Not many people knew Rory Gallagher. At least not as many people as his supporters would have liked for him. But John Lennon loved him. Eric Clapton loved him. And his brother, his agent and confidant, in particular adored him. And that's the basis of "Songs & Stories", an entertaining concert documentary paying homage to one of the better musicians to come along. Rory Gallagher was a unique musician who came from Ireland and spawned a fan base of underground music, most of which his fans compare to Bruce Springsteen. Though, it was presumptuous to compare the two, Rory was known for being a gifted guitarist and seems to have been a sheer natural on it. In this concert documentary, Rory's brother Donal comprises a group of musicians whom admired Rory's music to play in Rory's honor in a packed concert to celebrate his life, and in many respects his contributions to music genre that went largely un-appreciated.

Donal displays much anger and regret that Rory was never fully as well known as many other artists, and draws upon his memories with him to paint him as a truly gifted man. Rory who came from Ireland and traveled around America, making a name for himself in the independent music circuit and earned a fan base through his blues music. Rory, judging from video clips really did seem like star potential, and Donal really explores the impact his brother had on the people around him, and his music which sounded a lot like Zappa. "Songs & Stories" is less of a documentary and more of a concert film to celebrate Rory, and Donal headlines the good house band that sings all of Rory's songs, and Donal's dedication is heartfelt. Many times in his interviews, he's often near tears in recollection of he and his brother's relationship; you can sense his brother's sadness during the concert while in a sense connecting to his brother's presence through his music.

Why should we like Rory Gallagher? Why should we listen to his music? What makes him a musician that would garner such a fan base? Who was he? I was never sure how to answer those questions, and I kept waiting for the answers to those questions during the entire run time of the film. "Songs & Stories" is a lot less a portrait, and more of a
retrospective. That would be fine if I knew who Rory Gallagher was. I'm sure he was an amazing musician, and I'm sure he had great friends, and was a great guy, but we'd never get the sense of that by watching this. The entire documentary seemed to gloss over his life, while we viewed covers of his songs, and that's not what I wanted. Was he a great
musician? I wouldn't know because ninety-five percent of the time his footage is dubbed by the cover band during his tribute concert. Was he a great guy? I really wouldn't know because his life is really mentioned here and there from his poverty to his music career, but that's really nothing to bring us in and gain an insight in to this man.

We don't know a whole lot about Rory, because we're talked to during the film as if we should already know him, and then there are just the performances. Perhaps there's an underground audience who knows of Rory Gallagher, but what about people like me whom have never heard of him? I would have loved some scenes of his concert footage, the influence he had on people other than his friends, and a lot more of his life story that I was never really familiar with beyond broad details. I'm not close-minded in terms of new or underground music, but I talked to a few people, including my uncle who knows music inside and out and even he didn't know who Rory was. Granted, that doesn't make him unworthy of being listened to, but having the cover band sing the songs while we see archive footage should really be established for well known artists. For a musician his brother claimed wasn't well known, I would have appreciated honest footage of this man doing his thing. The film is utterly alienating feeling as if it's appealing to a certain audience, and it shouldn't because if not many people know who Gallagher was, the documentary really should be accessible to all audiences.

Though it's never a perfect documentary keeping Rory at a distance from the audience by glossing over his life, and never exploring the impact he had on his fan base, "Songs & Stories" is a very heartfelt and entertaining music documentary and dedication from his family and friends.

• For details on Rory, the film, and how to purchase the DVD, visit the official website: http://www.hometeamproductions.tv

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