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.
Just Can't Let You Go
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need your love again.
I just can't let you go.
I just can't let you go.
My love has been strong before.
My words have been wrong before.
I just can't let you go.
Do you still remember
The way it used to be?
Do you still remember
When it was you and me?
I would do anything
Not to see you walk away.
Get right down on my knees
And beg you to stay.
Ooh, ooh.
I want you back again.
I need your love again.
I just can't let you go.
I just can't let you go.
In Gary Moore's song "Just Can't Let You Go," the singer is pleading with a lover to come back to them. They are consumed with thoughts of their past love and can't seem to shake them. The repetition of the phrase "I just can't let you go" emphasizes their inability to move on and let their past love fade away. The lines "my love has been strong before" and "my words have been wrong before" suggest that they've been in this position before, holding onto an old love that they shouldn't.
The singer is also acknowledging that they may have made mistakes in the past, evidenced by the line "my words have been wrong before." Despite this, they are still desperate for their lover to return. They ask if their lover remembers how things used to be, which implies that they long for the way things were in their past relationship. The line "get right down on my knees and beg you to stay" further emphasizes the depth of their desperation.
Overall, the lyrics of "Just Can't Let You Go" convey a sense of longing, desperation, and regret. The singer can't let go of a love from their past, no matter how hard they try.
Line by Line Meaning
I want you back again.
I yearn to have you by my side once more.
I need your love again.
I crave your love and affection back in my life.
I just can't let you go.
I am unable to move on from our past relationship.
I just can't let you go.
I find it impossible to forget and let go of the feelings I have for you.
My love has been strong before.
I have genuinely loved you deeply in the past.
My words have been wrong before.
I have made mistakes in my words and actions towards you in the past.
I just can't let you go.
I am still caught up in my emotions and cannot move on.
I just can't let you go, my love.
My love for you is still alive and well.
Do you still remember the way it used to be?
Do you still reminisce about the past and feel the same way I do?
Do you still remember when it was you and me?
Do you still hold onto the memories from when we were together?
I would do anything not to see you walk away.
I would take any action to prevent you from leaving me.
Get right down on my knees and beg you to stay.
I am willing to humble myself and plead with you to stay with me.
Ooh, ooh.
An expression of deep feeling or passion.
I want you back again.
I still long to be with you.
I need your love again.
I still need your affection and love.
I just can't let you go.
I still can't get over you and need you back in my life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL L. GREEN, TIM MINER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mup079
I love this song, great power ballad between blues and rock.
fresa326
SIMPLEMENTE SENSACIONAL, COMO NO LO CONICI CUANDO VIVIA DESCANCE EMPAZ Garry Moore
Michael Barrow
8-24-2019 Will always love this guy so much and he is simply put a Fabulous master that now plays for our Lord forever
Bill Nastali
This is what Gary Moore's soul sounded like: majestic.
Alex Briges
The musical creation and performance on an electric guitar have reached their highest point. Forever magical.
Paul Mossop
Gary had the power, passion, intensity and touch. Everything important in songwriting is here in this song. How about his voice at 3.20? Love to listen to this loud. Gibson Gary Moore Sig. What about the solo? Stop it Gary. Love everything about this song. Another gem Gary. Not of this earth this man, he was always somewhere else during those solos.rest in peace legend, the one and only. Never forgotten.
Phil Frank
This is maybe my favorite solo and one of the favorite songs. That was Gary Moore pure. Lovely words.
gerry costello
Well said bud and a pleasure to meet another GM fanatic. Have an awesome weekend!🎸🎵🍷
Alex Martell
Simplemente Mágico!!!!!
Петър Киманов
Just phenomenal solo! Extremely sensual and virtuoso!