Blues

"I hope I'll have a very distinct sound, as Elmore or Muddy Waters did, so that when you turn on the radio--that's Rory Gallagher!" Rory Gallagher.This is a good look at Gallagher's (pronounced "Galla-her") blues chops from the early '70s up through the early '90s. This isn't a greatest hits collection, but with 36 tracks, a good look into the blues, with only a smattering of well known songs Gallagher was known for. But included are songs like "Bullfrog Blues", "As The Crow Flies", and "A Million Miles Away" that Gallagher fans will know. The sound varies some due to the number of years included in this set and live versus studio recordings. But overall there's nothing to complain about sound-wise. The tracks were mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Frank Arkwright. Most of these tracks are previously unreleased and include radio/TV recordings, studio and live tracks. This floats somewhere between four and five "stars" for me, but many of the tracks are so strong, plus I've liked Gallagher from the Taste days, that I gave it a top rating. You may feel a bit differently--to each his own.Disc 1 collects tracks with Gallagher on electric guitar--influenced by Buddy Guy and Hubert Sumlin. There's tracks like Freddie King's "Tore Down", Leaving Town Blues", "I'm Ready" (with Muddy Waters) from the "London Session" album, Sleepy John Estes' "Drop Down Baby" (with Lonnie Donegan), and other things that is more proof that Gallagher was a consummate electric guitar player.Disc 2 is full of acoustic performances, influenced by Blind Boy Fuller, Robert Nighthawk, Scrapper Balckwell, and Tampa Red, like "Prison Blues", "Loan Shark Blues", "Want Ad Blues" (a John Lee Hooker tune that Gallagher plays solo), "Walkin' Blues", and many other goodies that shine more light on Gallagher's fine acoustic style of playing. While known for his electric guitar style, this disc will open up the ears for some people who maybe aren't as familiar with Gallagher's acoustic forays into the blues.Disc 3 is full of live tracks, which is where many people think of Gallagher as being at his best. There's stuff like a stomping "When My Baby She Left Me", a scorching "I Wonder Who", and an incendiary "Messin' With The Kid", along with "Born Under A Bad Sign" with Jack Bruce, and "Comin' Home Baby" with the great Chris Barber on trombone. This has some good guitar with Barber's trombone fitting in perfectly with this tune, and is a musical highlight among these performances. There's also a number of other great performances that show how exciting Gallagher and his band could be on stage. The disc ends with Gallagher talking about his blues influences for a couple of minutes.The detailed 18 page booklet has a good essay that sets up the music included here, and includes Gallagher's explanation as to why he uses various slides (brass, glass, steel). There's several photos of Gallagher and repros of various album covers from several blues artists--a nice touch. Plus there's complete track information listing personnel. The discs come in a four-fold cardboard package with a cardboard slipcase. The discs snap into trays (with a photo of Gallagher in each tray) and a pocket for the booklet.This set will only add to Gallagher's reputation that, thankfully, has really gained more momentum over the years. This is a welcome addition to the spot on my shelf of Gallagher's music, all the way from the Taste days. I still own the original vinyl Taste releases (and the solo albums), and can still remember being bowled over when I played that first record, and wondered just who was this guy. Gallagher fans should try this collection.You might also find the hardcover book "Rory Gallagher The Man Behind The Guitar", by Julian Vignoles,, 2018 Collins Press, Ireland. It's a fairly in depth biography of Gallagher and his life in music, and the book has quite a few photos that add to the text.

I've long been a huge Rory Gallagher fan. What I typically am NOT a big fan of is compilations of songs by artists whose careers ended years ago - most of the really good material has already been released elsewhere. This 3-CD set is a gigantic exception to that rule. This is a phenomenal collection of songs showcasing Rory doing what he does best - the blues. The guy was simply a killer guitar player, and he could play rock, jazz, country, even the occasional ballad. But the blues, oh my God, that's where he simply soared. Almost all the cuts on the CD were new to me - either songs I'd never heard him perform, or different versions of songs, such as an acoustic version of a song that I'd seen him do electrically. Many of the songs are performed in front of an audience, and this is where Rory was a total wildman. Listening to several of the cuts on CD 3 took me right back to when we'd see him tearing some joint up in Chicago, and we'd just stand there with our mouths hanging open in wonder at his amazing energy and how he wrenched those notes out of that beaten up Stratocaster. Buy the 3-CD set, not the shorter version. That's how you'll get the fullest idea of how he approached the blues from a number of angles - electric, acoustic, slide, etc. Congratulations to Rory's brother, Donal, and all others involved in the making of this CD set - you really nailed this one. It re-ignited my passion for Rory's playing, and made me wish more than ever that he was still around to make even more great music.

This box is the best new release that the family of the great Rory Gallagher has made since his sadly passing in 1995. A lot of material unreleased and other hard to find (like the live work with Albert King from 1975, from a cd out of print for years!). If you love Rory, you know that this is Blues Heaven. If you dont know him well that's your perfect introduction because it covers his electric, acoustic and live sides. Better than a Greates Hits, and with Rory, each album is a Greatest Hits! Rory is one of the better guitar players of history, if not the most complete (he plays dirty, jazzy, acoustic, finger picking, slide, dobro, mandolin, all with a personal sound and great passion). (A note about the pics ahead, they are from a book I wrote in spanish as a humble introduction for his work and life.)

I don't remember exactly what year, but I saw Rory Gallagher back in the old days (late 70s). He didn't seem to get enough airplay on the radio and I hadn't heard of him. Rory opened for the headliner, Dave Mason (Traffic), but needless to say, he blew D.M. off the stage! Most people who had the fortune to see Rory Gallagher will tell you that he was the best rock & blues guitarist that they had ever seen! One thing's for sure, he was the absolute real deal. You'll hear the collaborations with Albert King, Muddy Waters, and Jack Bruce (from Eric Clapton's Cream), along with Rory's own band. The acoustic tunes make you feel like you're at a Mississippi blues fest, and the live stuff is stunning. I highly recommend the 3-CD version of this 2019 Rory Gallagher release. Crank it up a bit and enjoy!

I've been a big fan of Rory's since I discovered his music by accident in a record store. remember those? Rory's memory is worth keeping alive and remembering how good that guy was. Ahead of his time and worthy of legendary status in the likes of Peter Green and Clapton. This 3 CD is by far the greatest collection of his music on one set. If you've never heard his music before this is the set to start with. If you like blues and rock do what I did year's ago just buy it take it home and prepare to be blown away.

If you aren't the biggest Rory fan, get this 3 disc set, and you will become one. And if you already are a big Rory fan, get this 3 disc set, and you will become an even bigger fan. All I can say is, get ready to be blown away by some of the best blues music you will EVER hear. If I could give 6 stars to this, I would.

Since his death in 1995, there have been a number of great posthumous releases from Rory Gallagher. These releases have featured long lost session tapes, live recordings and even a full album. As a fairly new fan of Gallagher's music, I have picked up every disc I could get my hands on and I have always been impressed at how consistently good these later album have been. However, none of them even come close to this box-set titled, Blues.Blues is a fairly extensive three disc compilation album that has anything and everything that a blues rock fan will want. Each disc has its own theme and they're all of very high standard in terms of performance and sound. The first disc features a number of unreleased tracks from albums such as Jinx, Against The Grain, Blue Print and (my personal favourite) Tattoo as well as radio sessions and guest appearances on two tracks by Lonnie Donegan's Puttin' On the Style and Muddy Waters' I'm Ready. The second disc is a good bit shorter than the other two sitting at around forty seven minutes. This disc is much like the previous one in that it features a lot of unreleased album sessions, outtakes, television and radio performances. The catch is, it's all acoustic. Here you'll find some dirty raw slide guitar work that could match anyone out there. I can see it being over looked but is a gem in its own right. The third disc is a compilation of live tracks from the years, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1989 and 1991. A few of these tracks feature guest performances from the likes of the legendary Jack Bruce and Albert King.There is a fair bit of consistency throughout the entire collection. There are a few numbers that sound quite different from the others. Some recordings sound a bit more sterile, others sound very heavy on reverb and some are just straight up raw. You'll hear some over driven microphones, tension in the strings as Gallagher pulls out beautiful blues bends and a lot of twanging from acoustic guitars as he slides up and down the fret board. It's quite a nice compared to modern recordings which come across as quite lifeless by comparison. Everything sounds very down to Earth and quite genuine. Not once does the actual audio quality dip. Everything is quite clear and consistent through out.People who are already fans of Rory Gallagher's music should consider this a must buy item. Forget about the single disc edition and get the full three discs. There's not a single bad song or performance here and it is worth every penny. If you're new or have never heard Gallagher's music but find yourself enjoying old fashioned blues and rock similar to Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Buddy Guy, this is well worth a purchase. You'll get a fantastic idea what this man is about and is a great starting point. Blues is a superb collection and I hope many people check it out.

As with previous releases of hidden/unreleased tracks of Rory's, I wasn't expecting too much in the way of recording quality here. Boy was I surprised, the quality of sound is awesome. From the opening bars of Don't Start Me Talkin' all the way through the 3 discs, the production is top notch, and considering how old all these selections are, that is a great achievement to the team behind this release. The 1st CD is mostly alternate takes and a few colaborations, all the "outtakes" sound better than the original album releases to me. No double tracking and nearer to Rory's trademark "live" sound. Disc 2 is acoustic. Showcasing the great man's unplugged abilities. Secret Agent is a stand out for me, what has always been an electric track, stripped right back and making it like a new song. Also Pistol Slapper Blues, probably the cleanest cut of this I've heard, I swear it's recorded as live and he doesn't miss a single note in that. CD3 live electric cuts. Spanning many years, these tracks have been mixed/mastered and arranged so they appear to all be from one show. Some absolute gems included here. The very last track is Rory talking about his influences and what the music means to him.The packaging is very nice, with a lovely booklet of info.All in all - it surpasses all my expectations with it's quality. An absolute gem and a must for any Rory fan.

Brilliant, I was a bit worried that they might be scraping the bottom of the barrel this time but there's more amazing tracks on this and different interpretations of classic songs. Be aware that on Amazon music there are several tracks missing so if you want the complete deluxe version you need to buy the CD set.

Quite simple the best archive release from the Gallagher estate.3 discs of Rory at his best in the studio,Live & guesting with other artists.sound quality variable as you would expect from the variety of different sources but it is of high quality.For me disc 3 .. the live stuff is the head for disc,especially the Glasgow Apollo gig from '82, radio Clyde recorded the whole gig and broadcast 90 mins or so...and its superb. given that one of the 3 tracks here is not on the broadcast then its likely they have access to the whole concert,that would be some release.If you have ever wondered what Rory's output sounds like you could do worse than try this release (or the single disc version). top music from a top guy.

Quelle bonne idée d'avoir en 3 CD réuni 36 morceaux blues de Rory Gallagher, dont 32 inédits! Un joli plaisir pour les fans! Malheureusement, ce guitariste génial qu'était Rory me semble un peu oublié du grand public aujourd'hui et pourtant quel son inimitable! On y retrouve des classiques électriques (CD1) , acoustiques (CD2) et live (CD3): Bullfrog Blues, Messin' with the kid, Secret Agent...En plus, des duos avec Muddy Waters (I'm ready), Jack Bruce (Born under a bad sign fantastique!), Albert King (You upset me baby) et 2 artistes qui ont beaucoup fait pour la diffusion du blues en Grande Bretagne: Lonnie Donegan et Chris Barber. On se régale d'autant plus que le son est excellent, on a vraiment l'impression que tout ça a été enregistré hier. Ce coffret est un bon moyen de rappeler une évidence: Rory était bien un des meilleurs guitaristes de sa génération et sans doute au-delà aussi! Pourquoi pas découvrir Rory à cette occasion? Tiens, dans le registre des concerts encore inédits et qui feraient plaisir aux fans, il reste entre autres le concert à La Villette en 1983, extraordinaire, pourquoi pas une sortie officielle?