There has been a bumper crop of Rory Gallagher releases lately, and this is one that all fans will want to own. Eagle Vision have gathered together almost 10 hours of live material taken from Germany’s long-running Rockpalast TV show, capturing Rory in full flight over three decades of his never less than compelling career.
Each of the three discs features two full-length concerts and, although extras are thin on the ground (one interesting, but inessential, 1976 interview), the set is a more than fitting tribute to the mercurial guitarist. The collection offers an interesting opportunity to trace Rory’s development, or lack thereof. While, in the 80s, most of his contemporaries were blanding out into MOR territory, Gallagher sounded rougher and more fiery than ever. Indeed, it’s remarkable how unchanging the man and his music were. Only in the 1990 show does anything like mellowing out occur, when a cleaner, almost BB King-like guitar tone emerges alongside the stripped-down rawness for which he is famous. There are too many highlights to mention, but a 1976 guest appearance by Frankie Miller is particularly magical.
