Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour 1974

The music itself is both incendiary and emotion filled. Aided by long time bassist Gerry McAvoy along with former Killing Floor members Rod de'Ath on drums and Lou Martin on keyboards Gallagher succeeds in translating the live concert experience to disk. The concert itself contains three numbers "Hands Up", "Going To My Home Town" and the raucous encore "Bullfrog Blues" lamentably not issued on the compact disk version of the "Irish Tour 1974". Gallagher is adept at both acoustic and electric guitars as evidenced by his acoustic cover of Tony Joe White's "As The Crow Flies". Rory was also an excellent slide guitarist and "Who's That Coming" provides a testiment to his slide guitar playing. His emotional reading of the slow blues "A Million Miles Away" is another highlight. The smile on Rory's face during the concert shows the viewer that he is both having a great time, which translates to the audience and is emotionally involved in the music. The concert footage is alternated with footage of Ireland and areas where Rory performed and grew up. This allows the viewer to identify with Gallagher's struggle to get his music heard outside of his native Ireland. Commentary is provided by both bassist Gerry McAvoy and Rory's brother and manager Donal. Some of the most interesting non-concert footage is of Gallagher jamming with the band before the concert and explaining the various styles and techniques he uses on both the acoustic and electric guitars. He also seems amused while shopping at a music store to find sheet music for some of his songs with his first band Taste.

I highly recommend this to fans of great blues and rock guitar playing. Rory Gallagher fans will find this essential due to the dearth of available live Gallagher footage and the three unissued versions of songs from the Irish Tour 1974. The film also provides valuable insights into Rory's background and personality. It also enhances the legacy of one of Ireland's greatest musicians.


Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour '74   July 29, 2001
Charles A. Gili (Brooklyn, New York United States)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

Rory Gallagher remains the best kept secret in blues/rock history. If you are just discovering this largely over-looked musician, you are in for a real treat! IT'74 is a fantastic way to start your investigation of one of the greatest rock and blues guitarists of all times. Tony Palmer, the film maker does a great job in capturing a young Rory with this film. It's a great little chunk of history that depicts a special time in music history, a vital, energetic and creative time. Rory Gallagher died much to young. He played and toured into the early nineties, so you are looking at a snapshot of his early work, which just happened to coincide with a dangerous time in Ireland. Rory was the only major artist to consistently play and tour venues in Ireland, that other musicians avoided. IT'74 captures the excitement and love of this great man in a magnificent look back at these shows. Hopefully, many new fans will get a chance to enjoy the work of this very humble man. I hope that IT'74 is the "first" Rory Gallagher DVD and that we can look forward to more in the future. This is definitely worth the price of admission. Don't miss it!


Raw and magical!   July 1, 2002
BDH (Massachusetts USA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

Anyone who's a big fan of blues-rock or guitar-hero rock of the sixties and seventies should get a huge thrill out of this gem. It begins with scenes of the sea thrusting into the Irish coast and then makes its way into a spellbound onstage version of 'Walk On Hot Coals'. Rory Gallagher was definitely the most under-rated blues-rock guitarist of all time; this DVD is proof of it. His style and tone are both blustery and unrefined, but natural and brown-toned as well. His band of himself on vocal and guitar (mainly a strat player), Gerry McAvoy (bass), Lou Martin (piano), and Rod de'Ath (drums), is loud and raw blues-rock heaven. The backstage interviews are interesting, too, as they show how electrified and personable he was. It's blatantly obvious how much he loved playing live by the huge smile on his face and the way he interacts with the crowd. The scenes of Belfast and the rough old Irish nightclubs and venues just add to the raw beauty of the music. This one will be all worn out by the time I'm done watching it and listening to it. It's one of my favorite DVDs.


At Last !! Irish Tour 74 -THE FILM of Rory Gallagher !!!   August 3, 2001
Claudio Penteriani (Brazil)
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

This is a classic performance of Rory Gallagher Irish Tour 74. A film ( documentary) by Tony Palmer released for `cinema' in 1974,capturing the high energy of these concerts.Rory At his best!! This DVD is a great gift for all fans. The `documentary' shows the band`s members before the concert,jokes,jams sessions and Rory in a musical instrument store trying acoustic guitars and others curiosities. The song `A Million Miles Away 'is absolutely great !!Rory isn`t forgot. The image isn`t a digital perfection (remember, this concert was in 1974,recorded for a `movie' documentary),but the quality and the sound are good for me,worth see and buy this rare Rory`s performance.( Remastered in 5.1 surround sound ). This DVD have discography informations and a `bonus' session recorded Live in Japan 1974.A blured image,but rare. 83 minutes of the best`s Rory Gallagher concerts !!! 27 Years to see this,until now !!At last.


Mesmerized   February 27, 2006
Vincent Foley (Virginia, United States)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I plugged this DVD into the player to let it run in the background while I was busy at other stuff. The intro music caught my attention and I left what I was doing to take a look. I was glued to the TV until the DVD finished and I just sat mesmerized. It is testimony to the quality of this product that the only criticism levelled at it relates to the second rate camerawork or the poor editing. The music scene in Ireland in 1974 was light years from what it is today, and playing the City Hall was as good as it got in Cork. One look at the backstage conditions and the state of the band's gear and one can imagine that they were probably lucky to have two decent cameras at any gig, so there probably isn't a ton of footage to edit from.
That aside, the tracks on this DVD, and the quality of the music show Rory Gallagher at his best. Tattoo'd Lady, A Million Miles Away, Who's that Coming all brought back great memories of my youth in Cork. I was 11 years old in 1974 and the footage of downtown Cork and Cobh is the way that I remember that place. The music is an even more powerful memory. Rory was a huge hero for us at a time when Cork was in a downward economic slide and our few treasured LP's at the time were so much more valuable to us that the hundreds of throwaway CD's we have today.
And the man himself? An unpretentious, enormously talented genius. His talent and love of the music oozes from this video. He walks the streets of Cork - just another bloke barely recognized by passers by, except for a great scene where he signs some kid's wrist, who in turn gives him a respect-filled pat on the back.
We used to be so proud that one of our own was the "second best guitarist in the world" - after God know who, maybe Clapton. After watching this DVD I know he wasn't second best. I cannot think of anybody, living or dead, who is better. If you're a Rory Gallagher fan, this is a must. If you're new to this legend, it's a great place to start.