in that decade, including two live albums, Live! in Europe and Irish Tour '74. November 1971 saw the release of the album Deuce. In 1972, he was voted Melody Maker'''s Guitarist/Musician of the Year. However, despite a number of his albums from this period reaching the UK Albums Chart, Gallagher did not attain major star status. Gallagher played and recorded what he said was "in me all the time, and not just something I turn on ...". Though he sold over thirty million albums worldwide, it was his marathon live performances that won him greatest acclaim. He is documented in Irish Tour '74, a film directed by Tony Palmer. During the heightened periods of political unrest in Northern Ireland, as other artists were warned not to tour, Gallagher was resolute about playing there at least once a year during his career. In 1974, they stayed in the Europa hotel in Belfast, which was known as "the most bombed hotel in Europe". This approach won him the dedication of thousands of fans, and in the process, he became a role model for other aspiring young Irish musicians. Gallagher said in several interviews that there were not any international Irish acts until Van Morrison and he, and later Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy. The line-up which included Rod de'Ath on drums and Lou Martin on keyboards, performed together between 1973 and 1976. However, he eventually dropped down to just bass, guitar and drums, and his act became a power trio. In January 1975, when the Rolling Stones gathered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, to continue working towards their album Black and Blue they auditioned new guitarists, to replace Mick Taylor, as they recorded. Gallagher went over for a jam with the band "just to see what was going on," but did not join the group, happy with his solo career. In 1975, Gallagher's contract with Polydor came to an end, and he signed with Chrysalis Records. At the time, it was hope that Chrysalis "wanted to give him the close, personal attention that he never really had before. [They] wanted to go all-out with him." Some early interaction with Chrysalis showed that Gallagher liked to keep tight artistic control over his work: while making Calling Card, he resisted producer Roger Glover's effort to make a cleaner sound, rejected the mixes made by Elliot Mazer and "hit the roof" when Chris Wright suggested that the