Rory Gallagher “Irish Tour ’74″

Rory Gallagher is one of the best guitarists you’ve (probably) never heard of.

The Irish blues rocker shredded his way through the 70′s and 80′s, and produced an exceptional yet under-appreciated discography. He may not have had mainstream success, but he is regularly cited as an influence by bands like Guns N’ Roses and Queen’s Brian May.

Gallagher’s live album, Irish Tour ’74 demonstrates his range and virtuosity (as well as his crappy album covers).

Gallagher's album covers suck.

Some of the standout tracks include:

Tattoo’d Lady - Catchy and firey, this song could easily have been a radio hit. The guitar work is so passionate, as is the crazy keyboard work of Lou Martin. I freakin love this song.

(The music in the video starts 40 seconds in)

As the Crow Flies – This cover of a Tony Joe White song is a beautiful acoustic slide track. It’s a great blues song, and it underscores Gallagher’s range as a guitarist.

Walking on Hot Coals – 11 minutes of blues rock insanity. I read somewhere that Eric Clapton prefers solos that have a “madness” to them. This song is jam packed full of guitar madness.

Give Irish Tour ’74 a listen.