Track Listing

1. Cradle Rock
2. I Wonder Who
3. Tattoo'd Lady
4. Too Much Alcohol
5. As the Crow Flies
6. Million Miles Away
7. Walk on Hot Coals
8. Who's That Coming?
9. Back on My Stompin' Ground (After Hours)
10. Maritime

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4366 in Music
• Released on: 1999-09-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Live, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Album Description
Digitally remastered reissue of the late bluesy Irish rockguitarist's 1974 concert album, first released on Polydor.Contains all 10 of the original tracks. Also featuresredesigned artwork & new liner notes. 1998 Strange Music/Capo/ RCA/ BMG release.

Customer Reviews

Captures Rory Gallagher in peak form
Let's just say that "Irish Tour," which has sold the most copies of any of the late Rory Gallagher's albums, captures one of the finest blues-rock guitarists of our time in peak form. This gem of a live recording was assembled from various gigs across Mr. Gallagher's troubled native Ireland in 1974, and he clearly relishes playing for the home crowd.

Mr. Gallagher and company churn through some longer versions of Walk on Hot Coals, Too Much Alcohol, and Who's That Coming, which allows Mr. Gallagher to improvise and experiment a bit. (There's not a bad number here, but why is Just a Little Bit not included on the CD version?)

I'm not prone to lavish adjectives on recordings, but there is more than enough intensity, passion, and virtuosity here to help the uninitiated learn what all the fuss is when it comes to Rory Gallagher's place in rock history.

Why four stars instead of five? It has nothing to do with Mr. Gallagher but rather a display of frustration about the omission of any bonus material!

Lost Genius
The first time I saw Rory Gallagher live he was a warmup act, and he stole the show from Deep Purple, no easy thing to do. He was that good, blessed not only with technical skill but with a musical soul that shone through his music. This 1974 live recording is a tribute to his fiery blues-rock guitar playing and the heart behind it. I've been told by people who knew him that he was the nicest guy on earth, something that comes through in the video version of this recording available now on DVD, he was all music, no showbiz, a bluesman who seemed almost embarrassed when he became a rock star as well. If you don't know his work, this live album is a good place to start, just be prepared to buy more once you get a taste. The public has largely forgotten Rory just as they have Roy Buchannan, but guitarists will be impressed no end when you mention his name, they know how good he was and how much he loved the music. Maybe that's why the Rolling Stones considered him as a replacement for Mick Taylor, but somehow I can't see Rory wearing leopardskin jackets and leather pants. His life was too short, but at least we have this wonderful music to remember him by.

20 Stars on a scale of 1 to 5
To get right to the point, I consider this to be the greatest rock and roll album ever recorded. It is worth remembering that portions of this album were recorded live in Northern Ireland right in the middle of the "troubles." Most touring acts wouldn't even go near this area at the time because of the constant threat of violence. Consequently the audiences got to see few shows and were no doubt starved for some real rock & roll. Since Rory was first and foremost a live performer who fed off the energy of a crowd, the performances captured on this album are amazing for the passionate interplay and raw power of Rory's singing and playing (particularly his slide guitar playing.) Rory's band (Gerry McAvoy - bass, Rod D'Ath - drums, Lou Martin - piano) is tight as a drum and match his intensity---just listen to the absolutely jaw-dropping "Walk On Hot Coals," maybe Rory's greatest recorded moment. One thing I have always wondered, since this album was supposedly recorded at several locations on the same tour, is if the COMPLETE recordings still exist of the various shows that were taped? If only...