The Film
There are not too many people who could boast that they turned down the opportunity to be in the world's greatest rock band. Irish blues guitarist, Rory Gallagher (1948-1995), did just that when Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones came calling but he still managed to have a successful career, and was a serious influence on a future generation of rock guitarists including Slash, Brian May, The Edge, Janick Gers, and Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest. Gallagher blended delta blues (Leadbelly), Chicago blues (Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker), and Celtic rock into a style that was uniquely his own.
Eagle Rock has been busy remastering his entire catalog for re-release in 2011, but Rory Gallagher: Irish Tour '74 is a collection of footage from his blazing hot tour in 1974 across his native Ireland. Gallagher's tour captured him at a point in his career when he was voted #1 guitar player by Melody Maker magazine, and the collection of nine tracks on the Blu-ray release are truly electric.
The film is a mixture of live performances, behind-the-scenes footage, and introspective commentary from Gallagher which ties it all together quite nicely. Irish Tour '74 is very similar to Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones which I reviewed last year; same gritty style of filmmaking that is more about capturing the raw energy of the performance than anything else. Gallagher was ferocious on stage, and very adept with the slide; one can clearly hear the influence of the American delta blues on the Irish guitarist who died tragically in 1995 due to complications from a liver transplant. The film has some weak spots, but Gallagher's performance carries the film and will certainly interest those who love Irish rock and the blues.
The Picture
The Sound
Eagle Rock has been offering multiple audio options on all of its concert Blu-ray releases and Irish Tour '74 is no exception; DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and LPCM 2.0 stereo. The surround formats have a lot more low end information and some additional ambience in the rear channels, but the LPCM 2.0 stereo track just sounds more natural to my ears; fuller sounding midrange, and more zip when Gallagher's fingers do the talking on his beat-up Fender Strat. All three formats sound good, but the blues seems more authentic in stereo.
The Extras
Rory Gallagher was an exciting performer to watch and Eagle Rock has included some additional tour footage from the '74 tour which was shot in Japan and a 28-minute Music Maker documentary that takes you behind-the-scenes. The content is interesting, but there isn't a lot of it.
Final Thoughts
It is impossible to know what level of fame Rory Gallagher would have achieved, or how different his life would have turned out, had he joined the Rolling Stones when given the chance, but the fact remains that this dedicated and talented blues guitarist had a significant impact on some of the most successful rock guitarists of all-time. His blend of American blues and Irish rock lives on well after his untimely passing. Eagle Rock has done a good job with this Blu-ray release, but don't buy it because it is HD; buy it because you want to feel Gallagher's playing send shivers down your spine.
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