Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74 Box Set Anniversary Edition

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by John Fell, May 2, 2014.

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  1. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    Definitely! Less than 7 bucks a disc! All of the recent remasters were really reasonably priced too.
     
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  2. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    Hey, Rory's official website has this update on it today about the boxset:

    http://www.rorygallagher.com/#/news/2014/08/irish_tour_74_40th_anniversary

    October 20th 2014 will see the 40th anniversary expanded deluxe edition release of one of Rory Gallagher’s most celebrated recordings.

    Sony Music / Legacy Recordings is proud to announce the release of Rory Gallagher’s legendary Irish Tour ‘74. The most expansive edition to date, of this landmark album. Featured for the first time on record, all three shows. Packaged in a special deluxe edition 8 disc 10” boxset and including 43 previously unreleased tracks, remastered audio, photos, extensive liner notes, feature length documentary, memorabilia and more.

    By 1974 Rory Gallagher had already established a formidable reputation as one of the finest recording artists and exciting live performers of his generation. He was four years in to a successful solo career following his departure from his critically acclaimed outfit, Taste. 1970 to 1974 had produced five albums and an almost continuous schedule of touring, Rory had gone from strength to strength. He was mid way in to what would be the most prolific decade of his career and was at the absolute top of his game. By sad contrast, Gallagher’s homeland and his beloved adopted city, Belfast in particular had taken a battering. The political climate of Northern Ireland in the late 60s/early 70s saw Belfast ripped apart by some of the most devastating violence in the country’s history. By 1973 and the winter of Gallagher’s landmark tour, Belfast was on its knees. Roy Hollingworth, a journalist for Melody Maker in attendance at the Ulster Hall show would describe the city as a shattered, deserted and frightened place. The live music scene was non-existent with all but Gallagher willing to tour during the height of the Troubles tearing the country apart. While his contemporaries turned their back on the city, it was Rory’s refusal to do so that forever won him the hearts of thousands of fans across the country. “I see no reason for not playing Belfast. Kids still live here,” said Gallagher of his decision to repeatedly play in Belfast. And so, Rory and his band, Gerry McAvoy (bass), Rod De’ath (drums) and Lou Martin (keys) returned again in the winter of 1973 for what would become the celebrated Irish Tour. Acclaimed filmmaker Tony Palmer was drafted in to document the tour. Palmer had first met Gallagher six years before in 1968 when Taste supported Cream at their famous farewell show at the Royal Albert Hall. Palmer has been on hand to record the super groups’ final performance but hadn’t failed to notice the extraordinary standout talents of the young Gallagher. When asked to accompany Rory on the Irish tour in the winter of 1973, Palmer seized the opportunity. More than aware of the socio-political situation in the North of the country at the time and Rory’s refusal to be drawn on either side of the argument, Palmer knew ‘this [was] a very interesting proposition’. ‘Rory was at pains to point out he wasn’t active in any sense politically’ Palmer tells us, but felt very strongly that he should be allowed to play both Northern Ireland and the Republic. ‘I don’t want to make a movie with any political content but it will be self evident’ said Gallagher.

    Both the Dublin and Cork shows also feature heavily on the subsequent documentary but it was Rory’s dignified but defiant impartial stance in Belfast that helped make this recording such a watershed moment for Rory’s legions of devoted fans.

    Irish Tour ’74 was a world class, matchless, blistering live performance. It is one of the greatest live albums of all time. No studio trickery, no overdubs. A truly live album. The stuff of legend. This new deluxe edition features, for the first time on record, each of these iconic shows. Seven albums worth of fully remastered audio including 43 previously unreleased recordings, plus the Tony Palmer directed feature length documentary and large full colour booklet. All presented in deluxe packaging.

    “Only he could play the guitar off the ****ing planet.” Tony Palmer

    “Rory Gallagher brought hope and musical inspiration to his war-torn spiritual hometown of Belfast.”

    “It was within the walls of the venue on ‘bomb alley’ that the tender-hearted, soft-spoken, dogged determination and captivating presence of Ireland’s guitar warrior poet and people’s hero found its fullest flowering.”

    “While Ulster teetered towards the brink, Rory’s rock hit with righteous affirmation”

    Gavin Martin for Blues Magazine
    “I've never seen anything quite so wonderful, so stirring, so uplifting, so joyous as when Gallagher and the band walked on stage. The whole place erupted, they all stood and they cheered and they yelled, and screamed, and they put their arms up, and they embraced. Then as one unit they put their arms into the air and gave peace signs. Without being silly, or overemotional, it was one of the most memorable moments of my life. It all meant something, it meant more than just rock n' roll, it was something bigger, something more valid than just that.” Roy Hollingworth for Melody Maker

    “Rory loved Belfast. Just loved it. Anytime we hit the stage after 1971 you were aware that, apart from the odd cabaret turn at the Abercorn (site of a 1972 bomb blast killing two and injuring 130), none of the bigger bands would come back to play Belfast, it was starved of music. Obviously after The Miami Showband tragedy it just got worse. We’re professionals. We play as well as we could wherever we played but it was a special situation in Belfast, something you could never acquire or attain at any other gig.” Gerry McAvoy

    Disc 1 & 2

    Cork (5th of January 1974)

    1. Messin’ With The Kid*
    2. Cradle Rock
    3. I Wonder Who
    4. Tattoo’d Lady
    5. Walk On Hot Coals
    6. Laundromat*
    7. A Million Miles Away
    8. Hands Off*
    9. Too Much Alcohol
    10. As The Crow Flies
    11. Pistol Slapper Blues*
    12. Unmilitary Two-Step*
    13. Bankers Blues*
    14. Going To My Hometown*
    15. Who’s That Coming
    16. In Your Town*


    Disc 3 & 4

    Dublin (2nd of January 1974)

    1. Cradle Rock*
    2. Tattoo’d Lady*
    3. Hands Off*
    4. Walk On Hot Coals*
    5. Laundromat*
    6. Too Much Alcohol*
    7. A Million Miles Away*
    8. As The Crow Flies*
    9. Pistol Slapper Blues*
    10. Bankers Blues*
    11. Unmilitary Two-Step*
    12. Going To My Hometown*
    13. In Your Town*
    14. Bullfrog Blues*


    Disc 5 & 6

    Belfast (29th of December 1973)

    1. Messin’ With The Kid*
    2. Cradle Rock*
    3. I Wonder Who*
    4. Tattoo’d Lady*
    5. Walk On Hot Coals*
    6. Hands Off*
    7. A Million Miles Away*
    8. Laundromat*
    9. As The Crow Flies*
    10. Pistol Slapper Blues*
    11. Unmilitary Two-Step*
    12. Bankers Blues*
    13. Going To My Hometown*
    14. Who’s That Coming*
    15. In Your Town*
    16. Bullfrog Blues*


    Disc 7

    City Hall in Session (3rd of January 1974)

    1. Maritime (The Edgar Lustgarden Cut)
    2. I Want You / Raunchy Medley*
    3. Treat Her Right
    4. I Wonder Who*
    5. Too Much Alcohol*
    6. Just A Little Bit
    7. I Can’t Be Satisfied*
    8. Acoustic Medley*
    9. Back On My Stompin' Ground (After Hours)
    10. Stompin’ Ground (Alt version)


    Disc 8 (DVD)

    The Tony Palmer directed documentary Irish Tour ’74

    (courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment)

    * Previously unreleased

    Irish Tour ’74 Expanded Deluxe Edition is available to pre-order now at
    http://www.myplaydirect.com/rory-gallagher/details/31248639
     
  3. Jgirar01

    Jgirar01 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dallas, Texas
    Is this boxset only available from Music Direct? I don't see it on Amazon or anywhere else.
     
  4. DrLunchbox

    DrLunchbox Forum Deadhead #1604

    Location:
    Hillsborough, NC
    I assume it'll show up on Amazon soon enough. I'd be surprised if it didn't. Of course I'll buy it regardless.
     
  5. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor Thread Starter

    Location:
    Undisclosed

    I will buy it but I wish there were more variations in the set lists.
     
  6. Thomas Brophy

    Thomas Brophy Forum Resident

    Location:
    ireland
    Saw Rory in the seventies in Dublin, still remember it. A great gig with the minimum of stage paraphanalia. Those were the days when the artist held your attention and not the stage effects. Rory certainly did it in style.
    As an aside to this topic. When Alan Lancaster, the bass guitarist with Status Quo left, Jerry McAvoy was asked to take his place. Both Rory and Status Quo had shared the same management company for a time i.e. Quarry. This name was compiled from the letters of the names of both artists. Both had toured together so they were familiar with each other. Both were at their dynamic best live on stage. Anyway McAvoy thought long and hard about the offer, especially the financial security end of things but declined. There's a photo of Rory and members of Status Quo in what looks like a backstage or dressing room area on the inside of the gatefold sleeve of Quo's "On the Level" album.
    McAvoy went on to play with "Nine Below Zero" who supported Alvin Lee. They also backed Alvin Lee on stage after a short break from their support slot. For more info and a thoroughly good read check out McAvoy's book "Riding Sotgun. 35 years on the road with Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero"
     
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  7. macdaddysinfo

    macdaddysinfo Forum Resident

    Any details re: the remastering..?
     
  8. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

  9. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    On my birthday! I know what I'll be giving myself.
     
  10. four sticks

    four sticks Senior Member

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
  11. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

  12. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    Thanks a ton for that heads up.

    Amazon UK price beats everything else I've seen including shipping to USA by far. I locked in at Amazon for about $44 total now!! Myplaydirect (& other places I looked at) would have cost me about $65-70 with their shipping costs.

    I hate Amazon UK's way of packaging things (non-padded thin cardboard envelopes) but for $20-25 less I'll take it and cross my fingers it arrives undamaged.
     
  13. DrLunchbox

    DrLunchbox Forum Deadhead #1604

    Location:
    Hillsborough, NC
    It hasn't shown up in the US store yet so I just ordered it from the UK store. $43 for an 8 CD set including overseas shipping is pretty awesome.
     
    slipkid likes this.
  14. John Fell

    John Fell Forum Survivor Thread Starter

    Location:
    Undisclosed
  15. PacificOceanBlue

    PacificOceanBlue Senior Member

    Location:
    The Southwest
    Agreed. That is a stellar deal and the U.S. price will undoubtably be higher.
     
    DrLunchbox likes this.
  16. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I was listening to my original 74 Irish Tour album last week and thinking that Rory was pretty damned great.
     
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  17. four sticks

    four sticks Senior Member

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I believe so, yes.
     
  18. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    Ordered! That amazon UK price is hard to pass up. I was late to discover Rory, but I'm glad I did! He seemed like a very down-to-earth guy and without the ego that could easily have come from such a talent.
     
    ssmith3046 likes this.
  19. Looking forward to this.

    Any info about who mastered this? I hope it's mastered well.
     
  20. kevin

    kevin Senior Member

    Location:
    Evanston IL
    They ought to do a version sans dvd for those of us who have it on Blu ray[me included].
     
  21. kanakaris

    kanakaris Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    Without a doubt one of the best albums ever made.Listening to this for 3 decades...
     
  22. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    [​IMG]

    From superdeluxeedtion website:

    http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/rory-gallagher-irish-tour-74-anniversary-deluxe-box/

    Sony always seem to hit the spot when it comes to quality packaging for a reasonable price and this Rory Gallagher Irish Tour ’74 40th anniversary deluxe box appears to be no exception.
    The expansive 7CD+DVD set is available for between £30-35 and comes packaged in a eight-panel ten-inch wallet and includes a booklet with extensive liner notes. Everything slots in to an outer slipcase

    There is an enormous amount of previously unreleased material in this set and for the first time all three shows are issued on CD. The bonus DVD (NTSC, region free) features the Tony Palmer directed documentary Irish Tour ’74.
     
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  23. ranasakawa

    ranasakawa Forum Resident

    Ordered the big box, on a roll this year, 2014 must be the year of the box set. I seem to buy one every month.
    Queen, Allman Brothers, Rory, Jethro Tull etc
     
  24. Almost Simon

    Almost Simon Forum Resident

    Comment just added by Superdeluxeedition on Facebook:

    By the way, found out that this Rory Gallagher Irish Tour '74 8-disc box is NOT being released in America. US Fans probably need to pick up from Amazon UK where it will cost you approximately $48 (plus shipping)
     
  25. patrickd

    patrickd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Austin TX USA
    Slightly torn on this .....love the original album (have three copies!) but my experience with other sets like this of multiple shows from same tour is that I am quick to buy but slow to listen regularly. Over time the box sits there, I might play a favorite show once in a while. Makes me realize that sometimes less is more. But yeah, I know...it's Rory, it's under $50 shipped, and it's stuff I've never heard....damn these people!!
     
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