For all the exhaustiveness of Rory Gallagher‘s expanded reissues, the late guitarist’s studio sessions can never be of such interest as his stage recordings, because it’s before the audience that the great Irishman truly used to come alive. Yet while there are quite a few of his concert albums making rounds, any new archive find raises a furor among Rory’s connoisseurs, which is “The BBC Collection” that will see the light of day on October 11th as a package of 18 CDs and two Blu-ray discs, as well as triple LP and a double-CD sets, must become a cause for celebration.
Spanning the period from 1971 to 1986, the primary set, the massive one, is a thing of aural and visual beauty, with most of the material previously unreleased and some of it never even aired. A lot to devour – yet an aficionado can’t have enough of Gallagher, whose mastery of rock and blues keeps on stunning decades after his untimely passing.
The BBC Collection
CD 1
“Sounds Of The Seventies” – 1971:
1. For The Last Time *†
2. Laundromat *†
3. Hands Up †
4. Sinner Boy †
5. It Takes Time *†
6. I Fall Apart *†
7. Used To Be
8. Crest Of A Wave*
“Sounds Of The Seventies” – 1972:
9. Hoodoo Man Blues †
10. Feel So Bad*
11. I Could’ve Had Religion
12. The Cuckoo
13. Messin’ With The Kid
CD 2
“Sounds Of The Seventies” – 1973:
1. Hands Off *
2. Race The Breeze *
3. Bankers Blues
4. Walk On Hot Coals †
“Old Grey Whistle Test” – 1973:
5. Hands Off
6. Walk On Hot Coals
“Sounds Of The Seventies” – 1973:
7. Unmilitary Two-Step
8. If I Had A Reason
9. Daughter Of The Everglades *
10. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son *
11. Tattoo’d Lady
12. Cradle Rock
13. A Million Miles Away *
CD 3
“Sounds Of The Seventies” – 1974:
1. Back On My Stompin’ Ground
2. I Wonder Who
3. They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore
4. As The Crow Flies
Radio 1 – 1984, with Juan Martin:
5. Flight To Paradise *
6. Can’t Be Satisfied
Radio 2, “Paul Jones Blues Show” – 1986:
7. Introduction
8. When My Baby She Left Me *
9. Continental Op
10. Interview
11. Off The Handle *
CD 4 – Radio 2 – 2005:
The Rory Gallagher Story (narrated by Gary Moore)
CD 5 – “John Peel Sunday Concert” – August 12th, 1971:
1. Hands Up *
2. For The Last Time *
3. In Your Town *
4. Just The Smile *
5. Laundromat *
6. It Takes Time *
CD 6 – “In Concert” – The Paris Theatre – January 13th, 1972:
1. Used To Be *
2. Should’ve Learned My Lesson *
3. Out Of Mind *
4. I Could’ve Had Religion *
5. Crest Of A Wave *
6. Messin’ With The Kid *
7. Maybe I Will
CD 7 – “In Concert” – The Paris Theatre – July 13th, 1972:
1. Tore Down *
2. Used To Be
3. Hoodoo Man *
4. Messin’ With The Kid
5. Pistol Slapper Blues
6. The Cuckoo
7. Going To My Hometown
8. In Your Town
9. Bullfrog Blues
CD 8 – “In Concert” – The Paris Theatre – February 1st, 1972:
1. Messin’ With The Kid
2. Hands Off
3. What In The World *
4. Walk On Hot Coals
5. Banker’s Blues
6. Pistol Slapper Blues
7. Race The Breeze
8. Hoodoo Man
9. Bullfrog Blues
CD 9 – “In Concert” – The Golders Green Hippodrome – June 20th, 1974:
1. Messin’ With The Kid
2. Cradle Rock
3. I Wonder Who
4. Tattoo’d Lady
5. Pistol Slapper Blues
6. Too Much Alcohol
7. Back On My Stomping Ground
8. Who’s That Coming
9. Bullfrog Blues
CD 10 – “Old Grey Whistle Test Special” – The Shepherds Bush Empire – March 1st 1976:
1. I Take What I Want
2. Bought & Sold
3. All Around Man *
4. Out On The Western Plain
5. Souped Up Ford
6. Bullfrog Blues
CD 11 – “Sight & Sound In Concert” – The Hammersmith Odeon – January 19th, 1977:
1. Do You Read Me
2. Secret Agent
3. Calling Card
4. Bought And Sold
5. Out On The Western Plain
6. Barley And Grape Rag
7. Pistol Slapper Blues
8. Too Much Alcohol
9. Going To My Hometown
10. Souped-Up Ford
11. Bullfrog Blues
CD 12 – “In Concert” – The Golders Green Hippodrome – January 20th, 1977:
1. Moonchild
2. Do You Read Me?
3. Calling Card *
4. I Take What I Want *
5. Garbage Man Blues
6. Too Much Alcohol
7. Jack-Knife Beat *
8. Bullfrog Blues
CD 13 – “Rock Goes To College” – Middlesex Polytechnic – December 7th, 1978:
1. Country Mile
2. Shin Kicker
3. Mississippi Sheiks
4. Do You Read Me
5. Brute Force And Ignorance
6. Tattoo’d Lady
7. Shadow Play
8. Cruise On Out
9. Fuel To The Fire
10. Bullfrog Blues
CD 14 – “In Concert” – The Hammersmith Odeon – January 13th, 1979:
1. Shin Kicker
2. Do You Read Me?
3. Off The Handle
4. Brute Force And Ignorance
5. Secret Agent
6. Out On The Western Plain
7. Going To My Hometown
8. Shadow Play
9. Tattoo’d Lady
The BBC Collection
CD 15 – “In Concert” – The Venue – September 20th, 1979:
1. Shin Kicker
2. Last Of The Independents
3. Keychain
4. Follow Me
5. Bought And Sold
6. Wayward Child
7. Mississippi Sheiks
8. Out On The Western Plain
9. As The Crow Flies
10. Do You Read Me?
11. Philby
12. Hellcat
13. Cruise On Out *
CD 16 – The Reading Festival – August 22nd, 1980 – Part 1:
1. Shin Kicker †
2. Last Of The Independents †
3. I Wonder Who
4. Follow Me
5. Wayward Child
6. Tattoo’d Lady
7. Bought And Sold
8. Country Mile
9. Hellcat
CD 17 – The Reading Festival – August 22nd, 1980 – Part 2:
1. Out On The Western Plain
2. Too Much Alcohol
3. Going To My Hometown
4. Moonchild
5. Shadow Play
6. Bullfrog Blues †
CD 18 – NI Rory At Midnight – January 5th, 1984:
1. Double Vision
2. Follow Me
3. I Wonder Who
4. Big Guns
5. Out On The Western Plain
6. Shadow Play
Blu-ray 1
“Old Grey Whistle Test”, 1973:
1. Hands Off
2. Walk On Hot Coals
“Old Grey Whistle Test Special” – The Shepherds Bush Empire – March 1st 1976:
3-8 – as 1-6 on CD 10
“Sight & Sound In Concert” – The Hammersmith Odeon – January 19th, 1977:
9-17 – as 1-11 on CD 11
18. Souped-Up Ford
Blu-ray 2:
“Rock Goes To College” – Middlesex Polytechnic – December 7th, 1978:
1-7 – as 2-5, 9, 7, 8 on CD 13
“Scene Around Six – Northern Ireland” – January 5th, 1984:
8. Interview
NI Rory At Midnight – January 5th, 1984:
9-14 – as 1-6 on CD 18
“Old Grey Whistle Test” – February 26th, 1985:
15. Interview
16. Can’t Be Satisfied
* previously released / † off-air recording
