Rory Gallagher
Irish Tour

THE REVIEW

Overwhelming. 

This is the best adjective to define "Irish Tour", elected by Rolling Stones in 1974 as "best live album of the year", and not without reason. The energy released here is indescribable, but it can still be felt. Rory Gallagher, all too underrated, was the best Irish blues guitarist, and had recently released the two excellent studio albums "Blueprint" and "Tattoo" accompanied by bassist Gerry McAvoy, drummer Rod de'Ath, and keyboardist Lou Martin. An important tour, considering the Troubles of the time, but Rory had the courage and determination to perform in a Belfast in the midst of a civil war.

But let's get to the album itself.

A voice announces the entry of Rory and his band and we can hear an electric guitar tuning up, a few seconds and like a stone the riff of "Cradle Rock" arrives and the show begins. All the ingredients are there for a top-notch performance, great instrumental skill combined with grit and sweat, as blues should be played. The leader's guitar has a raw distortion and Our Hero's fingers know how to caress or attack the strings in turn. His voice may not be virtuosic, but it is functional to this hard-tinted blues. And the band is no less, with powerful and precise rhythm that doesn't miss a beat and the keyboards always in motion, not relegated to mere accompaniment but an integral part of the sound, almost smoothing the edges of this edgy song.

Then there are the slow electric blues like the cover of "I Wonder Who" or that of "Too Much Alcohol" where the guitar is free to improvise with taste. And then what about the almost hard rock of "Tatto'd Lady" or the jams "Walk on hot coals" and "Who's that coming". But perhaps the peak of this fantastic album is the cover of Tony Joe White's "As The Crow Flies", where Gallagher performs with the '32 National Dobro, making great use of slide technique in a performance filled with emotional intensity, all sealed by a chilling harmonica solo.

 An album to be placed in the category of "The Most Underrated Live Albums in Rock History"; an album that is a must-have if you love blues-laden rock and to do justice to a guitarist and performer like Rory Gallagher who left us too soon but whose humility and sincerity were striking.

P.s.: There is also a DVD version of "Irish Tour" remastered by BGM in 2001 which, in addition to the performances of the record, also features great backstage clips.