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.
Dark Days In Paradise
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To wake up each day in the sun.
But I can't seem to raise a smile
Since this day's begun.
'Cos when you're feelin' so lonely,
There's just one thing you need.
Dark days in paradise,
Dark days indeed.
I followed her to the airport,
I got down on my knees.
But she just stood there smiling,
Ignoring all my pleas.
Then she left me so lonely,
It made my poor heart bleed.
Dark days in paradise,
dark days indeed.
M-hm.
I tried drinkin' that white rum,
I tried some black stuff too.
But it don't make no difference
When I'm so far from you.
'Cos when you're feeling so lonely,
There's just one thing you need.
Dark days in paradise,
Dark days indeed.
Dark days in paradise,
Dark days indeed.
Dark days indeed.
Dark days indeed.
The lyrics of Gary Moore's song "Dark Days In Paradise" depict a person who's struggling with loneliness and heartbreak. The opening verse sets the tone of hopelessness when the singer highlights his inability to "raise a smile" despite waking up to a beautiful day amidst the sun. The chorus repeats the line "dark days in paradise" for emphasis on the deep despair he feels. The second verse details the singer following his partner to an airport, pleading for her not to leave him, but her ignoring him and leaving anyway, causing his heart to bleed. In the final verse, he tries to numb the pain of his loneliness with alcohol but comes to realize that there's no escape from his desire to be with his partner.
The lyrics of this song paint a vivid picture of the pain of loneliness and the far-reaching effects of heartbreak. Gary Moore's voice and guitar-work in this song add an extra layer of emotion to the already emotionally charged lyrics. The song is a reminder that paradise or a happy place is only a state of mind, and when our emotions get in the way, it can turn into a prison.
Line by Line Meaning
I should be feelin' so happy
Despite living in a sunny paradise, the singer cannot find happiness.
To wake up each day in the sun.
The singer lives in a warm, sunny place that should be a source of happiness.
But I can't seem to raise a smile
The singer's sadness persists throughout the day.
Since this day's begun.
The artist's sadness has been present since they awoke.
'Cos when you're feelin' so lonely,
Loneliness is the root cause of the artist's unhappiness.
There's just one thing you need.
The singer needs some form of companionship to combat their loneliness.
Dark days in paradise,
Even living in a beautiful place isn't enough to dispel the darkness of loneliness.
Dark days indeed.
The artist is experiencing a profound and all-encompassing sadness.
I followed her to the airport,
The artist had a romantic partner who has left them.
I got down on my knees.
The artist begged their partner not to leave.
But she just stood there smiling,
The partner did not reciprocate the singer's feelings of sadness and desperation.
Ignoring all my pleas.
The partner did not show any sympathy towards the artist's anguish.
Then she left me so lonely,
The partner has left the singer alone, causing them to feel even more isolated.
It made my poor heart bleed.
The singer's emotional pain is deep and very real.
I tried drinkin' that white rum,
The singer turned to alcohol to numb their emotional pain.
I tried some black stuff too.
The artist experimented with different types of alcohol, hoping to find some kind of solace.
But it don't make no difference
The alcohol was not enough to alleviate the artist's loneliness and sadness.
When I'm so far from you.
The singer is unable to find peace because they are separated from their loved one.
Dark days in paradise,
The singer's beautiful surroundings do not make up for the deep sense of loneliness they feel.
Dark days indeed.
The artist is experiencing a profound and all-encompassing sadness that they cannot escape.
Dark days in paradise,
No matter where the artist is in the world, they will continue to feel this darkness while they are lonely and isolated.
Dark days indeed.
The artist is in a very dark and emotionally difficult place.
Dark days indeed.
The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the singer's overwhelming sense of sadness, loneliness, and hopelessness.
Contributed by Joseph F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.