Rory Gallagher on Irish Radio

thesultan

How is it that he is hardly ever played. Now we have all heard both U2 and Thin Lizzy countless times but why our greatest ever talent. I think that Irish radio would really need to cope on and play some Rory.

The youth of today know little of the man

K-Ren

It's a sad fact that many don't know of him, but then again, there could be a lot of music played on Irish radio that's instead ousted by heaps of tripe.

RGDATA!

let's face it, there are three or four lizzy songs you'll ever hear on irish radio. likewise van morrison. what chance does rory gallagher have? still i guarantee if you had an rte/tv3 documentary about him tony fenton and every other feckwit on radio would be queueing up to gush about him.

thesultan

I would love to actually hear some early Lizzy on the radio( when they had Eric Bell).

Spot on about Fenton but I would just love to hear some stuff of his on the radio. Like why is it that he is never played? Is it because he shunned the limelight of the a normal bands or artists who released singles?

Dubh Geannain

Spot on there OP. Tis a sad thing

guinnessdrinker

I never really thought about it but it's true, you never hear Rory G being played on the radio. I think but could be wrong that Dave Fanning used play Follow Me at the beginning of each of his programmes as a theme to his show about 10 years ago though.

blastman

You're right, he did. I'd forgotten this until I happened to hear the song again recently for the first time in ages. Probably longer than ten years ago, though!

Neonjack

Follow Me was the theme tune for MT USA (forerunner to Mtv for you whippersnappers out there) back in the 80's too. I'd like to see him featured on one of the 'Essential' shows on Today fm some Sunday night at least. The man's a legend.

yknaa

John Creedon on RTE1 plays a lot of Rory.

Aligator Farmer

He gets played regularly on Planet Rock, I think you can pick it up on freesat in Ireland.

mike65

How many Irish station managers/producers have even heard a Rory Gallagher song?

Rigsby

I dont listen to much radio, (except John Creedon now and then) for the very reasons we are discussing here. Maybe if enough people sent in requests for Rory songs... ??

Auvers

thesultan wrote: »

The youth of today know little of the man

indeed I asked my 16 yr old nephew only last week have you ever heard Rory, all I got a quizzed look on his face like who the fcuk is he

so gave him a copy of Irish tour '74 and he cant believe that he has never heard of one the finest guitar players\song writers ever, and its disgraceful that he is so unknown even in his home country.

he now has Rorys discography installed on his MP3 player, so another fan has been born. :cool:

Rigsby

We seem to take our home grown talent (unless it's sport related) for granted. The jazz guitarist Louis Stewart is another name that you don't see or hear of too often. He is a world renowned artist, has played with a lot of the "giants" of jazz, and AFAIK, still gigs regularly in Dublin. He has being going since the early 70's, but is appreciated by only a few.


Maybe it's just that jazz and blues is sometimes regarded by younger people as "old man's music", or possibly that they are a minority interest genre.

hongler

Its a sad situation, most channels shun him entirely although I remember hearing Tom Dunne playing some of his tunes on Pet Sounds before he went to Newstalk. Brilliantly talented but seemingly forgotten. Jeez some of the sh*t played constantly on Irish radio....:(:mad::(:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Neonjack

Coincidentally enough, Dave Couse played Bad Penny on his show last night. Maybe there's some hope for the future.

North_West_Art

Irish radio is a chart... they play chart muisc, even the alternative music is directly associated with a commercial label. Unfortunatley, Rory did most of his gigging on mainland Europe, and is played constantly on German, Dutch and French Radio. Irish DJs have poor knowledge of Gallagher's music...

Dubh Geannain

hongler wrote: »

Its a sad situation, most channels shun him entirely although I remember hearing Tom Dunne playing some of his tunes on Pet Sounds before he went to Newstalk. Brilliantly talented but seemingly forgotten. Jeez some of the sh*t played constantly on Irish radio....:(:mad::(:mad::mad::mad::mad:

Bam! Tom Dunne plays a Rory song today along with a Thin Lizzy number :cool:

Lightening strikes twice in the space of an hour. Now all I want is some snow.

He also sang a little christmas number assisted by Mary Coughlin. Was very much a music themed show today, which was a nice change cos his show does contain alot of garbage, not that I get the chance to listen to it that much.

real rocker

Rory Gallagher gets regular plays on Dublin City FM.When I was doing Music Junction there around 3 years ago I played him regularly myself.A great player and one I witnessed in his home town many years ago.

In regard to Louis Stewart I feature him regularly on Smooth Jazz Mondays on 4FM.Next Monday (28th.Dec.2009 9.00pm) you will hear him with the equally good Sean Hession on the Frank Ifield hit I Remember You.

Cheers and a happy Christmas.

Sean

catch--22

I try to feature him as much as possible (in fact - I never refuse a request for Rory on the show!)

Also did a special show last June on his anniversary. Listen in this Sunday night from 9 and I'll get some more on for you!

Phantom 105.2

JerryHandbag

Thankfully Tom Dunne useda give Tatoo'd Lady a spin back in the day, thats how I got into RoryG.

Nolanger

What hit singles has he had? You don't hear Gilbert O'Sullivan being played either - just as talented!

tatoo

Daughter of the Everglades was played shortly before noon on Radio One today .

thesultan

He didn't release singles. I think that his stuff with Taste is great too. Didn't he do a few encores at the Isle of Wright?

not bakunin

Yeah the Taste albums are brilliant. The famous encore at the Isle of Wight was "Catfish", a 14 minute epic which is on the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW5FZyls5Ts

That's a version of the song live, but not at the festival. I can't find that on youtube, shame.

This is one of my favourite Rory pieces:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Hsu-A-WYM&feature=related

walk on hot coals.

thesultan

not bakunin wrote: »

Yeah the Taste albums are brilliant. The famous encore at the Isle of Wight was "Catfish", a 14 minute epic which is on the album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW5FZyls5Ts

That's a version of the song live, but not at the festival. I can't find that on youtube, shame.

This is one of my favourite Rory pieces:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Hsu-A-WYM&feature=related

walk on hot coals.

I adore that solo on walk on hot coals

JerryHandbag

Nolanger wrote: »

What hit singles has he had? You don't hear Gilbert O'Sullivan being played either - just as talented!

I really dont think Rory gave a ****e about "Hit Singles".....the boy just wanted to play guitar and give people a thrill. And man did he do it.

Nolanger

Well do you not think it's a bit silly asking why Irish radio never play Gallagher's music when they only really play singles and he never released any?

Bodysmart

Nolanger wrote: »

Well do you not think it's a bit silly asking why Irish radio never play Gallagher's music when they only really play singles and he never released any?

I think Rory, along with Thin Lizzy, provided a contribution to Irish music which should be celebrated via regular plays on Irish radio.

While I obviously wouldn't expect his music to be played by every program on every station, I definitely think we should hear a lot more of his music on the radio.

mike65

What the hell has the singles format got to do with say Ronan Collins or Dave Fanning?

JerryHandbag

Nolanger wrote: »

Well do you not think it's a bit silly asking why Irish radio never play Gallagher's music when they only really play singles and he never released any?

Not as silly as comparing him to Gilbert O' Sullivan

Rigsby

Nolanger wrote: »

Well do you not think it's a bit silly asking why Irish radio never play Gallagher's music when they only really play singles and he never released any?

There is no excuse IMO for Irish radio not to play some Rory Gallagher from time to time, singles or no singles, given the amount of utter trash they normally churn out.

JerryHandbag wrote: »

Not as silly as comparing him to Gilbert O' Sullivan

I don't think it's silly at all. They are very similar, not in musical style, but in that they are (were) both great Irish musicians/artists.

Nolanger

Gilbert O'Sullivan is far more talented than anything we produce today. He's now blackballed from Irish radio even though he's still writing songs. He's in the same league as Cat Stevens!

Rigsby

Nolanger wrote: »

Gilbert O'Sullivan is far more talented than anything we produce today. He's now blackballed from Irish radio even though he's still writing songs. He's in the same league as Cat Stevens!

I agree 100%, but it still does not take from the fact that Gallagher deserves more air play also.

Jezzington

RGDATA! wrote: »

let's face it, there are three or four lizzy songs you'll ever hear on irish radio. likewise van morrison. what chance does rory gallagher have? still i guarantee if you had an rte/tv3 documentary about him tony fenton and every other feckwit on radio would be queueing up to gush about him.

Or more to the point Bono... "I never liked (insert genre here) much, but (insert performer he wishes to leech kudos off here) was always one that stood out for me."

Rigsby

I suppose, when you think about it, that Irish radio is merely playing what they think people want to hear. Or maybe they could not care less. Either way it's up to those people to make known their preferences. If enough of the "more mature" people, who were around when Rory was going strong, let the radio stations know their preferences, then the younger people might "discover" Rory, Gilbert O' Sullivan and others, to the benefit of all.

tatoo

Rigsby wrote: »

I suppose, when you think about it, that Irish radio is merely playing what they think people want to hear. Or maybe they could not care less. Either way it's up to those people to make known their preferences. If enough of the "more mature" people, who were around when Rory was going strong, let the radio stations know their preferences, then the younger people might "discover" Rory, Gilbert O' Sullivan and others, to the benefit of all.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE !! :):)

Rigsby

tatoo wrote: »

POWER TO THE PEOPLE !! :):)

Exactly !! They have it, but wont use it.

curly.bert

As someone who works in radio and has played Gallagher tracks on numerous occasions over the past year, I thought I'd chime in.

Yes, Rory Gallagher was an amazing talent and made some great records ('Irish Tour 74' being my personal favourite). But there are literally thousands of excellent artists from the past who don't receive the airplay they maybe once had/should have (Scullion, I'm looking at you!). In Gallagher's case, he never had a major hit single a lá 'The Boys Are Back In Town' or 'Brown Eyed Girl'. By and large, they'll be the tracks you hear by Thin Lizzy and Van Morrison played on the radio - not just in Ireland, but around the world. Oldies shows play hits. When was the last time you heard 'Honesty Is No Excuse' or 'Sweet Thing' on the wireless?

Also, I think it's unfair to say all music on the radio is ****e. It's a matter of taste - I'm sure your parent's generation thought listening to Lizzy and Rory Gallagher was a waste of time too and not like 'proper music'. There are some great bands out there at the moment and it's only right they get the bulk of the airplay - cause let's face it, they're the ones out touring right now. If anything, I'd say there should be more new Irish music on the radio.

BTW to all the folks into guitar music, I'd recommend listening to Clive Barnes who's pretty amazing live. He's doing a tour of Ireland in February I believe to promote his latest album 'The Ghost Country' - well worth checking out!

Now, I'll get down off me horse ....

Rigsby

curly.bert wrote: »

As someone who works in radio and has played Gallagher tracks on numerous occasions over the past year, I thought I'd chime in.

Yes, Rory Gallagher was an amazing talent and made some great records ('Irish Tour 74' being my personal favourite). But there are literally thousands of excellent artists from the past who don't receive the airplay they maybe once had/should have (Scullion, I'm looking at you!). In Gallagher's case, he never had a major hit single a lá 'The Boys Are Back In Town' or 'Brown Eyed Girl'. By and large, they'll be the tracks you hear by Thin Lizzy and Van Morrison played on the radio - not just in Ireland, but around the world. Oldies shows play hits. When was the last time you heard 'Honesty Is No Excuse' or 'Sweet Thing' on the wireless?

Also, I think it's unfair to say all music on the radio is ****e. It's a matter of taste - I'm sure your parent's generation thought listening to Lizzy and Rory Gallagher was a waste of time too and not like 'proper music'. There are some great bands out there at the moment and it's only right they get the bulk of the airplay - cause let's face it, they're the ones out touring right now. If anything, I'd say there should be more new Irish music on the radio.

BTW to all the folks into guitar music, I'd recommend listening to Clive Barnes who's pretty amazing live. He's doing a tour of Ireland in February I believe to promote his latest album 'The Ghost Country' - well worth checking out!

Now, I'll get down off me horse ....

What is the big deal about singles anyway Can a radio presenter not use his/her imagination and play a track from an artist's album ? This way, we get to hear something different, instead of the "same oul', same oul'".

As far as all music on the radio being s---te : OK. Not all... just about 90%, if you happen to be a jazz, blues etc fan. I'm asking for this to be played 24/7. An hour a week is not asking for much, is it ?

As you work in radio, perhaps you can answer this for me. Who, and what dictates the music played on a given station ?

tatoo

curly.bert wrote: »

As someone who works in radio and has played Gallagher tracks on numerous occasions over the past year, I thought I'd chime in.

Yes, Rory Gallagher was an amazing talent and made some great records ('Irish Tour 74' being my personal favourite).
BTW to all the folks into guitar music, I'd recommend listening to Clive Barnes who's pretty amazing live. He's doing a tour of Ireland in February I believe to promote his latest album 'The Ghost Country' - well worth checking out!

Now, I'll get down off me horse ....

When you get a chance you might play " they don't make them like you anymore " from the Tattoo album , a fave of mine .
I'll check out Clive Barnes album .

curly.bert

Rigsby wrote: »

As you work in radio, perhaps you can answer this for me. Who, and what dictates the music played on a given station ?

Depends on the station and the show. Most daytime shows on national, regional and local radio are playlisted by a Head of Music. The actual musical content is often dictated by the terms of the licence from the BCI (Broadcasting Commission of Ireland). For example, Beat is only supposed to play current 'pop' music. Of course, the definition of 'pop' is a moving target.

A lot of DJs don't have a say in the music they play, they've just got to work with the list they're given. I'm one of the lucky ones in that I more or less have complete autonomy. God bless weekend niche shows.

It's worth remembering that a lot of stations take requests. If enough people requested music by Rory Gallagher, you might hear a track or two. That said, you'll have to get past all the requests for Lady Gaga, X-Factor and all that lot.

Rigsby

curly.bert wrote: »

Depends on the station and the show. Most daytime shows on national, regional and local radio are playlisted by a Head of Music. The actual musical content is often dictated by the terms of the licence from the BCI (Broadcasting Commission of Ireland). For example, Beat is only supposed to play current 'pop' music. Of course, the definition of 'pop' is a moving target.

A lot of DJs don't have a say in the music they play, they've just got to work with the list they're given. I'm one of the lucky ones in that I more or less have complete autonomy. God bless weekend niche shows.

It's worth remembering that a lot of stations take requests. If enough people requested music by Rory Gallagher, you might hear a track or two. That said, you'll have to get past all the requests for Lady Gaga, X-Factor and all that lot.

Thanks for that insight bert.


As for "Beat" only being allowed to play current "pop" music.... tune into most radio stations, especially during the daytime, and they all seem to being doing it !! :rolleyes:

thesultan

I would only really listen to the radio in the car and I turn on Ronan Collins in the pub when I'm working. Now most can put on one of the favourites at different times. I would love to hear 'I'm Not Suprised' played as I know that some of his rockier or bluesy numbers won't be played.

mike65

On Tom Dunne is doing a Rory morning right now on Newstalk, his brother is due to be interviewed (I don't think I've missed it)

Sorry the interview is over It might be podcasted, not sure.

Aligator Farmer

Agh, missed that. Hopefully they'll do a podcast.

deadhead13

It will be on here later on in the day....

http://media.newstalk.ie/listenback

Tchaikovsky

Rory deserves more recognition, not just in this country, but worldwide- a legendary guitarist and a true gent.

Salmon Leap

Larry Gogan actually played "Tattooed Lady" on The Golden Hour last week. I thought I was hearing things.

Aligator Farmer

deadhead13 wrote: »

It will be on here later on in the day....

http://media.newstalk.ie/listenback

Its there now, about nine minutes in to part 2 of the show.

thesultan

Ronan Collins played 'Bought and Sold' yesterday. I put on 'Whats Going On' on in the jukebox last week in the pub. What a song