Rory Gallagher: Ghost Blues and The Beat Club Sessions (2010) 2xDVD 
Video: NTSC, MPEG-2 at 6 756 Kbps, 720 x 480 at 29.970 fps | Audio: AC-3 2ch. at 192 Kbps, AC-3 6ch. at 448 Kbps, DTS 6ch. at 1 510 Kbps
Genre: Blues, Rock | Label: Eagle Rock | Copy: Untouched | Release Date: 20 Sep 2010 | Runtime: 179 min. | 4,10+6,48 GB (DVD5+DVD9)
Subtitles: English, German, Spanish, French Guitarist Rory Gallagher never wanted to be a star. He only wanted to make music on his
own terms and have the opportunity to play that music for an audience
who would genuinely appreciate it. Watching the double DVD set Ghost
Blues and The Beat Sessions illustrates the Irish-born blues-rocker's
success on those terms he set for himself so emphatically, and to which
he remained loyal throughout his career.
Director Ian Thullier does a remarkable job maintaining a linear
narrative during The Story of Rory Gallagher. Tracing the man's roots
back to his birth and upbringing in the city of Cork, Thullier wastes no
time delving into the progression of Gallagher's musical ambitions
through photos of the area in which he grew up and quick cuts from
interview to interview with significant figures in his career, including
most significantly his brother and manager Donal. Testimonials from
other Irish musicians such as Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats and The
Edge of U2 provide emotional weight to the more matter-of-fact
depictions of Gallagher's evolution coming from journalists such as Dave
Fanning. Recurring recordings of Gallagher himself drive those point(s)
home even further, albeit in a more understated tone than the
uninitiated might expect given the contrary nature ascribed to the man.
Increasingly frequent performance segments are interwoven into this
narrative as the story wends its way to the formation of the power trio
Taste, which was established in the late 1960s, just as Cream split and
guitarist Jimi Hendrix moved his Experience to America. Without any
overt showmanship, the group's stage presence carries as much impact as
the intent focus of its playing, all of which arises directly from
Gallagher himself: sporting leather jackets and long hair was only a
cosmetic indication of the stubbornness in the leader that led to
managerial disputes which ultimately led to the dissolution of Taste and
the beginning of the Rory Gallagher solo career.
Because his stature in America has never really risen above that of a
cult hero, it's more than just a little noteworthy to comprehend
Gallagher's ascent to the upper ranks of guitar heroes of the era,
comparable, at least in Europe, to Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff
Beck. That, in turn, makes it only slightly less significant to hear the
story of being courted to join the Rolling Stones: as their original
bassist declares, the guitarist/composer's iconoclastic nature would
never allow for a secondary role in that group, no matter how
complementary their blues roots might have been.
Weaving in and out of Ghost Blues:The Story Of Rory Gallagher is his
stubborn refusal to compromise his music or his musical persona of the
sake of commercial breakthrough. There's some hint that he actually
undermined his career potential through such steadfast adherence to his
principals, but hearing the admiration that radiates from his
contemporaries and his sidemen over the years, there's overriding sense
he retained the purity of his music and his personal integrity in so
doing.
The documentary then doesn't so much mythologize as capture the
intangibles of its subject, particularly in the a matter-of-fact quality
within the description of the health issues that ended Gallagher's life
so prematurely in 1995 at the age of 47. The delicate description of
that inexorable sequence of events unintentionally adds to the
melancholy inherent in the story. Even drummer Ted McKenna's description
of Gallagher's lifestyle doesn't sound so much romantic as merely
pragmatic.
The production quality of the DVD content matches the clarity of the
narrative. Certainly early photo, video and audio selections lack the
pristine quality of that which appears by the time the story hits the
mid-1970s, but the reproduction matches the varied sources. There are no
bonus features on this DVD or The Beat Club Sessions, but it's
emblematic of the continuity of this project that the printed booklet
enclosed in the package contains graphics used prominently in the video.
Reference to an article from British music publication Melody Maker,
recounting Gallagher's appearance in Belfast at the height of the
internecine warfare erupting in Ireland at the time, goes a long way in
explaining the man's deep-rooted connection to his audience.
Given the presence of audio engineer Joe Herlihy's account of the first
outdoor Irish music festival, headlined (and largely subsidized by) Rory
Gallagher, the omission of much detailed production info or musician
credits is especially egregious for the twelve-cut CD companion piece to
the Beat Club DVD. Comprised of excerpts from 1971 appearances on the
German television series as well as en entire performance from 1972,
Gallagher and company seem quaint in their aversion to theatrics, yet
even the no-nonsense defiance of their group persona barely offsets the
kitschy graphics of the early footage. Thankfully the stripped-down
acoustic rendition of "Just the Smile" is more than ample antidote to
what's preceded and much of what will follow in the 90 minutes playing
time.
That tune alone is a striking demonstration of the sensitivity at the
heart of Gallagher's otherwise often blustery blues-rock. He doesn't
treat this intimate approach as anything other than equally legitimate
as his electric music and displays just as much relish, especially when
working out with the bottleneck. Woefully distracting graphics afflict
most of the video footage, which only makes it worth owning the CD even
though it lacks all the diversity of style contained on the DVD: to hear
Rory Gallagher playing the mandolin on "Goin' To My Hometown" is a
revelation about a musician who lived for such moments.
Tracklist: DVD1 - Ghost Blues: Documentary 01. Cradle Rock [9:21]
02. Taste [9:11]
03. What's Going On? [4:16]
04. Better Get Used to Being My Used to Be [5:01]
05. Sessions With Some 'Big Guys' [6:16]
06. Going to My Hometown [9:03]
07. Out on the Western Plains [6:49]
08. Edged in Blues [9:23]
09. Calling Card [4:30]
10. I Could've Had Religion [8:32]
11. They Don't Make Them Like Him Anymore [5:41]
12. Wheels With in Wheels [3:33]
DVD2 - The Beat Club Sessions: Concert 01. Laundromat
02. Hands Up
03. Sinnerboy
04. Just The Smile
05. Used To Be
06. In Your Town
07. Should`ve Learned My Lesson
08. Crest of a Wave
09. Tore Down
10. Pistol Slapper Blues
11. I Don`t Know Where I`m Going
12. Going To My Hometown
13. I Could`ve Had Religion
14. McAvoy Boogie
15. Hoodoo Man
16. Messin` With The Kid
Features: - Direct Scene Access
- Interactive Menu
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