Ranking the Albums: Rory Gallagher
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ต.ค. 2024
- Join host Pete Pardo as he discusses the studio & live albums from the late, great, Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher. #rorygallagher
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Rory Gallagher and Gary Moore, both from Ireland, two of the greatest rock/blues guitarist, ever. Both very sadly missed.
Yeah Rory from the South & Gary from Northern Ireland, two great players who did us proud.
@@joet6434 i never saw RG live but saw GM at Albert Hall, he's the one guitarist who makes my hair stand on end, both just amazing players.
@@ik8034 thats brilliant, i was never lucky enough to see either legend, i was close once, Gary was playing the Ulster Hall in Belfast but he had to cance. I listen to both men regularly, each man a magician on the guitar with instantly recognisable vocals.
Rory was way more authentic when it came to the blues. Gary was Blues Rock. Only one of two white guys that WAS the blues; The other Johnny Winter
I love both. They made me love the blues.
My dearest friend Helena from Brazil. She died on February 14, 2018, lost her battle with cancer. She was the greatest fan of Rory. Edge In Blue was her most favorite song
thats my favorite of his also...sorry for loss..
Edged in Blue is one of my all time favorites too !
Its such a melancholic, but also powerful song !
The guitar intro always reminds me a bit of Eric Clapton... very soulful!
May your friend rest in peace & may you meet her again some day !
Dmitry, yes that is the most wonderful song. Your friend had a very good taste in music, RIP
I'll listen to it in remembrance of your friend 🤘
@@Nick-qf7vt Thank you very much
Rory was a true legend & really nice down to earth bloke, I met him a few times & he was always kind & Gentlemanly. Sadly missed!
Always loved Rory, saw Taste in 1970 then when on to see Rory’s band about 8 times over the years. Saw his very last full gig in UK before he died. The man was a gentleman and a brilliant entertainer. Never said much his player spoke to the audience, which he never forgot for a second. Miss him so much. He always gave 110% even when he was ill.
Blimey - you must be nearly as old as me !! ; ))
First saw Taste at The Marquee in '68 - then right on through the years till '94
I'd gladly get rid of all my vinyl to see him play in a small venue again !
I just recently became aware of who Rory Gallagher was. He was a great guitar player/ singer and live performer. Wow, so fun to watch him play. I'm a new forever fan. RIP Rory Gallagher and God bless. 🎸🍀
Great video and great rundown of Rory’s work. I heard Calling Card back in 1978 and bought the record that weekend. Great guitar on that record. But then again, they’re all good 🎸
I had never heard of Rory Gallagher back in 1975, but as a big fan of live albums back then I went shopping one hot smoggy day in L.A. to find something new. My usual record stores had nothing new from any of my favorites so I hopped a bus and ventured several miles beyond where I would normally go to shop at a store that specializes in Import albums. Scouring the bins there I once again was finding nothing. Frustrated and not wanting to return home empty handed I spotted a grey double album titled Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74. That was the only thing on the front cover. No photo. And on the back cover no photo but it did have the listing of the song titles. The first song listed was Cradle Rock. I thought okay, Rock, that gave me a glimmer of hope that this might be rock album. Back in those days purchasing a double album was a pricey proposition for a 19 year old (me) but I decided to roll the dice and take a chance on who ever this Rory Gallagher person is. So I bought it. Talk about hitting the jackpot !!! My God what a discovery. That was 45 years ago and in those years I purchased maybe 95% of his vinyl and CD releases along with as many DVD'S as I could find. I became a fan for life after a nervous roll of the dice back in 1975.
Recently started listening to RG but do remember him from the early eighties. I guess I'm at a stage in my life when it's time to listen to the blues/rock. Just bought Tatoo and Irish Tour Live 74 yesterday as recommended by a friend of mine. Looking forward to them arriving. Great musician.
Those are great choices to start your Rory journey. Obviously Irish Tour '74 means everything to me. Personally my choice for his best studio release is Calling Card. For your consideration as a next purchase. Enjoy the discovering!
victhedude417 Thanks for recommending the album. I'll check it out. John
@@victhedude417 Hi Vic, I went crazy the other day trying to make up my mind which album to by so I bought the following: Blues, Jinx, Photo-finish, Top Priority, Calling Card, Deuce, Rory Gallagher, Hail the collection from Taste. Golden Discs were doing a good deal. Expecting them to arrive tomorrow. Thanks John
@@zander-john3709 Excellent John! I still haven't bought "Blues" so you'll have to give me your review. Rory is like any other musician in that some albums are better than others overall but each one has it's gem(s). Next you'll love discovering his DVD'S! Enjoy!
Saw Rory live,around 20 times.Absolute showman,and fantastic musician,vocalist,songwriter….and a genuinely nice guy( met him in ‘74’)….The greatest guitarist ever ( bar none) in my opinion….Love Calling Card,Deuce,Against the Grain…Live I prefer Live in Europe to Irish Tour and think Fresh Evidence is very underrated……RIP Rory
I've been listening to Rory since 1975 when I was fifteen. Still love his music till this day. Stage Struck Live is an absolute treasure.
I've Bern listening to Rory sincero 1972 when I bought the album Made in Europe. What an incredible guitar player! I've become a blues fan since Thatcher year.
Since that year.
Top Priority and Photo Finish are my favorites, though nothing beats hearing him live
I agree those were the first two albums that I had a very excellent albums sold both of those on tour
Well I just touched down, and got me some crazy plans. Top five Rory song for me, Unfortuantely Rory never played this LIVE. Excellent Rocker!
Pete, I just love his first album. So tasteful, edgy, soulful and timeless. I love so much of his stuff but I keep going back to this first record. One of my regrets is that I only saw him live once (1982)....very memorable.
The best. His music is food for the soul. An Irish treasure (and they have many around there)
1 - Calling Catd
2 - Tatoo
3 - Rory Gallagher
4 - Photo Finish
5 - Blueprint
6 - Top Priority
Thanks, Pete! I would add to the discussion an appreciation of Rory's tremendous song writing ability. Not only was he the master of the killer riff (i e Cradle Rock covered by Joe Bonamassa) but his fascination with film noir tapped into some fascinating lyrics on songs like "Philby" , B-Girls, Bowed Not Broken,, as well as more traditional blues stuff like Daughter of the Everglades. And of course, there's the storytelling of the amazing Tatood Lady.
The sweetest rockstar ever !!! Huuuuge fan here. Rory was energetic had the sweetest sound and an amazing positive presence.
I first saw Rory when he opened for Robin Trower & Jethro Tull in 1976. He blew me away. I saw him again right before he died. Ive been to his hometown & posed with his statue when I went to Ireland 3 years ago.
I went Buxton Opera House UK to see Rory Gallagher in a Blues Legend gig to remember Alexis Korner. Rory didn't show I was absolutely gutted as he died very soon after. When it was announced that he wouldn't be attending that night (Robert Plant was on the bill) a stage hand walked out and placed a 59 Les Paul on a guitar stand, I said to the dude next to me, that's Jimmy Pages Les Paul! The announcer said but we have someone very special else who has come here to play tonight not on the bill. It was Jimmy and he played with Plant it was truly awesome but I was so wounded when Rory past weeks after. One of the most underrated guitarists of our time. Great review as always Pete, man I love your Channel!!!
Funny how all the musicians who knew of Rory seem to rate him though. There are some real eejits running the biz.
I went with my class mate Claggis straight after school to see Rory's first band, Taste (1970)
We took off our school ties, wore them as headbands and hopped on a train to Liverpool. We were in a bit of a rush and accidentally entered the stage door at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. (quite a posh venue for a blues-rock band at the time) We tiptoed past the changing room and there was Rory on an old piano with the bass player and drummer going over one of the songs. They craned their necks around to see who the trespassers were..they looked surprised, we looked embarrased as hell..albeit an awesome moment!
During the gig Rory unplugged his telecaster and played a solo with only the stage mics and the radiating acoustics of the Philharmonic hall picking up the guitar sound. The packed audience listened timelessly with bated breath..when Rory plugged in again the explosive dynamic was beyond electric!
Defender was the first album I brought of Rory's still have it on vinyl, never really clicked, it was a long time ago, but following this ranking have been picking up all Rorys releases on Cd and playing Defender now, really enjoying the album, great tunes, obviously 30+ years ago, after picking it up in a WHSmith sale I finally appreciate it. That is why these ranking shows are so worthwhile
Really an amazing player !!! I was lucky enough to see him live with Wishbone Ash in 1972 absolutely great show.
Stage Struck one of my fave live albums of all time.
Yeah, same to me!!!
I wore this one out!
My favorite Moonchild !!!
I was waiting for this one. Thanks Pete, I'm super stoked!!!!!
From the tasty opening of Do you Read me to title song to Secret Agent to my favorite Rory song, Moonchild, Calling Card is my favorite album of his. Discovered this album in the early 80's while in high school. Lead me to discover the rest of his discography. Been following you for awhile, never commented before...but wish to add positive thoughts; I'm also tired of the argumentative folks!
Stage Struck is one of the greatest things I've ever heard. The whole band kicks ass. In my mind I picture Gerry McAvoy in his rock and roll power stance thumping away while Rory soars above the thunder. It's amazing all around.
Thanks for doing this one, Pete! Rory was/is such an underrated guitarist...my favorite studio albums are, Photo-Finish & Calling Card! \m/
Fantastic list. My biggest musical regret is never seeing Rory Gallagher play. Had the chance in 1980 (having not heard much of his stuff), but we opted to go and see the movie Airplane! instead. The more of his music I subsequently heard, the bigger the regret. Total bummer!!
Saw Rory live at legendary Montreux Jazz Festival. Impressive performer and one of the best and most influential guitar players of all time.
My top three belong to his hard rock era, Photo finish, Top priority and Jinx.
%100 agree, hard rock at it's best. Jinx is so underrated!
@@ezioauditore7427 Double Vision!!, Big Guns!!, the beautiful Easy Come Easy Go!!, etc...You're right! Jinx is awesome!!!
Absolutely...Jinx is killer......Iove the '82 Rockpalast show with 6 songs from Jinx.....and a kick ass rendition of the great Chuck Berry's Nadine...the Rockpalast and Montreux DVD sets are worth their weight in gold.....
Studio album is "Against the Grain" for me. Live album is, of course, "Irish Tour "74".
Great episode, Pete! Big Rory fan since the Tattoo album was new. A friend had that and it blew us away then! I think that's my favorite but Against The Grain is a close 2nd. Live In Europe is a ripper, too! Saw him 2x in 1979. One time, after 2 encores I went outside, spent and sweaty, to the car to wait for my friends to come out. After a while they didn't show so I strolled back to the club to look for them and Rory was back onstage blowing up encore #3, crowd going nuts!
My favourites:
1- Against the Grain
2.-Live in Europe
3.-Calling Card
4.-Deuce
5.-Blueprint
The Blues Box is excellent.
I saw it twice in concert, in Dublin, Ireland february 1988 at The Olympia Theater. Amazing. A lot of guitars of any kind and for more than two hours.The Defender Tour. R.I.P.
Thank you Pete for covering Rory's discograghy . Here in Greece he's considered a legend. I miss some of his albums so I will avoid to rank them. My favorite is the one you're wearing today!
Yeah right he was always bigger in Europe then in the States I never understood that
another excellent show...love rory gallagher..my favorite is photo-finish... just one favor (if possible).... if the cd has a photo of the original vinyl album cover somewhere in the fold, would it be possible to show it...i always dug the covers as much as the albums and this show especially had a number of different cd covers...thanx and understand if you can't...peace always...be well...rocky
"I'm not awake yet" gives me the shivers each and every time i hear it, and i've heard it a million times.
Agreed. There's nothing like it.
Taste - "Taste" & "On the Boards". Rary Gallagher - "Rory Gallagher", "Calling Card" & "Live in Europe" . I was fortunate to see Taste live 9 times and the Rory Gallagher Band 11 times in the late 1960s and 1970s.
On the boards best Rory album .
I have seen him many times. Unfortunately never Taste. He has always been my absolute hero
Man, you suck. I am SO green with envy!. I wish I was there with you
mmcsadler
Wow!!!
Love Taste. Bullfrog Blues.
Stage Struck - Rory, Ted and Gerry were on fire
No question..kick ass....Gerry McAvoy has to be one of the all time great bass players...tons of fills and runs but still maintaining key and bottom end foundation.....
@@larrynolletti4594 Absolutely agree
The greatest of them all in my opinion. My favourite album has always been: Calling Card so very pleased that you also rate it so highly. Memorable for me to see him live in 1978 and the last track he played that night was the fantastic: Edged in Blue. A song that has always been my favourite and one that he rarely played live.
I would put 'Fresh Evidence' much higher. Just listen to that feel of 'Middle Name'. I do prefer his blues, jazz blues and country type blues, jazz over his normal rock n roll to be honest. I would also put his first solo album in the top 3 to be honest.
Agreed, John! Empire State kills me, love that acoustic slide!
@@soswald123 Yes, there's a real blues authenticity to that one and there's a great sound on the whole album. I think he'd have been happy with it.
i like his first album too,,,top 3 for sure
Agreed, Walking wounded track deserves a mention too
Loved Rory! Saw him live only twice in the Cleveland Agora in a small house setting. If I were a car, he blew my doors off both times I saw him. He opened with Messin' With The Kid, followed with Laundramat and then settled in to a beautiful strong mix of just great stuff, climaxing with Bullfrog Blues which had me dancing on tables along with many other people! So strong, so good! I miss him!!
I saw him in 85’ in the Flats at the Pirates Cove. Awesome show. Met him afterwards, great guy. Miss him big time.
Pete it’s hard to rank these, but Rory was the best. So underrated. Irish tour is great. The video is on TH-cam.
This video made my night, always thrilled to see Rory get his due. My go to artist for several years now and video gets to nitty gritty of his soul. Thanks for posting- my favorites would be debut followed by Deuce and Tatoo with Irish Tour top live album. Top songs include For the last time and I fall apart from debut, million miles and tatoo'd lady and fuel to fire but so many others. As for Taste years-my god the live expanded from the Isle of Wright is easily one of my top three of all time
The great Rory Gallagher! "Photo Finish" is perfect!
Good Morning Pete; was listening to a Joe Bonamassa live album this morning and heard "Cradle Rock" and remembered you are doing Rory Gallagher albums ratings this AM- Thank you because i always wondered about his stuff from 1976 on.😎
Thanks for this. This Gentleman and fellow country Man needs to be brought to the masses. Not for any reason other than his musical talent and humbleness is need now more than at any time in history. The 70s & 90s are the pinnacle of Music and creativity. The 60s has it's own unique place in history. But, the 70s was the zenith in my very humble opinion.
My absolute favorite guitar player.
Thanks so much for this. Rory Gallagher has long been my favourite guitarist. I had an eerily easy time thinking about my favourite album of 1971 the other day - such an insanely strong year, but Deuce still tops my personal list for that year.
Anyway - thanks again. So interesting to hear your take on his incredible catalogue.
My favourite guitarist, in fact the First slbum I bought with my own money as a young teenager was Live Taste, this was my introduction to the great Irishman. Have been a fan ever since my ranking is similar, in fact we agree on the top 3!!! Fantastic job Pete look forward to a Robin Trower studio ranking.
Great! I missed out on this till now… good show. Love Rory…
I've been waiting for this one. Irish Tour was a fave at Uni many long years ago. I recently re-acquired a copy and am raring to get more Rory. Thank you.
Hey Pete thank you for all the rad videos I'm 25 and you've seriously reignited my interest in a ton of artists and bands, also my buddies too! You and Butch's video on Gary Moore got me into his music, so thank you very much! Love that you mentioned The devil made me do it, that's such a great song, for me Photo Finish and Live in Europe are my favorite releases from Rory. Great artist that is sadly missed by tons of people. My buddy Cody who works at Amboea Records in Hollywood is a huge fan, he's the guy who got me seriously into Rory's music. Thanks for the video man, keep up the great content!
I love this channel so much, again doing the best job about showing his best works. Rory is the biggest impact on me. His personality what I like the most... Thanks for this video :)
Highly recommend the recent "Rory Gallagher: Blues" compilation. Great anthology of blues, both acoustic and electric. Great package as well (I picked up the vinyl). Includes Rory's top blues album picks from his own collection.
I've been sampling some of Rory's work on Spotify and being a blues lover the Blues collection is the one that is clicking with me. That and the "I Fall Apart" track from his debut. What a wonderful song.
Yes...absolutely....although I tend to lean more toward the electric tracks...excellent....
I recently picked up "Rory Gallagher Blues" and upon 1st listen it felt like a gift from the Gods!!! Great great great!
I like it too.
Great stuff Pete. I have a soft spot for 'Calling Card' it was on cassette in the local library. Got a tape to tape ghetto blaster, christmas 84, and stopped having to borrow it from the library. Saw him live, just once. Incredible artist.
Fabulous. Thank you so much.
Thanks Pete! Rory is Brilliant! I hope he reaches this generation.
I have heard about Rory Gallagher for years but I have yet to check out any of his stuff. Well, after watching this video I have decided that now is the time to listen/purchase some of his stuff. Thanks Pete.
The Irish Tour is so good it's sick!
'Hello? Ladies and Gentlemen... Rory, Gallagher!'
Just Picked Up The "Check Shirt Wizard" and " Blues" Sets....Absolutely Amazing Guitarist and All round Nice Guy who always had time for people.. Sadly Missed but forever remembered.
My first concert at 16 years old, was Rory Gallagher (RIP Rory, Lou, Rod. thanks) opening for ZZ Top in '73. It was about six months before Tres Hombres came out. Blues rock, slide guitar nut ever since, and still my favorite concert memory. I stood 15' from legends.
Top priority and Photo Finish had a huge impact on me back in the day as a young hard rocker. He became one of my top 3 favorite players together with Pat Travers and Frank Marino. I just finished my relic strat (found a cheap copy and had a box of rusty and yellowed leftovers from my 1st strat in 1982). Not quite as beaten up as Rory’s, but it comes close.
Surprised 'Fresh Evidence' - his final album - seems to be overlooked by many
, up there with Photo-finish I would say,
Hi Pete, good evening to you. Im Irish, and along with yer reviews and chats about Thin LIzzy, 'tis great t'be havin Rory, and Irish rock in here! Tanks for taking the time to review his albums. There is some really interesting video stuff on youtube originally on Irish televisoin years ago. Worth a look to see some live performances on home ground like that. His appearances on the "Late late Show" are really worth checking out. Many thanks to ya for the abundance of riches to keep company and learn about on this channel. Sláinte!- Cheers!
Thanks Pete
The very first Guitar Player magazine I ever bought had Rory on the cover. Since then I have always had a soft spot for his music. I have been a longtime fan of Tatoo & Photo Finish which I still have on LP.
Im glad to see you do a video on one of my favorite musicians ever. Of the countless times i saw him he never dissapointed. My friend and i were going to the Rory Gallagher fest this year finally ..and the the corona virus put us on shut down for another year. I just hope it works out next year. Also nice to hear all of the modern musicians giving him the respect he deserves
Favorite studio albums: Top Priority and Photo Finish
Favorite live album: Irish Tour
Some of his best concerts;
New York (1974) Aerosmith: Who would want to go on stage after this guy?
Madrid (1975) Maybe Spanish sun but something special in his playing that night.
Rockpalast (1977) This concert is legendary in all the world.
Tokyo, Japan (1977) Explosive performance!
Bottom Line, New York (1978) Rory blew the place apart.
Rock Goes To College (1979) This show takes off like a rocket and doesn't let up.
Stockholm (1979) ''I Wonder Who'' can play better than this.
Rockpalast (1979) Perhaps the best performance by Rory recorded to video.
Athens (1981) He said "It was the most frightening gig I’ve ever done.''
Belfast (1984) He regarded this place as his second home.
12th of September of 1981. First major rock concert in Greece, since 1967s live of Rolling Stones (19th of April, two days later tanks were rolling on the streets and we had military dictatorship , till '74). Amost double than expected, around 30000 over excited youth were attending. Police started provoking and while the band still on stage, on their encores, all hell broke loose ! Tear gases, stones flying all over the place and fierce battles everywhere. Yeah, a night to remember for sure ! We loved Rory then, we still love him nowadays here in Greece. "Moonchild" and "Shadowplay" is very familiar and recognizable, even to people that don't have anything to do with rock music. A legend for sure!
@@Codzilla71 Only Rockpalast and Montreux shows available on dvd.
My favorite hands down is Top Priority
2) Calling Card
3) Photo Finish
4) Tattoo
5) Rory Gallagher
Favorite Live
1) Irish Tour
2) Stage Struck
Big fan... love his playing. Bought the two you reviewed... love them... thanks again for adding to my must buy list... it’s why I’m here😂 great video Pete ✌️🎶🔥
Fantastic! Rory was such an amazing guitarist. He is my favourite (blues) rock guitarist of all time, love the guy and his music. He is often unfairly overlooked compared to guys like Clapton, Page, Blackmore.
Rory never cared about comparisons with his 'contemporaries', rightly so.
Why does everyone mention Blackmore? He doesn't deserve to be in the conversation, he wasn't THAT good.
Covers not the same do on top priority
Thank you for your Rory Gallagher review.🎤🎸🎵🥁
Thank you Pete for a terrific list of my favorite blues/rock artist, Mr Rory Gallagher. My list is very similar, and I still listen to my Rory CDs often. There really isn't one that I don't love. I was lucky to see Rory in a club in San Francisco in the early 80s, in my flannel of course, it is still at the top of my musical highlights. I still miss him terribly. Thanks
Love Rory, one of my heroes.
My top five (studio): 1. Tattoo
2. Deuce
3. Calling Card
4. Rory Gallagher
5. Top Priority
Irish Tour 74 is the best!
Fantastic show Pete. Being from Ireland I’m lucky enough to have been to the Rory Festival that happens in Ballyshannon every year, to celebrate him and his music. I got into him through my good friend Ciaran who has a strat he’s wearing down in natural fashion 😎inspired by the great man. Live in Europe for me is special and has the perfect mix of his acoustic and electric fare, im with you though on the hard rock stuff, Shadowplay and Bad Penny big faves of mine. 🔥
Thanks Pete The Irish Wizard. Got to see him twice.Once at East River Park, Dayton, Ohio.Summer of 76. Outside gig. Exile- Rory Gallagher-[ only played for around 50 minutes] Nobody seemed to know Rory, [their loss]., so they went skinny dipping while he performed Rick Derringer-Uncle Ted-Aerosmith. Fantasric Concert, just wished Rory had the opportunuty to play more. Side-note here, Rick Derringer played Hang on Sloopy, song from his The McCoys days. Other time was in South Philly. Three piece. I was 10 -15 feet from the stage when Rory said, the old bartender just collaped in the corner, he pointed to the guy who was bartending. Always remember Rory, Had so much PASSION! RIP Rory.
Well done! Always enjoy your channel - nice to see some love for Rory from the USA,,,,,,,,,,,
Hi all, I live in Australia and was lucky enough to see Rory Gallegher live at the State Thertre in Sydney in 1980 and what a great show it was!
Like all of you have said, sadly missed!
Awesome job Pete ! I found out about Rory in 1995 and was BLOWN away ..Bought every album as fast as I could :)
Rory died in 1995. RIP.
Discovered him on BBC Radio in concert in 1971, aged 14. Taped the program on a reel to reel and played it constantly. Crest of a wave, Messin' with the kid, Used to be (my favourite), Out of my mind, Should've learned my lesson, Could've had religion. Went on to buy all the vinyl, all the CDs multiple times, DVDs and saw him in concert about twenty times.
Love all the albums, have different favourites at different times. At the moment it is Check Shirt Wizard. It's great to hear the new releases, when you don't already know them note for note. When you do know them well it's really good to appreciate the tone and the 'frilly' bits.
Miss seeing him live so much!
Hey Pete; I’m only 20 years old and I’m attempting to get more into prog/hard rock from the 70s and you are doing a great job guiding me! I’m very curious to know how you listen to music: Do you ever use streaming services like Spotify? Do you only play music through your CD player? Do you ever make playlists and not listen to albums straight through? I think that’d be a good video idea!
Hi Hans. I've actually covered that before- no, don't use Spotify or any streaming service (though I do have an Amazon Echo which my wife and I sometimes stream stuff through her Spotify account). Personally, I mostly listen to my CD's or what I've loaded into iTunes from my collection (I have 2 160GB ipod classics!)
Sea of Tranquility Thanks for the response! Becoming a big fan and thank you for keeping this great music alive
I wish they still made those I pod 160gb classics! The only problem is the batteries wore down and are not replaceable.
Hans, you've come to the right place to learn. I've been in the "music business" in some form or other for over 30 years and Pete still introduces me to new stuff. Often!
Sea of Tranquility Hey Pete, I can’t believe someone besides me still uses iPod classics. I also have a couple of the 160gb. My wife thinks that I’m crazy. Although, she bought me an adapter so I can use them in my car.
Tattoo is also for me the absolute number one album of Rory. At the time everyone I knew had the album Live in Europe. Lots of memories
You saw Rory open for Rush! Waaayyy cooolll!!!
Great ranking of the great Rory Gallagher Pete . My very 1st concert was Rory in 1975, when I was 15 years old. My favourite of his albums are Tattoo , Deuce , Blueprint, Rory Gallagher (1st Album) and Live in Europe 1972 All Killer no filler
Saw him in 74, he opened for ZZ Top, Rory blew them away! (ZZ was also good)
First saw him in the ealy 70s and was blown away. My best friend and i never missed him every time he came to town. Always a great show! Saw a tribute at the coach house in so. Cal. A few years ago and we had a long talk with Gerry Mcavoy about the impression they made on us and he couldnt have been nicer and more gracious.
my favorite rory gallagher albums are top priority and photo finish, and live i always go for irish tour.
In 1973 all the girls had a poster of David Cassidy or Donnie Osmond in their room. I had a guy with a sinister mustache sitting on a toilet and a man in a checkered flannel shirt with a beat up guitar. Except for Hendrix there is no other like him. Songwriter, singer and guitar hero and the blues rock content never seemed to limit him, he went into directions nobody else did. Except for Wheels Inside Wheels all his output is great. And then comes the live stuff...he was a live artist like no other.
1. Blueprint (The best songwriting and studio playing of his career. The addition of keyboards seemed to fuel his guitar work as well. I love every song of this album.)
2. Tattoo (I understand if people put that at #1 but the best of Rory's albums is Irish Tour 74 and most of these songs appear there in their best versions which always made the studio album redundant for me)
3. Calling Card
4. Photo-Finish
5. Rory Gallagher
6. Against the Grain
7. Jinx
8. Deuce
9. Top Priority
10. Defender
11. Fresh Evidence
12. On the Boards (Taste)
13. Taste
14. Wheels Within Wheels
15. First Taste (1968 but not released until 1972)
1. Live Irish Tour 1974
2. Live in Europe (The album cover was the poster I had on my wall...)
3. Check Shirt Wizard (A very recent release but amazing in quality of songs and recording)
4. Stage Struck
5. Live at Montreux
6. BBC Sessions
7. The Beat Club Sessions
One guy is worth mentioning, Gerry McAvoy - Rory's bass player through the main part of his career. You would not find him on any list of great bass players or such but he seemed to have a telepathic connection with Rory, almost like the extra two hand to fill exactly the missing notes in the guitar playing that Rory could not play on his strings.
I was a latecomer to RORY, sadly. And, he became my favorite guitar player! Growing up mosty a hard rocker, metal head in the Midwest , none of my friends had any RORY albums. I first saw his albums in Germany, while stationed there. He played a lot over there, but never hit my radar. I bought a Fender Strat around 2000, and started to rediscover great Strat Players on the net, and his name kept coming up. I picked up IRISH TOUR and was blown away!! and I picked up all his recently remastered discs at the time. Definitely my favorite Strat player. I still buy his recent releases. Favorite track . FUEL TO THE FIRE!
1. IRISH TOUR
2. TOP PRIORITY
3. LIVE IN EUROPE
4. PHOTO FINISH
5 CALLING CARD
Many thanks for this review of one of the very best.
Against the Grain and Calling Card are the ones I have and I love them to bits.
I also got hold of the Record Day release Continental OP containing 4 live tracks.
Pete, you inspired me to look into the other albums. Rory' s songwriting and guitar sound are just unrivalled
Photo Finish and Top Priority are my favorites (Ted McKenna on drums) RIP.
I like his heavier stuff and these two albums weigh a ton!
Thank you Pete, been waiting for that one! Rory was an absolute Irish superhero 🎸Calling Card, self-titled & Top Priority are my favs. Can't wait to hear your top 10 tracks now!
Huge Rory fan- great to see this!
As much as I like Rory, I have only ever owned Irish Tour '74 and the Essential Collection. I have heard most of his stuff from friends, though. I'll have to grab some others. Thanks, Pete!
Edit: After I watched this, I went to my shelf and it seems I have the Live At Montreaux set, too. Hmmm, didn't even remember it was here. :)
Pete, great job with Ranking the Albums. I enjoy them all and especially like your picks. I went through one week an binged watch them all. Your Prog Rock segments were great and the Mellotron show you did was so amazing. I thought I knew many Prog bands but you opened the door to so many others that I didn’t know about. Morte Macabre was amazing. My collection got a little bigger thanks to you. Thank you Roric
Blueprint n Irish Tour 74 my go to Rory Lps every time. Some nice laid back music on the later releases
Thank you Pete for this Rory Gallagher video, one of my favorite artists ever...I know he's not still well-known enough in the US. Here's an unusual suggestion and I hope it's not too invasive for you Pete: as you may know Rory was very much into crime fiction, noir movies, spy novels and that sorta stuff and progressively that kinda permeated in his songwriting through the years. Songs as "In Your Town", "Secret Agent", "Philby" or "Continental Op", to name just a few, show Rory's infatuation for crime fiction, so...why not making a video discussing this topic, anyway you may wanna approach it. I think Rory Gallagher's songwriting is not as celebrated as his guitar skills or his passionate showmanship for example. That'd be a fine tribute to the man. I know you get a lot of requests Pete and I hope this one is not too "WTF man!" for you. Thank you again Pete. Greetings from Southern Spain.
yeah hard to separate the top 2. i was lucky enough to see rory in belfast in 1984. I couldnt believe that a young fit 19 year old lad like me was knackered 2/3 of the way through and this "old" fatter man was still playing his heart out on stage. Rory would have played till everyone dropped. he played from 8- midnight.
Wow, he did 4-hour shows? INCREDIBLE!
The live video footage from the Irish tour is superb, especially A Million Miles Away...goosebump inducing. I love most of his stuff, but have a real soft spot for his debut album...reallyyyy strong songwriting top to bottom.
Huge admirer of his. The solo in 'Fuel to the Fire' is - to my ears - the most beautiful solo ever recorded.
Thanks for featuring Rory Gallagher. So, so overlooked. I bought Live in Europe right after it came out. One of the most influential albums I have ever purchased.
Once again; I thought it, you did it! Rory's 70's streak was second to none when it came to hard-edged and truly inventive blues rock.
I have Irish Tour and Live in Europe and love them. I'll check out Stage Struck later today. Thanks for the recommendation.