Rory Gallagher discography explained

Artist:Rory Gallagher
Studio:11
Live:6
Compilation:13
Singles:5
Video:11
1Option:2
1Option Name:Box sets

The discography of Rory Gallagher, an Irish guitarist and singer-songwriter, consists of 11 studio albums, 6 live albums, 13 compilations, and 5 singles. Gallagher was a solo artist for much of his career and collaborated with artists such as Muddy Waters and Jerry Lee Lewis. Before his career as a solo artist, Gallagher was the guitarist, vocalist, and saxophonist for the Irish rock trio Taste.

Taste

Having completed a musical apprenticeship in the Irish showbands, and influenced by the increasing popularity of beat groups during the early 1960s, Gallagher formed Taste, a blues rock and R&B power trio, in 1966.[1] Initially, the band was composed of Gallagher and two Cork musicians, Norman Damery and Eric Kitteringham, however, by 1968, they were replaced with two musicians from Belfast, featuring Gallagher on guitar and vocals, drummer John Wilson, and bassist Richard McCracken.[1] Performing extensively in the United Kingdom, the group played regularly at the Marquee Club, supporting both Cream at their Royal Albert Hall farewell concert, and the blues supergroup Blind Faith on a tour of North America. Managed by Eddie Kennedy, the trio released the albums Taste and On The Boards, and two live recordings, Live Taste and Live at the Isle of Wight.[1] The latter appeared long after the band's break-up, which occurred shortly after their appearance at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival.[2]

Solo career

After the break-up of Taste, Gallagher toured under his own name, hiring former Deep Joy bass player Gerry McAvoy to play on his eponymous debut album, Rory Gallagher.[3] It was the beginning of a twenty-year musical relationship between Gallagher and McAvoy; the other band member was drummer Wilgar Campbell.[1] The 1970s were Gallagher's most prolific period. He produced ten albums in that decade, including two live albums, Live in Europe and Irish Tour '74. November 1971 saw the release of his album, Deuce.[3] Around the same time, he was voted Melody Makers International Top Musician of the Year, ahead of Eric Clapton.[4] However, despite a number of his albums from this period reaching the UK Albums Chart, Gallagher did not attain major star status.[1]

Gallagher is documented in the 1974 film Irish Tour '74, directed by Tony Palmer. During the heightened periods of political unrest in Ireland, as other artists were warned not to tour, Gallagher was resolute about touring Ireland at least once a year during his career, winning him the dedication of thousands of fans, and in the process, becoming a role model for other aspiring young Irish musicians. The line-up for the Irish Tour which included Rod de'Ath on drums and Lou Martin on keyboards, performed together between 1973 and 1976. Releases from that period include Blueprint, Tattoo, Irish Tour '74, Against the Grain and Calling Card.[3] This Gallagher band performed several TV and radio shows across Europe, including Beat-Club in Bremen, Germany and the Old Grey Whistle Test.[5] Gallagher recorded two Peel Sessions, both in February 1973 and containing the same tracks, but only the first was broadcast.[6] Along with Little Feat and Roger McGuinn, Gallagher performed the first Rockpalast live concert at the Grugahalle, Essen, Germany in 1977.[7]

In 1978 Gallagher trimmed his band down to just bass, guitar and drums, and the act became a power trio as Taste had been. This line-up produced Photo-Finish, Top Priority, Jinx, Defender, and Fresh Evidence. During this period Gallagher was often obsessive over details and plagued by self-doubt yet he retained a loyal fan base.[1]

Collaborations and posthumous releases

Gallagher collaborated with Jerry Lee Lewis[8] and Muddy Waters[9] on their respective London Sessions in the mid-1970s. He played on Lonnie Donegan's final album.[3] He was David Coverdale's second choice (after Jeff Beck) to replace Ritchie Blackmore in Deep Purple although Gallagher chose to remain a solo artist. When former members of the Yardbirds (Chris Dreja, Paul Samwell-Smith, and Jim McCarty) reunited to create the band Box of Frogs Gallagher was invited to record with them on their first album.

Gallagher's career was cut short due to his untimely death on 14 June 1995. He died from complications after a liver transplant. Several posthumous albums have emerged since his death. Two of the most notable are Wheels Within Wheels, a compilation of acoustic folk and blues music released in 2003 and Notes From San Francisco, an album of unreleased studio tracks and a San Francisco 1979 concert released in 2011.

Albums

Taste albums

YearAlbumChart
position
UK[10]
1969London Invasion
  • Label: Pontiac Records
1969Taste
1970On the Boards
  • Label: Polydor
18
1971Live Taste (live album)
  • Label: Polydor
14
1972Live at the Isle of Wight (live album)
  • Label: Polydor
41
Taste First
(recorded in 1967; released in 1974 as In the Beginning
and again in 1976 as Take It Easy Baby)
  • Label: BASF
1994The Best of Taste (compilation album)
  • Label: Polydor

Solo albums

YearAlbumPeak chart positionsBPI Certification[11]
UK
[12]
US
[13]
1971Rory Gallagher
  • Released: 21 May 1971
  • Label: Polydor
32Gold
Deuce
  • Released: November 1971
  • Label: Polydor
39Gold
1972Live in Europe (live)
  • Released: 1 May 1972
  • Label: Polydor
9Gold
1973Blueprint
  • Released: February 1973
  • Label: Polydor
12147Gold
Tattoo
  • Released: November 1973
  • Label: Polydor
32186Gold
1974Irish Tour '74 (live)
  • Released: July 1974
  • Label: Polydor
36Gold
1975Against the Grain align="center"-121Gold
1976Calling Card 32163Silver
1978Photo-Finish align="center"-116Silver
1979Top Priority 56140Silver
1980Stage Struck (live) 40Silver
1982Jinx 68Silver
1987Defender
  • Released: July 1987
  • Label: Capo/Demon
align="center"-Silver
1990Fresh Evidence
  • Released: May 1990
  • Label: Capo
align="center"-Silver
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

Posthumous albums

YearAlbumcolspan-"3"Chart
position
UK
2003Meeting with the G-Man (live)
  • Released: 22 November 2003
  • Label: Capo/RCA
2006Live at Montreux (live)
  • Released: 31 July 2006
  • Label: Eagle
2011Notes From San Francisco (studio & live) 44
2023All Around Man: Live in London (live)
  • Released: 7 July 2023[14]
  • Label: Universal Music

Compilation albums

YearAlbumChart
position
UK[15]
1974The Story So Far
1975Sinner... And Saint also released as Rory Gallagher
(compilation of tracks taken from Rory Gallagher and Deuce)
1975Rory Gallagher (Flashback series)
1976Rory Gallagher Live (Flashback series)
1976Take It Easy Baby
(Taste demo sessions)
1992Edged in Blue
(BPI: 60,000)
1995A Blue Day for the Blues
Last of the Independents
1999BBC Sessions
(one live disc and one studio disc)
  • Released: 7 August 1999
  • Label: Capo
2003Wheels Within Wheels (acoustic)
  • Released: 8 March 2003
  • Label: Capo
2005Big Guns: The Very Best of Rory Gallagher
  • Released: 13 June 2005
  • Label: Capo/RCA
31
2008The Essential
2009Crest of a Wave: The Best of Rory Gallagher
  • Released: 25 August 2009
  • Label: Capo/Eagle
2010The Beat Club Sessions
  • Recorded: 1971/72
  • Released: 13 September 2010
  • Label: Capo/Eagle
2012The Rory Gallagher Collection
(re-release of The Essential Rory Gallagher)
  • Released: 18 June 2012
  • Label: Capo/Camden Deluxe/Legacy/Sony Music
2019Blues
  • Released: 31 May 2019
  • Label: Universal Music
17
2020Check Shirt Wizard: Live in '77
(Brand new triple live album)
  • Released: 6 March 2020
  • Label: Chess/Universal Music
26

Box sets

YearAlbum
1992The G-Man Bootleg Series Vol.1
  • Label: Strange Music
2001Let's Go to Work
(4 disc set, featuring Live in Europe, Irish Tour '74,
Stage Struck and Meeting with the G-Man)
  • Released: 15 October 2001
  • Label: Capo/RCA
2008Original Album Classics
(5 disc set, featuring Deuce, Calling Card,
Top Priority, Jinx and Fresh Evidence)
  • Released: 31 October 2008
  • Label: Capo/Sony BMG
2015I'll Remember (Taste)
(4 disc set)
  • Released: August 2015
  • Label: Polydor

Singles

[16] [17]

With Taste

[a] [b] NL #22 [18]

Solo

[c]

notes;

^ – re-released in 1970 with the sides reversed. ^ – b/w "Morning Sun" in some countries. ^ – standard two-track single in some countries.

Videography

All titles released on the DVD format.
1995Message to Love
Recording of "Sinner Boy" and "Gamblin' Blues"; with Taste
2000Irish Tour '74
2003The Old Grey Whistle Test: Vol. 1
Album track: "Hands Off"; 1973
2004At Rockpalast
German release
2005The Complete Rockpalast Collection
3 disc, German release
Songs & Stories: New York Remembers Rory Gallagher
Biography
2006Live at Cork Opera House
UK release
Live in Cork
US release
Live at Montreux
2 disc set
2007Live at Rockpalast (5 Concerts 1976 – 1990)
3 disc, US release
Shadow Play (5 Concerts 1976 – 1990)
3 disc, UK release
2010Ghost Blues
Biography of Gallagher with concert footage and interviews with The Edge, Slash,...

Guest appearances

YearAlbumArtist
1971Bring It Back HomeMike Vernon
1972The London Muddy Waters Sessions
1973The Session
1974Drat That Fratle Rat
London Revisited
1977Gaodhal's Vision Joe O'Donnell (electric fiddle player)
LiveAlbert King
1978Tarot Suite
Puttin' On The Style
1983Jammin` With AlbertAlbert Collins & The Icebreakers
1984Box of Frogs
1989The ScatteringThe Fureys and Davey Arthur
Out of the AirDavy Spillane Band
Words and MusicPhil Coulter
1990Shadow Hunter
Politician (at Montreux)Jack Bruce and Rory Gallagher
1991Flags & Emblems
199230 Years A-Greying
1993The OutstandingChris Barber and Band
2007Kindred SpiritsEamonn McCormack

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Roberts , David . 1998. Guinness Rockopedia. 1st. Guinness Publishing Ltd.. London. 168–169. 0-85112-072-5. registration.
  2. Buckley, Peter (ed.) (2003). The Rough Guide To Rock, pp. 409–10. Rough Guides Ltd. .
  3. Book: Strong , Martin C. . 2000. The Great Rock Discography. 5th. Mojo Books. Edinburgh. 369–370. 1-84195-017-3.
  4. Web site: Defender of the blues . Innerviews.org . https://web.archive.org/web/20070821045144/https://www.innerviews.org/inner/rory.html. 21 August 2007 .
  5. Book: McAvoy, Gerry . Chrisp . Pete . Riding Shotgun: 35 Years on the Road with Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero. Kent: SPG Triumph. 3 June 2005. 82. 0-9550320-1-6 .
  6. http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/artists/r/rorygallagher/ The Peel Sessions BBC Radio 1
  7. Web site: Rockpalast Night 23.-24.July 1977: Rory Gallagher 2.3.1948–14.6.1995 . Rockpalast Archiv . September 1977 . 8 May 2009.
  8. Book: Roberts , David . 1998. Guinness Rockopedia. 1st. Guinness Publishing Ltd.. London. 242. 0-85112-072-5. registration.
  9. Book: Russell , Tony . 1997. The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Carlton Books Limited. Dubai. 67. 1-85868-255-X.
  10. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 549.
  11. Web site: Certified Awards . 2 April 2014 . 10 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170710164143/http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx . dead .
  12. Book: Roberts , David . 2006. British Hit Singles & Albums. 19th. Guinness World Records Limited . London. 1-904994-10-5. 220.
  13. Web site: Rory Gallagher. allmusic.com. 13 November 2011.
  14. Web site: Rory Gallagher Shows He Was An All Around Man On New Live Album. UDiscoverMusic. Peacock. Tim. 4 May 2023. 19 July 2023.
  15. Web site: Rory Gallagher full Official Chart history. Official Charts Company. 8 June 2019.
  16. Web site: Rory Gallagher. Discogs.
  17. Web site: Taste (2). Discogs.
  18. Web site: Dutch singles charts.
  19. Web site: Irish charts.