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.
Emerald
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With their shields and their swords.
To fight the fight they believed to be right,
Overthrow the overlords.
To the towns where there was plenty
They brought plunder, swords and flames.
When they left, the town was empty,
From the graves I heard the fallen
Above the battlecry.
By that bridge near the border,
There was many more to die.
And onward over the mountains,
And out towards the sea.
They come to flame the emeralds,
Without it they could not leave.
Gary Moore's song "Emerald" paints a vivid picture of a band of warriors charging down from the hills to tear down the oppressive overlords who have long held sway over their land. The lyrics suggest that the invaders believe that their cause is just and they are willing to fight and die to bring about a better future. They pillage the towns and villages, capturing booty and leaving behind only ruin and sorrow. The imagery of the graves and fallen soldiers suggest that there is a heavy price to be paid for this struggle, and that both sides will suffer losses. The lines "And onward over the mountains, And out towards the sea" suggest the scale of the conflict, and the idea that the invaders cannot leave until they find what they've come for: the emeralds. These precious jewels seem to represent the key to victory for either side. It remains unclear if they are a metaphorical representation of something else, or if they are indeed actual emeralds.
The overall theme of the song seems to be a commentary on the timeless struggle for power and control, and the often devastating consequences of war. Moore's lyrics suggest that in the end, there are no true victors when people fight over who should hold the reigns of power. Despite the bleak subject matter, the music is powerful and uplifting, with layers of guitar riffs that create a sense of soaring triumph. "Emerald" is a classic example of guitar rock at its finest, with virtuosic playing that sets the stage for the epic tale of battle.
Line by Line Meaning
Down from the glen came the marchin' men
The men who believed in justice and freedom descended from the valley.
With their shields and their swords.
The warriors had their shields and swords, prepared to battle for their cause.
To fight the fight they believed to be right,
They were determined to fight for what they thought was right, without backing down.
Overthrow the overlords.
They aimed to depose the cruel overlords who ruled over them.
To the towns where there was plenty
They marched towards the prosperous towns.
They brought plunder, swords and flames.
They arrived with the intention to loot, take weapons, and set fire to the town.
When they left, the town was empty,
Once they withdrew, everyone in the town was gone.
And the children would never play again.
The kids would never be able to play again due to the town's destruction.
From the graves I heard the fallen
The artist hears the voices of the dead soldiers from their graves.
Above the battlecry.
He hears their voices over the chaos of the battle.
By that bridge near the border,
The war was fought close to the international boundary at a bridge.
There was many more to die.
There were many more casualties expected at the front line.
And onward over the mountains,
The war continued over the hills and valleys.
And out towards the sea.
The war extended in the direction of the ocean.
They come to flame the emeralds,
They came to burn down a valuable possession called the emeralds.
Without it they could not leave.
They had to destroy the emeralds to continue fighting and winning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN DAVID ROBERTSON, BRIAN MICHAEL DOWNEY, PHILIP PARRIS LYNOTT, WILLIAM SCOTT GORHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LzCoda
While Gary Moore was always well-respected among his peers, he never got the attention or recognition he deserved. He's a Top 5 - maybe Top 3 - all-time guitar hero in my book.
@thompsongl
So many good players but Gary is definitely in that mix !
@anneominous7172
@@thompsongl There aren't many other guys who can make the pentatonic scale sound as dynamic as Gary could, that's for sure.
@thompsongl
@anneominous7172 absolutely ! He was really really good ! 🎸
@derrickmurphy9859
Gary Moore and Rory Gallagher definitely 2 of the best ever.And sorry but Robo was a bloody genius too..
@bobbybeans3144
He’s the best ever. Enough said
@LizzyLiveOn
I was there- Gary Moore ran this show from start to Finish So sad we don't have Maestro Moore no longer. RIP Gary Moore. Masterclass to the end.
@lynnfuentas9236
Lucky you, from all the videos is looks like it was a terrific night.
@stephenjeffares1471
gary moore... the single best guitar player ever
@peacemaker6662
@@stephenjeffares1471 As much as I agree that Gary was right up there with the best, he wasn't 'the best'. Sorry he just wasn't.