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Ghost Blues: The Story of Rory Gallagher & the Beat Club Sessions

Rory Gallagher (Actor), The Edge (Actor), Ian Thuillier (Director) Rated:
Unrated
Format: DVD
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 72 ratings
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
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DVD
September 14, 2010 		—
2
—
$64.99 $33.88
Genre Rock, Music Video & Concerts, rock-music
Format Color, DTS Surround Sound, Dolby, NTSC, Multiple Formats
Contributor Bill Wyman, Rory Gallagher, The Edge, Bob Geldof, Cameron Crowe, Slash, Ian Thuillier, Johnny Marr
Language English
Number Of Discs 2

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Product Description

This superb two-disc DVD set tells for the first time the complete and fully authorized story of Rory Gallagher.

Product details

  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.2 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ 9243167
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Ian Thuillier
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, DTS Surround Sound, Dolby, NTSC, Multiple Formats
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 59 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2010
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Rory Gallagher, The Edge, Cameron Crowe, Bob Geldof, Slash
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Eagle Rock Entertaiment
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003XMKN7M
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 72 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
72 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tante Maren
5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC TRIBUTE WITH RARE NEVER BEFORE SEEN FOOTAGE!
Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2010
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Ghost Blues The Story Of Rory Gallagher is a must have for any Rory Gallagher fan or for anyone who simply loves the great Blues guitarists! This fantastic 2 disc dvd set covers the life of Rory Gallagher from his childhood in Ireland to his untimely death in England at the young age of 47. Born William Rory Gallagher on March 2, 1948, Rory was the first child of Daniel and Monica Gallagher, who both were musically talented with not only singing, but Daniel also played accordian. At around age 5 or 6, Rory loved to sing and play his songs on a little dimestore plastic ukelele. It wasn't long before Rory's parents bought him his first real wood guitar at the young age of 9. Rory quickly showed his natural talent and began winning talent contests, using the prize money to buy yet a better guitar. In 1961 Rory's parents bought him the very first Fender Stratocaster guitar in Ireland- a Sunburst model which cost 100 pounds. Rory's younger brother Donal tells many great stories about Rory on this dvd and about how this guitar might as well have cost 100 million pounds, as his parents went into great debt to afford this gift for Rory. Rory used this very famous guitar through every decade up until his death in 1995.

There are many very rare pictures, films and stories on this tremendous dvd about Rory. He was the first great Blues guitarist in Ireland who opened the doors for all the other great Irish bands such as Thin Lizzy, U2 and many others. There are also many great photos, stories and films from Rory's first band from the sixties, The Taste. Besides many great commentaries and stories from his brother Donal, we also hear from Bob Geldof, Bill Wyman, Cameron Crowe, his bandmates, many others and Rory himself on this dvd. The stories from his brother Donal are wonderful, as we hear how there were no blues bands in Ireland, so Rory had to learn everything from listening to Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and other blues greats on the radio and tv. Rory's genius didn't stop with just the guitar, he also played slide guitar, alto saxophone, bass, mandolin, banjo, harmonica and coral sitar. He was well known playing at the Marquee Club in the U.K. sharing the stage with other greats such as Cream.

On the second dvd are rare, never before seen performances from The Beat Club Sessions in 1971 and 1972. These early, rare performances have been cleaned up so the picture looks absolutely fantastic with crisp colors and superb sound! The cameras showcase Rory's early guitar work and is a real treat to see up close! A very young Rory is joined by Gerry McAvoy on bass guitar and Wilgar Campbell on drums playing the following songs:
1. Laundromat
2. Hands Up
3. Sinnerboy
4. Just The Smile
5. Used To Be
6. In Your Town
7. Should've Learned My Lesson
8. Crest Of A Wave
9. Toredown
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

In the late 80's, Rory began to have health problems and in 1995 he had a successful liver transplant. Just before being released from the hospital, Rory developed a MRSA infection. His health quickly deteriorated and he died on June 14, 1995. Ireland lost their leader of the Irish rock movement and the world lost a great blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and bandleader. This dvd set is a fitting tribute to Rory Gallagher whose life was too short, but whose tremendous talent will live on forever through his great trailblazing blues music!
59 people found this helpful
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Thomas Quinn
5.0 out of 5 stars Rory was the greatest.
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2010
Verified Purchase
The first disc is the best documentary about Rory I've seen anywhere. One can see why he developed into such a unique performer, song-writer, singer, guitarist, and all-around admirable human being - so rare in the music, or for that matter, any business. It is spiced with many brief cuts of him performing throughout his long but attenuated career.

The second disc is packed with sixteen live songs, shown for the first time (at least that I've seen).

It is early Rory - raw and spontaneous. What it lacks in polish it makes up for in sheer intensity, presence, and joy. He is a consumate performer making love to his guitar, his audience, his talent. He is the Buddy Rich of the guitar. Nobody did it better. Watching him perform here is like sitting next to the stage and discovering a world-class talent for the first time. YOU ARE THERE...

Further, the production quality (visuals and sound) are first-rate. One viewing of "Hands Up" and "Messin' With the Kid" shows why Rory achieved so much notariety among music professionals. Is it too bad he never released a single, never courted pop fans, chose to play with Muddy Waters, Albert King, and Albert Collins, instead of the Stones or Deep Purple?

You be the judge. But I'll take Rory just like this. Duane Allman may have inspired Ronnie van Zant to write his anthem, "Free Bird" but Rory WAS "Free Bird" - in every way, soaring, diving and ultimately achieving legendary status - but yet ephemeral, unknown to the masses yet intimately adored by the select who appreciate sheer artistry for artistry's sake - not cheap thrills or glitsh.

Oh, what we would have missed if Rory hadn't been true to himself.

Rory Gallagher is the gift that keeps on giving to his adoring fans across generations and around the world.

If you have stumbled on this review, go the last yard and purchase this DVD collection. It will change your perspective on music forever.
9 people found this helpful
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Baberufus
5.0 out of 5 stars A great documentary/performance package for an underrated artist!
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2010
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Rory Gallagher was one of the most underrated guitarists/songwriters of the classic rock era, if not THE most. Like Clapton, he came into his own around the time that blues and rock were coming together to produce the kind of music at the forefront of the late 1960's. While hugely popular in Europe, he never took off in the United States, and sadly he still hasn't got his due. The documentary part of this 2-DVD set explains how his lack of Top 40 presence was largely due to his integrity to his own music and not bending to popular trends or watered-down versions of his songs in order to crack the mainstream. That, along with the fact that he wasn't a "shredder", kept his awareness in the mainstream from equaling that of Clapton, Ted Nugent, etc. However, looking back now in this world of crap music reigning the charts, such integrity makes him a hero to true and pure music, underlining the now-obsolete concept that talent is more important than the almighty three-minute single with cliche lyrics and unoriginal melodies. More people should follow Rory Gallagher's example and more important, listen to his music! The man was a remarkable guitarist, singer and songwriter. Well, not the greatest singer, but good enough, and he did have a unique and identifiable style. As did Jimi Hendrix, Rory possessed talents in other areas that more than made up for any shortcomings as a vocalist.

The performance DVD is fantastic, showing the power of Rory's 3-piece group in the blues-rock tradition set by Cream and Hendrix. He also performs some excellent acoustic numbers to change it up. This is the only video footage that I know of that features Wilgar Campbell, his first drummer, who turns in a fantastic performance, along with his trusty right-hand man Gerry McAvoy on bass. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
7 people found this helpful
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Uldis Kundrats
5.0 out of 5 stars Partial Bio, Great BEAT CLUB Tracks
Reviewed in Canada on April 19, 2013
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GHOST BLUES: The Story of Rory Gallagher/The Beat Club Sessions is a very nice double dvd set that combines an interesting, but incomplete biography on one disc with some great tracks from the West German music show BEAT CLUB on the second. The three hours of material on GHOST BLUES makes it an excellent introduction to Gallagher, the amiable and talented, though largely unknown Irish blues rock pioneer and populist guitar ace.

GHOST BLUES follows the life and musical career of Rory Gallagher from his early involvement with show bands and later, his own band Taste, and finally, a lengthy and successful solo career. Although it's possible for viewers to fill in the blanks, many will be left wondering about the details of Gallagher's personal life and what precipitated his decline and early death at 47. It's possible that some elements of the whole story were edited out.

Donal Gallagher appears frequently in GHOST BLUES, sharing his recollections about the various stages of his older brother's career. Rory Gallagher's stubborn refusal to allow record companies to issue his music on singles comes up several times in these clips and it seems clear that Donal's efforts to help Rory to conform to some of the conventions of the business side of popular music were often frustrated.

Bill Wyman, Slash, Johnny Marr, Cameron Crowe and The Edge are among the interviewees who offer some well focused analysis and insight into Rory Gallagher's music and personality and their own encounters with him. It is obvious that Gallagher was much respected by fellow musicians who recognized his gifts and his versatility in using them.

THE BEAT CLUB SESSIONS 1971-72 offers a generous 16 tracks of Rory Gallagher playing acoustic solo pieces and demonstrating his skills on his Stratocaster, in the three piece lineup that most Rory fans remember best. Although Gallagher seems shy at times, the music is strong and it's often exciting to hear the interaction of his raspy unaffected voice, his fluid, but rhythmically sophisticated playing, and the well defined contributions of his backing group on songs such as I Could Have Had Religion, In Your Town, and Messin With The Kid.
4 people found this helpful
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CROSS
5.0 out of 5 stars トリオ時代の貴重な映像に感動!
Reviewed in Japan on September 21, 2010
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ビート・クラブの映像は当時のメジャーなアーティストのTVコンパイル等でよくオムニバス的に色々な所で見かけるが、大抵は2〜3曲程度でこれ程多くを一気に纏めて作品化したケースはあまり見られない。

しかもオフィシャルには最古のアイリッシュ・ツアー以前のトリオ時代の映像なのだからファンには垂涎モノである!

内容的にはVTRの保存状態も良かったのか、時代を考慮すればかなりキレイな方だと思う。例によって背景処理はされているがメンバーの演奏シーンを邪魔する事は無いのでそんなに気にはならない。

演奏時間はトータル一時間半以上でボリュームは十分!音質も良好だ。
日本語字幕は無いが、ドキュメンタリーと合わせて二枚で三時間、この価格は絶対お買い得!
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S. LeBlanc
5.0 out of 5 stars Early Live Gallagher
Reviewed in Canada on November 4, 2010
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I want to thank Eagle Vision for putting out more Gallagher performances. I hope they keep that up. I like putting an artist documentary in with a live material. Once and a while I check out what's on one of the music channels and every time if it's not the Bret Michaels story it's a feature on a rap star. Not interested. Putting a documentary in a package like this is a great thing. It's great for people like me who aren't into whatever's in fashion at the moment. This is a good MTV-type rock documentary.
I love the Beat Club Sessions CD and DVD. The DVD brought back memories--not of this show, which was new to me, but around this time ('71-2) the first rock groups I ever saw were on similar shows. I got a kick out the shots of the small audience sitting in stands. Kind of brought me back in time. The best thing about these live performances is we see Rory doing early material that he didn't do later in his career, which I think is a pity. One of my favorite songs is "Crest of a Wave" and it's rare to hear him do it live. Another rare treat is hearing "Just the Smile" live.
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jinjin1
5.0 out of 5 stars リージョンフリー
Reviewed in Japan on September 18, 2010
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リージョンフリーです。日本製で観れます。
同一音源の割高なＣＤ＋ＤＶＤセットを買うよりも安くBeat Club Sessionsを鑑賞したい方にピッタリです。この時期の演奏が悪いはずが無く文句なしに楽しめます。
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Bootsy (Shell)
5.0 out of 5 stars Rory is Great
Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2013
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Thanks tLE ROCK for releasing this. Rory Gallagher is an amazing artist who still should be heard and seen by anyone aspiring to perform. This is a great collection of live Rory. Video is incredible.
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