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This double DVD from the late Rory Gallagher collects portions of all five of his appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival from 1975 to 1994. The 40 tracks that cover 43 tunes include the complete 1994 show on disc two along with bonus material on that second disc culled from the 1975, 1977, and 1985 shows. The first thing that hits you when watching the 1975 tapes is how great a guitarist he was when young and handsome at age 27. The playing is extraordinary and on target. If one looks at the cup as half full, the fact that Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix were gone at that age means that the 20 extra years of Gallagher music found here are a blessing and a plus. There are lots of different camera shots on the 1975 show, a high-energy edit to go along with the music, and some tremendous slide playing on "Secret Agent" (not the P.F. Sloan tune), a bluesy rocker that absolutely cooks. On disc two, fast forward ten years to 1985, and his proficiency on the acoustic guitar with "Walking Blues" is just as powerful as the loud electric guitar. Gallagher had played the legendary jazz festival with his band Taste on two occasions prior to these five solo performances, and during the 1994 show is almost a different fellow from the one you witness 20 years prior. An older blues statesman, he's not bouncing around on the stage in 1994, the guitar tones are decidedly lower, the growl is intact, and the music is just as exciting and pure. This package comes with an eight-page foldout that includes three pages of liner notes penned by London journalist Chris Welch. Extraordinary in its scope, this truly is a "Definitive Collection," as the title says, and aside from the historical importance, is solid entertainment that will hold your attention. Deep stuff.&mdash; Joe Viglione

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