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First Show Audience 8.5 - A jagged recording that reflects the kind of music this man played every night. It’s not super clear nor is it muddy, and it’s not dynamic nor is it monophonic. It’s a tape that seems like it has promise, if it was re-mastered I think it could be vastly improved but I like it because it’s so raw and honest…like a bar fight ha ha! The second show is also an audience recording although it is much better coming in at an 8.8 on the ratings scale. Clear, and some better dynamics going on. A good one, and a good show. Rory Gallagher City Hall Cork, Ireland January 5, 1974 Disc 1 01 -Intro - Messin' With The Kid 02 -Cradle Rock - Band Intros 03 -I Wonder Who 04 -Tattoo'd Lady 05 -Walk On Hot Coals 06 -Laundromat 07 -Too Much Alcohol 08 -Hands Off 09 -A Million Miles Away Disc 2 01 -As The Crow Flies 02 -Pistol Slapper Blues 03 -Banker's Blues 04 -Unmilitary Two-Step 05 -Goin' To My Hometown 06 -Who's That Comin' 07 -In Your Town Disc 3 City Hall Cork, Ireland December 28, 1974 01 -intro - Messin' With The Kid 02 -Tattoo'd Lady 03 -I Wonder Who 04 -Cradle Rock 05 -Jam - Cradle Rock - I Don't Know Why (Start Of World War Three) 06 -A Million Miles Away 07 -Walk On Hot Coals 08 -Too Much Alcohol Disc 4 01 -Pistol Slapper Blues 02 -Goin' To My Hometown 03 -Laundromat 04 -Hands Off 05 -Livin' Like A Trucker 06 -Who's That Comin' 07 -Bullfrog Blues 08 -In Your Town
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Audience 9.1 - A fascinating document! Well, for one thing, it has that visceral, thump to your chest power and immediacy while you are immersed in the pit with your bros…but the crowd only makes this better. Such amazing atmosphere! The other thing is that this is NOT your mid 70’s blues guitar pub rock – it is much more along the punk/grunge aesthetic in how Rory is playing and his tone. Sure, he plays a lot of blues, but it does not come across the same as it did in ’74…it comes across as music that can breathe new life into what could be considered a dated musical form.
Rory Gallagher Inselwiese Dinkelsbühl, Germany 05. Juli 1986 Disc 1 01. -Ansage - Moonchild 8:03 02. -Shinkicker 6:39 03. -I wonder who 12:22 04. -Nadine 9:34 05. -Bad Penny 9:08 06. -Seven Days - I'm Ready 12:03 07. -Tattoo'd Lady 8:46 08. -A Million Miles Away 8:42 Disc 2 09. -Follow Me 7:01 10. -Out On The Western Plain 6:39 11. -Walkin Blues 7:06 12. -Rollin & Tumblin 5:43 13. -Big Guns 7:48 14. -I'm A Man 2:58 15. -Messin With The Kid 8:39 16. -Bullfrog Blues 6:37 17. -Seven Days - I'm Ready 10:22 18. -Follow Me 5:32
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Audience 8.7 - Better than average, the tape has dynamics to it and even if vocals sound somewhat distant, the bass and guitar have a nice attack with the low end having that chest pounding quality which adds a lot to the electrifying atmospherics. Rory is particularly savage, playing what is probably a really wild crowd since it is where he is from. The performance is worth the entrance fee, the sound quality is good enough to warrant extended engagement. Full disclosure: There is some tape hiss present although it only becomes obvious when the band is not playing. RORY GALLAGHER Rory's Stompin' Grounds National Stadium Dublin, Ireland December 28, 1978 Disc 1 1. Shinkicker 2. Do You Read Me 3. Bought And Sold 4. I Wonder Who 5. Cruise On Out 6. Brute Force and Ignorance 7. Calling Card Disc 2 8. Out On The Western Plain 9. Too Much Alcohol 10. Barley & Grape Rag 11. Goin' To My Hometown 12. Shadow Play 13. Tattoo'd Lady 14. Bullfrog Blues 15. Sea Cruise Rory Gallagher - guitar, vocals Gerry McAvoy - bass Ted McKenna - drums
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Dublin 1974 Soundboard 9.4 - This is a sweet one, it’s early in the new year (a year he would tour extensively during), and he’s in the beautiful city of Dublin, possibly thinking maybe this is how he’ll kick off the ambitious tour, and he just kills it! I would rate the recording higher but for some sizzle on the highs (cymbal crashes, etc.) that don’t hurt the tape so much as they don’t belong on a professionally made for release recording, if indeed that is what this was for. So, that being said you can still dive into this with the full knowledge that it will live up to the rating and then some!
Limerick 1972 Soundboard 8.8 - Sounds like this originates from TV or local radio and suffers from some compression limitations and occasionally drop outs due to sheer age. It’s still professionally recorded, so it’s got bones to work with and you’ll be able to get into it but because it is made for TV (or radio?) there is interruption for interviews – so you have to take this short piece for what it is. It’s filler for the excellent Dublin ’74 and it is fine in that capacity.
Rory Gallagher Carlton Cinema Dublin, Ireland January 2, 1974 Disc 1 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. -Banker's Blues Disc 2 11. -Unmilitary Two Step 12. -Going To My Hometown 13. -In Your Town 14. -Bullfrog Blues Savoy Theatre Limerick, Ireland May 11, 1972 15. -I'm Tore Down 16. -Interviews 17. -Laundromat 18. -Interviews 19. -Pistol Slapper Blues 20. -Interviews 21. -Patch Of Grey Cloud (AKA Don't Know Where I'm Goin') 22. -Interviews 23. -Bullfrog Blues
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Audience 8.8/Audience 8.7 - Both recordings here (from the same taper) occurred on two different gigs at the same venue in the same year. Both are consistent, and good. The songs do duplicate but Rory has new material to offer at the second gig later in the year. Great set here! Rory Gallagher Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt, WG 1973-01-26 Disc 1 01 -Messin' With The Kid 02 -Hands Off 03 -I Should've Learnt My Lesson 04 -Laundromat 05 -Walk On Hot Coals 06 -Banker's Blues 07 -Pistol Slapper Blues 08 -Goin' To My Hometown Disc 2 09 -In Your Town 10 -I Could've Had Religion 11 -Bullfrog Blues 12 -Mellow Down Easy 13 -Used To Be Disc 3 Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt, WG 1973-10-24 01 -Messin' With The Kid 02 -Hands Off 03 -Hoodoo Man 04 -Cradle Rock 05 -A Million Miles Away 06 -Walk On Hot Coals 07 -As The Crow Flies Disc 4 08 -Pistol Slapper Blues 09 -Unmilitary Two-Step 10 -Banker´s Blues 11 -Goin' To My Hometown 12 -Who´s That Comin´ 13 -In Your Town 14 -Bullfrog Blues 15 -Laundromat Band: Rory Gallagher - Vocals Guitar, Mandolin, Harp Rod De'Ath - Drums Lou Martin - Piano Gerry McAvoy - Bass
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Audience 8.8 - Frighteningly close to the stage with a good, clear sound! The dynamics and clarity of “Out On The Western Plain” is spooky, it’s literally as if Rory was sitting there in your living room. RORY GALLAGHER Jahrhunderthalle Frankfurt Germany March 20th 1975 Disc 1 1 -Messin' With The Kid 2 -Tattoo'd Lady 3 -Want Ad Blues 4 -Cradle Rock 5 -Young Fashioned Ways 6 -A Million Miles Away Disc 2 7 -Walk on Hot Coals 8 -Out On The Western Plain 9 -Pistol Slapper Blues 10 -Too Much Alcohol 11 -Going To My Hometown 12 -Who’s That Coming 13 -All Around Man THE BAND Rory Gallagher guitar vocals Gerry McAvoy bass Lou Martin keyboards Rod de'Ath drums
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Soundboard/Audience matrix 8.8 - This recording is pretty clean but is just a touch…how would I say, maybe doesn’t highlight the upper high end so it almost sounds like the edges were trimmed on the rock bush. It still delivers a punch to the gut, particularly if you like your drums to rattle your insides a bit because they do here, in a good way. Overall, this is a real fine set of tunes and is rather long and includes a pre-show interview at the end of the 3rd disc.
Rory Gallagher Cardis Houston, Texas, U.S.A. May 26, 1985 Disc One 01 - Double Vision 02 - Moonchild 03 - I Wonder Who 04 - Shinkicker 05 - Mississippi Sheiks (with Rain) 06 - Tattoo'd Lady 07 - Off The Handle Disc Two 08 - Big Guns 09 - Failsafe Day 10 - Out On The Western Plain 11 - Seven Days 12 - Banker's Blues 13 - Philby Disc Three 14 - Bought And Sold 15 - Shadow Play 16 - Bullfrog Blues 17 - Sweet Little Sixteen 18 - Nadine (encore audience cheering) 19 - Messin' With The Kid 20 - All Around Man 21 - Interview by FG (Pre-Show)
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FM Broadcast 9.0 - A tape that seems to be intact but missing a little of the sharpness and attack of a low gen or master which just means you crank it a little louder. It’s all there, the quality is there, but needs your input to get it up to loudness. Performance is cracking!
Rory Gallagher Hammersmith Odeon Theatre London, England 1-13-79 Rory Gallagher Group; May 1978 - March 1981: Rory Gallagher - guitar, vocals Gerry McAvoy - bass Ted McKenna - drums Set List: 01 - Radio DJ introduction 02 - Shinkicker 03 - Do You Read Me 04 - Off The Handle 05 - Out On The Western Plain 06 - Goin' To My Hometown 07 - Brute Force & Ignorance 08 - Secret Agent 09 - Shadow Play 10 - Tattoo'd Lady
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Audience 8.4 - A recent discovery, and man what a good one. A very strong recording for the time, minimal errors although maybe a touch hot on the upper end of the bandwidth but not enough to harm. The sound is pretty direct and forceful, if even a touch of rawness that harkens back to his really early days with Taste. -
FM Broadcast 8.8 - Decent if a little compressed, but it’s from a period that I don’t see a whole lot of recordings from. Rory Gallagher 1976-11-18 Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA with filler from 1974-04-04 Civic Centre, San Diego, CA Rory Gallagher - Guitars/Vocals Gerry McAvoy - Bass Lou Martin - Piano/Keyboards Rod De'Ath - Pots & Pans Disc 1 (L.A. 1976): 1. Introduction 2. Moonchild 3. Secret Agent 4. Calling Card 5. I Take What I Want/Watch Your Step 6. Bought & Sold 7. Out On The Western Plain 8. Do You Read Me 9. Souped Up Ford/Want-Ad Blues Disc 2 (San Diego 1974): 1. Hands Off 2. Bullfrog Blues 3. Early In The Morning 4. A Million Miles Away 5. In Your Town (cut)
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Soundboard 9.7 - Amazing set featuring the nitro-fueled blues rock of Rory Gallagher on full glorious display. A decidedly heavy approach this time, but it seems odd that the audience embraced this yet boo’d Stevie Ray Vaughan mercilessly only a few short years later. Either way, this is the good stuff right here. Rory Gallagher Montreux Jazz Festival Montreux, Switzerland 07-22-1977 Setlist: (74:30) 01.I Take What I Want- 6:06 02.Calling Card- 6:54 03.Secret Agent- 6:00 04.Tattoo'd Lady- 4:40 05.Out On The Western Plain- 5:44 06.Barley & Grape Rag/Pistol Slapper Blues- 5:24 07.Too Much Alcohol- 5:13 08.Garbage Man- 8:12 09.Bought And Sold- 5:59 10.A Million Miles Away- 7:48 11.Shin Kicker- 6:43 12.Last Of The Independents- 5:47 Performers: Rory Gallagher- Electric, Electric Slide, Acoustic and National Steel Guitar, Vocals Gerry McAvoy- Bass Lou Martin- Keyboards Ron de'Ath- Drums
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Soundboard 9.7 - Superb sound quality! Crisp, well balanced, and even kind of dynamic which is a bonus as you know that sometimes board times are…well, board! This is a shining recording man, grab it! Rory Gallagher Blues Rock Festival Tegelen, The Netherlands September 1, 1984 Disc One 01 - intro - Double Vision 02 - Follow Me 03 - I Wonder Who 04 - My Baby, She Left Me 05 - Mississippi Sheiks 06 - Drinkin' Down The Bourbon 07 - Off The Handle Disc Two 01 - Walkin' Blues 02 - I'm Leavin' 03 - Out On The Western Plain 04 - As The Crow Flies 05 - Big Guns 06 - Bring It On Home 07 - Tore Down 08 - Knock On Wood Disc Three 01 - Shadow Play 02 - Jamming Improv 03 - Gerry McAvoy Bass Jam 04 - Bad Penny 05 - audience 06 - Shinkicker 07 - Blues Improv (I've Been Lovin' You Too Long - Jam - Walkin' The Dog - Little Queenie 08 - Mr. Pitiful Rory Gallagher Group; May 1981 - 1991: Rory Gallagher - guitar, vocals Gerry McAvoy - bass Brendan O'Neill - drums Mark Feltham (guesting) - harmonica
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Audience 8.7 - Pretty clear and close to the main PA it sounds like. In the face guitar, very cool drum sound, thick and hard hitting with a satisfying thud giving the music a lot of body and force. Cool show! RORY GALLAGHER Horton Festival Horton Open Air Festival, Horton, Norway July 2, 1978 CD 1:
- Shinkicker
- Bought And Sold
- I wonder who
- Secret agent
- Calling card
- Tattoo'd lady
- Do you read me
- Out On The Western Plain
- Too much alcohol
- Goin to my hometown
- Cruise on out
- That's Alright Mama
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Audience 8.3 - On this tape, you will hear all instruments (guitar out front) pretty clearly, not much crispness but decent bottom end and midrange intact. Slightly muddy in the middle with occasional brighter spots (definite improvement by the beginning of disc 2) throughout as the taper moves into better position. A touch of hiss is present. Not bad, not stellar, I would get it though if you like Rory’s set list during this time (Shadow Play, etc.). Rory Gallagher .... October 3, 1978 Stadthalle, Offenbach, Germany May 1978 - March 1981: Rory Gallagher - guitar, vocals Gerry McAvoy - bass Ted McKenna - drums Set List: Disc One (10 tracks = 62:18 minutes) 01 - Do You Read Me 02 - Secret Agent - band intros 03 - I Wonder Who 04 - Tattoo'd Lady 05 - Mississippi Sheiks 06 - Bought And Sold 07 - Cloak And Dagger 08 - Out On The Western Plain 09 - Too Much Alcohol 10 - Goin' To My Hometown Disc Two (7 tracks = 53:08 minutes) 01 - Shadow Play 02 - Sea Cruise (encore audience cheer, tuning) 03 - Bullfrog Blues (encore audience cheer) 04 - Moonchild 05 - Born In Chicago - I'm Ready (encore audience cheer) 06 - Messin' With The Kid 07 - Boogie - I'm A King Bee (with Roland guesting)
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Audience 8.2 - The selling point here are the rarely played songs, including Overnight Bag which I don’t think I have even heard ever played live before. RORY GALLAGHER Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway, October 29, 1978 CD 1:
- Shinkicker
- Do you read me
- I wonder who
- Secret agent
- Cloak and dagger
- Tattoo'd lady
- Out On The Western Plain
- Too Much alcohol
- Goin to my hometown
- Shadow play
- All around man / Medley
- Moonchild
- Overnight bag
- Bought and sold
- Sea cruise
- Bullfrog blues
- Messin' With The Kid
- Just a little bit
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Audience 8.7 - Brassy, loud, and guitar dominant recording that delivers where it counts and finds Rory sounding, to my ears, much more rock/metal/grunge even though he features plenty of raw, blues soaked numbers in his set. It’s just that the atmosphere and volume don’t suggest this is a “blues” band blowing through town…I just get the feeling Rory felt the times changing and adjusted accordingly. Either way you parse it, this is high-intensity music, and the recording here really manages to capture that pretty realistically.
Rory Gallagher The Stone Palo Alto, California May 17, 1985 Disc One 01 - intro - Double Vision 02 - Bad Penny 03 - band intros - Off The Handle 04 - Moonchild 05 - Hey Mama, Keep Your Big Mouth Shut 06 - I Wonder Who 07 - Tattoo'd Lady 08 - Mississippi Sheiks 09 - Big Guns Disc Two 01 - Out On The Western Plain 02 - Seven Days 03 - Philby 04 - Follow Me 05 - Shadow Play 06 - My Babe 07 - All Around Man - Bullfrog Blues - Roll Over Beethoven - Route 66 Rory Gallagher Group; May 1981 - 1991: Rory Gallagher - guitar, vocals Gerry McAvoy - bass Brendan O'Neill - drums Mark Feltham - harmonica
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Soundboard 9.1 - I like the natural, expressive drum sound in this mix, it’s not often you get that out of a soundboard. This is also a very fine performance, as they pretty much all were, but this one really shines. Rory GALLAGHER Olympia Paris, France March 8th, 1982 2nd show CD 1 (1:00:58) 101. -Shin Kicker 102. -Brute, Force and Ignorance 103. -Bad Penny 104. -Nadine 105. -What In The World 106. -Wayward Child 107. -A Million Miles away 108. -The devil made Me Do It 109. -Tattooed Lady 110. -Mississipi Sheiks CD 2 (0:57:20) 211. -Out On The Western Plain 212. -Nothing But The Devil 213. -Bourbon 214. -Moonchild 215. -Philby 216. -I'm Leaving 217. -Shadow Play 218. -Louie Louie 219. -Bullfrog Blues 220. -Slow Down Total time : 1:58:18
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Radio Broadcasts 9.2-9.8 - Superb quality broadcasts all from 1977. Rory Gallagher Pistol Slappin' 77's 1977 Broadcasts Disc 1 Demontford Hall, Leicester, UK 2/15/77 01 -Do You Read Me 02 -Calling Card 03 -Secret Agent 04 -Tattoo'd Lady 05 -A Million Miles Away 06 -tuning & intro to Souped-Up Ford 07 -Souped-Up Ford 08 -Bullfrog Blues 09 -Edged In Blue 10 -Country Mile 11 -Got My Mojo Workin' Disc 2 Newcastle City Hall Newcastle, UK. 2/18/77 1. -Edged In Blue 2. -Used To Be 3. -Country Mile Sheffield, UK. 02/17/77 4. -I Take What I Want 5. -Bought And Sold 6. -Out On The Western Plain 7. -Pistol Slapper Blues 8. -Barley & Grape Rag 9. -Secret Agent Disc 3 Sight & Sound in Concert Jan. 29th, 1977 01. -Intro 02. -Do You Read Me 03. -Secret Agent 04. -Calling Card 05. -Bought and Sold 06. -Out on the Western Plain 07. -Pistol Slapper Blues 08. -Too Much Alcohol 09. -Going To My Home Town 10. -Souped-up Ford 11. -Outro
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Radio Broadcasts 9.2-9.7 - A fine collection of broadcasts that sparkle and shine so much that you will have to pinch yourself as a reminder that the recordings are like 5 decades old! Fantastic set, and volume 2 is just as good. Rory Gallagher Pistol Slappin' 77's Volume I Disc 1 BBC Sights & Sounds Hammersmith Odeon, London January 19, 1977 01 - Alan Black introduction 02 - Do You Read Me 03 - Secret Agent 04 - Calling Card 05 - Bought and Sold 06 - Out On The Western Plain 07 - Barley & Grape Rag 08 - Pistol Slapper Blues 09 - Too Much Alcohol 10 - Goin' To My Hometown 11 - Souped-Up Ford 12 - Bullfrog Blues Disc 2 BBC Golders Green, Hippodrome, London, U.K. January 20, 1977 01 - Alan Black introduction 02 - Moonchild 03 - Do You Read Me 04 - Garbage Man 05 - Too Much Alcohol 06 - Bullfrog Blues Brighton Dome January 21, 1977 07 - Do You Read Me 08 - Moonchild 09 - Tattoo'd Lady 10 - Souped-Up Ford 11 - Bullfrog Blues Rory Gallagher (R.I.P.) - guitar, vocals Gerry McAvoy - bass Rod de'Ath - drums Lou Martin (R.I.P.) - keyboards
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Soundboard 9.1 - When I hear recordings like this, I am hesitant to consider it a pure soundboard because I am aware of the presence of “room” here, especially when it’s guitar and/or vocals by themselves and you really hear it. So, probably run through a board yes, but mic’d up for a recording rather than for PA if that makes any sense.
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Audience 9.3 - This is, to my ears, sort of a return to the edgy hard rock of Taste. The distorted guitar (wonderful tone!) and punchy rhythms really hint more to his very early period and are ideally suited for the mid 80’s where maybe pure, raw blues was not as widely consumed as before. This show, and recording, really highlight the gut punch effect where straight forward guitar/bass/drums is the formula that works.
Rory Gallagher Oldenwaldring, Schaafheim Germany 18. Juli 1987 Disc 1 01. -Announcement 0:41 02. -Ansage - Moonchild 7:04 03. -Double Vision 7:37 04. -I Wonder Who 12:09 05. -Nadine 9:58 06. -Walkin' Blues 6:04 07. -Continental Op 9:57 08. -I Ain't No Saint 8:25 Disc 2 09. -Out On The Western Plain 6:08 10. -Want Ad Blues 5:34 11. -Tattoo'd Lady 5:50 12. -When My Baby She Left Me 7:23 13. -Shadow Play 7:15 14. -Bad Penny 4:28 15. -Bullfrog Blues - Dizzy Miss Lizzy 7:57 16. -Messin' With The Kid 4:50 17. -Knock On Wood - La Bamba 8:02 18. -Long Tall Sally 4:30 19. -Don't Start Me Talkin' 3:35 Track 01 - 18 Schaafheim Track 19 Mainz, Sendezentrum "Tele Illustrierte" 13. November 1987 1.Gen/TV (He plays live in the show)
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Soundboard 9.0 - Nothing inherently wrong with this board tape, it’s very much what you should expect, but there is some atmosphere that captures some of the room excitement. You won’t strain to hear anything on this recording as everything is right up front. Bass is very well rounded and tight, drums are in the pocket and guitar is blasting as only Rory can. So, it is highly suggested you grab this, ‘cause you’ll dig it. Rory Gallagher City Hall, Sittard, Holland 1979-10-18 Disc 1 01 Wayward Child 02 Tattoo'd Lady 03 I Wonder Who 04 Follow Me 05 Bought & Sold 06 Keychain 07 Secret Agent 08 Bad Penny Disc 2 09 Out On The Western Plain 10 As The Crow Flies 11 Going To My Hometown 12 Moonchild 13 Shadow Play 14 Bullfrog Blues 15 Sea Cruise 16 Too Much Alcohol Rory Gallagher - Guitar, Vocals Gerry McAvoy - Bass Ted McKenna - Drums
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FM Broadcast 9.4 - This is sourced from a low gen tape source, and it sounds very clean, bright, precise. Rory GALLAGHER Koncerthuset, Stockholm, Sweden October 27, 1979 Disc 1 (0:49:58) 101 Wayward Child 102 I Wonder Who 103 Bought & Sold 104 Follow Me 105 Keychain 106 Moonchild 107 Out On The Western Plain 108 As The Crow Flies 109 Going To My Hometown Disc 2 (0:39:56) 201 The Last Of The Independants 202 A Million Miles Away 203 Shadow Play 204 Bullfrog Blues 205 Sea Cruise> Jenny Take A Ride 206 Secret Agent 207 Messing with the kid Rory Gallagher Group; May 1978 - March 1981: Rory Gallagher - guitar, vocals Gerry McAvoy - bass Ted McKenna - drums Total time : 1:29:54