In a career dating back to the 1960s he has played with bands including Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and Skid Row as well as having a successful solo career.
Moore started performing from a young age and got his first good guitar at the age of 14. In a career lasting over 30 years he has demonstrated that he is a fine musician, and his unique style of playing has adapted to very different music genres, including jazz rock jazz, blues, electric blues, hard rock, celtic rock and heavy metal.
One of his most famous non-blues records is Wild Frontier, his first studio album after a trip back to his native Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1985, this album has several songs about Ireland and even the music itself is steeped in Celtic roots. The title track was intended to be sung by Phil Lynott, however Lynott's death in January 1986 prevented that. The album is dedicated to Lynott's memory, with the words "For Philip" on the rear cover.
Wild Frontier contains the hit "Over the Hills and Far Away", which reached #20 in the UK as well as a cover of the Australian band The Easybeats' hit of the middle of the 1960s, "Friday on My Mind". The Max Middleton-penned "The Loner" was originally recorded by Cozy Powell for his Over the Top album in 1979 (which Moore did perform on, albeit not on Powell's recording of "The Loner"), but was substantially altered by Moore for his own recording, thus he was credited as a co-writer.
For blues fans, Moore's best recorded, live performance on video is "LIVE BLUES" recorded in a small night club in London and was released in 1992 on VHS. It is now available on DVD as well. "LIVE BLUES" also features two songs with B.B. King appearing on stage with Moore. "The Thrill Is Gone" on this recording is probably the best version of this, complete with More's Midnight Horns, female backup singers and dueling guitars. Many of Moore's standard songs are on this 90 minute show and were mixed better than most of the studio versions of the same tunes for a very rich and full sound. Even Moore's voice sounds better than it usually does in the studio. Moore did not seem interested in touring the United States.
Connection with Peter Green
According to numerous interviews he has given to guitar magazines, he was the protege of British Blues pioneer Peter Green, whom he had always admired ever since the Bluesbreakers days. When Green quit Fleetwood Mac and the entire music scene, he sold his famous nasal-sounding 1959 Gibson Les Paul to Moore for the same price that Moore had managed to sell his then guitar (a Gibson SG) for. The nasal sound of the neck pickup on Green's guitar was not, as used to be believed, the result of the pickup having been turned backwards, but instead its two coils had been - perhaps accidentally - reconnected in parallel and out of phase, as per the "in between" positions of a Fender Stratocaster. Moore has used this guitar in the recordings of some songs of his albums Still Got The Blues, After Hours and Blues For Greeny. Green and Moore also reportedly had a disagreement regarding what guitar the former was playing in the song "Albatross". Moore insists it was the Les Paul, because the guitar tone was particularly warm and rich in the bass, while Peter Green maintains he was using a Strat, as the vibrato in that song was not finger vibrato, but subtle tremolo arm vibrato. Up to the day of his death, Green and Moore remained good friends.
Guitars used
Over the years Gary has used numerous guitars. These include: Peter Green's 1959 Gibson Les Paul, Peter Green's 1961 Fender Stratocaster and 1950s Gibson Les Paul Junior. He has also used guitars from Charvel, Ibanez, Hamer, Jackson and Heritage. Amplification has generally come from Marshall, though Soldanos and Fender have also been used, as well as transistor-driven Dean Markley units (especially in the studio). He also has used numerous effects over the years. these include; Delay units such as the Echoplex, Overdrive/Booster units such as the Boss DS-1, Ibanez Tubescreamer variants, Marshall Bluesbreaker and Guv'nor pedals as well as Wah-Wah pedals such as the Vox Wah. He appears nowadays to favour Gibson and Fender Guitars through Marshall amps with any of the above Overdrive pedals and Wah pedals to make his sound.
Solo career
In 1973 he released his first solo album as the Gary Moore Band. In 1979 his solo career started again with help from Phil Lynott, the combination of Gary's blues based guitar and Phil's voice produced "Parisenne Walkways" which reached the UK Top Ten in April 1979 and the no.2 album 'Black Rose'. After a series of powerful rock records Gary returned to blues music with Still Got the Blues, with contributions from B. B. King, Albert King and Albert Collins the album was well received by fans and a huge success. Gary stayed with the blues format until 1997 when he decided to experiment with modern dance beats in Dark Days In Paradise; this left many fans as well as the music press confused. Back to the Blues saw Gary return to the tried and tested blues format.
Albums
* Grinding Stone, 1973
* Parisienne Walkways, 1977
* Back on the Streets, 1978
* Corridors of Power, 1982
* Live at the Marquee, 1983
* Rockin' Every Night - Live in Japan, 1983
* Victims of the Future, 1983
* Dirty Fingers, 1984
* We Want Moore, 1984
* Run for Cover, 1985
* Wild Frontier, 1987
* After the War, 1989
* Still Got the Blues, 1990
* After Hours, 1992
* Blues Alive, 1993
* Ballads & Blues 1982-1994, 1994
* Blues For Greeny, 1995
* Dark Days in Paradise, 1997
* Out in the Fields - The Very Best of Part 1, 1998
* Blood of Emeralds - The Very Best of Part 2, 1999
* A Different Beat, 1999
* Back to the Blues, 2001
* Power Of The Blues, 2004
* Old New Ballads Blues, 2006
* Close As You Get, 2007
* Bad For You Baby, 2008
Singles
* Parisienne Walkways
* Out in the Fields
* Empty Rooms
* Wild Frontier
* Still Got the Blues
The Future (2005-present)
Later on in 2006, Gary will support BB King on his 'Farewell UK Tour'. It unfortunately did not lead to a tour of the United States with BB King.
The studio album entitled 'Old New Ballads Blues' was a follow up of 2004's 'Power of the Blues' and it featured new material as well as new versions of fan favourites 'Midnight Blues' and 'All your Love'
Gary Moore has also sold his Les Paul that was given to him by Peter Green to a private owner.
On February 6th 2011, he died from a heart attack in his sleep while on holiday in Spain.
External links
* The Official Gary Moore World Wide Website: http://www.gary-moore.com/
* The Lord Of The Strings - World Wide Gary Moore Fansite: http://www.garymoore.hu/eng.htm Thanks for the music.
Back On The Streets
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just think it's a sin.
I know you hear me knockin',
But you won't let me in.
Might be fine for you
Just to keep me hangin' round.
But if you don't open up this door,
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Sometimes I feel like
There's nowhere to go.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Listen,
You've been towing me to shore
For much too long.
But now I'm gonna pull you back
To where you belong.
Might be fine for you
Just to keep me hangin' round.
But if you don't open up this door,
I'm gonna kick it down.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Sometimes I feel like
There's nowhere to go.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Sometimes it's the only place that I know,
That I know.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Sometimes I feel like
There's no place to go.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Sometimes it's the only place that I know.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Sometimes I feel like
There's no place to go.
Sometimes I feel like
I'm back on the streets again.
Sometimes it's the only place that I know.
Only place that I know, yeah.
The song "Back On The Streets" by Gary Moore speaks to the feelings of rejection and isolation. The lyrics describe a man who is knocking on a woman's door, but she is unwilling to let him in. He feels that he is being strung along and decides he will not take it anymore. As a result, he threatens to kick the door down. The man explains that sometimes he feels like he is back on the streets, and there is nowhere to go. He has been tossed aside once again, and he feels like he is unwanted and alone.
The song's meaning transcends gender, as the emotion of being rejected is universal. The lyrics speak about the pain of being pushed aside and left out in the cold. The guitar solo is hauntingly beautiful and adds to the melancholic tone of the song. The repetition of the phrase "Sometimes I feel like I'm back on the streets again" is particularly powerful, as it highlights the sadness of feeling like you have nowhere to go.
Overall, "Back On The Streets" is a powerful song that explores the emotions of rejection, loneliness, and isolation. It speaks to the human experience and the pain that comes with being pushed aside and left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to me woman,
I'm pleading with you to hear me out, woman.
I just think it's a sin.
I feel that what you're doing is wrong.
I know you hear me knockin',
I'm aware that you can hear me knocking on the door.
But you won't let me in.
But you're not allowing me to enter.
Might be fine for you
Perhaps it's okay for you
Just to keep me hangin' round.
To keep me waiting around without making a decision.
But if you don't open up this door,
If you don't open the door,
I'm gonna kick it down.
I'll forcefully break through it.
Sometimes I feel like
At times, I get the feeling
I'm back on the streets again.
That I'm back in a desperate and hopeless situation.
There's nowhere to go.
I feel like there are no options for me.
Listen,
Pay attention, please
You've been towing me to shore
You've been helping me out of a difficult situation
For much too long.
For an extended period of time.
But now I'm gonna pull you back
But now I'm going to be the one helping you.
To where you belong.
To your rightful place.
Sometimes it's the only place that I know,
Sometimes the streets are the only place I'm familiar with
Only place that I know, yeah.
The only place where I feel at home.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GARY (GB MOORE, DONNA CAMPBELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Kroeber38
This is a dream-comes-true lineup! Gary, Phil, Scott, Cozy, and Don! What a wonderful performance! Thank you for sharing.
@bathtubgeorge
Serious energy, Moore, Lynott, Powell, Gorham, Airey, what a line up!
@fearnpol4938
Stunning group and probably the only guy that could regularly keep up with Gary on guitar. Scotty Goram what a player.
@avocate2017
Thin Lizzy was like the Yardbirds of the '70s when you think about all the great guitarists who have played in the band. Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham, Gary Moore, Snowy White, John Sykes, and others.
@atabish3031
Fearn pol Scott is a great underated guitarist was with Phil the longest in Lizzy must be awful for him to lose so many friends..
@xDavyx
Bathtubgeorge! A truly badass lineup
@davidpearlactorteacherbizman
amen
@TheGalilee416
How am I 49 y/o and seeing this for the first time on 2/13/24??? Amazing!!
@chrispetritsch1291
It's somewhat amazing to think that such awesome line-ups regularly hit the television 'stage' back then. What a sensational performance!!
@ctfan1486
Actually played live!