The late Rory Gallagher made some very cool records, but he could never capture the excitement and power that were almost always part of his live shows. Just take a listen to this recording made for the King Biscuit Flower Hour on his ’74 US tour. Gallagher had a strong following on the west coast and this show at the Shrine Auditorium in LA was well attended by a large, loyal audience.
By the time he embarked on the ’74 tour Gallagher had expanded his power trio to a four-piece band with the addition of Lou Martin on piano, organ and synths. They blast off with “Moonchild,” which…entire summary
Rory Gallagher - vocals, guitars, harmonica
Gerry McAvoy - bass
Rod De'ath - drums, percussion
Lou Martin - keyboards
The late Rory Gallagher made some very cool records, but he could never capture the excitement and power that were almost always part of his live shows. Just take a listen to this recording made for the King Biscuit Flower Hour on his ’74 US tour. Gallagher had a strong following on the west coast and this show at the Shrine Auditorium in LA was well attended by a large, loyal audience.
By the time he embarked on the ’74 tour Gallagher had expanded his power trio to a four-piece band with the addition of Lou Martin on piano, organ and synths. They blast off with “Moonchild,” which borrows heavily from the riff the Moody Blues used in their hit, “The Story In Your Eyes.” Next up is “Secret Agent” (a different song than the one made famous by Johnny Rivers with the same name). The show moves forward with “Calling Card,” which was Gallagher’s new LP at the time. The rest of the show is a mix of tracks from Calling Card and staples that had long been part of his set list, including “Souped-Up Ford,” “Hands Off,” “Western Plain,”(featuring Gallagher on acoustic guitar), and the balls-out rocker, “I Take What I Want,” (which nicks the Beatles’ riff from “I Feel Fine” during Gallagher’s solo).
Gallagher made a name for himself in 1969 with the band Taste, who recorded three albums before splitting in 1971. Gallagher recorded several solo albums between 1971 and 1991, but is also noted for his session work on Muddy Waters’ The London Sessions album, released on Chess Records. Sadly, he died after receiving a liver transplant in 1995 at the age of 47.
By the late 1970s, Gallagher’s brand of blues rock fell out of favor with radio programmers, and like artists such as Robin Trower and Steve Marriott, he had to focus on a smaller, but fiercely loyal, following. Although he never received the worldwide recognition of Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, and Jimmy Page, he certainly deserves to be remembered for the many excellent albums and tours he had during his career.
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