again packs an intensity that few live albums – Gallagher’s others among them – can match.” (AllMusic)

“Unlike many other of his contemporaries, he lived long enough to see his legacy and influence take hold and flourish in the musical world. This display of one man’s ability to unite a people and a country in turmoil through his music is an essential listen for all rock fans, young and old, and is a crucial part of Irish musical history as well as the very legacy of blues rock.” (Sputnik Music)

“From the moment the music starts, Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour ’74 more than justifies itself. Gallagher played like his guitar was plugged straight into the universal source, and it probably was. That Gallagher was on his home turf for this tour only increases the sense of some sort of direct connection with his sound. Every note played, every string struck and every song sung vibrates with all the passion and intensity of a spiritual experience, which this surely was.” (Pop Matters)