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.
Reach for the Sky
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you've had more than enough.
As your life is going nowhere,
And you feel like giving up.
Sometimes you know
That you can't take anymore.
When things are getting harder
Than they've ever been before.
Don't lose your heart when things go wrong.
You know what to do now.
Just turn your back and carry on, come on.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Sometimes it seems
Like you've really lost your way.
When you're mind is full of doubt,
You've got nothing left to say.
You're going 'round in circles
Like a man who's running blind.
But the world must keep on turning,
And it's leaving you behind.
Don't lose your heart when things go wrong.
You know what to do now.
You've got the strength to carry on, come on.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the it.
Don't lose your heart when things go wrong.
You know what to do now.
You've got the strength to carry on, come on.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your
Hands up, hands up, hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the sky.
The lyrics of the song "Reach for the Sky" by Gary Moore speaks to the emotional struggle people go through when they feel like they have reached the end of the road. It is an inspirational message that encourages one to persevere and never give up, even when faced with tough times. The song tells the listener that it is okay to feel overwhelmed and lost in life, but it’s important to keep moving forward.
At some point in life, everyone feels like giving up on their dreams, but the song reminds everyone to keep pushing, no matter what. The verse "Sometimes it seems that you've had more than enough. As your life is going nowhere, and you feel like giving up" describes precisely the feeling of wanting to throw in the towel. The chorus "Reach for the sky. Come out with your hands up" is a cry of hope and encouragement to lift your head up and keep on reaching for your dreams. This song is a real source of inspiration for anyone going through tough times.
In summary, the song speaks to the struggle of the human experience and how we must always strive for something better. It reminds us of our inner strength to push through anything, no matter how tough. It is an empowering message to never lose faith in oneself and to always Reach for the Sky.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes it seems
That you've had more than enough.
At times, it appears that you have reached your limit and cannot endure anymore.
As your life is going nowhere,
And you feel like giving up.
When life seems to be stagnant and unproductive, it can be tempting to quit trying.
Sometimes you know
That you can't take anymore.
When things are getting harder
Than they've ever been before.
Occasionally, you recognize that you cannot handle any additional challenges, especially when they become more difficult than previous ones.
Don't lose your heart when things go wrong.
You know what to do now.
Just turn your back and carry on, come on.
In difficult situations, it's important not to lose heart and instead continue to move forward and persevere.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
When faced with adversity, extend your efforts to the utmost limit and never surrender.
Sometimes it seems
Like you've really lost your way.
When you're mind is full of doubt,
You've got nothing left to say.
During times when you are uncertain of your path or next steps, your mind may become cluttered with doubts and a lack of clarity.
You're going 'round in circles
Like a man who's running blind.
But the world must keep on turning,
And it's leaving you behind.
If you keep repeating the same old patterns for life and not progressing, the rest of the world will move forward and leave you behind.
You've got the strength to carry on, come on.
You possess the internal fortitude to keep pushing forward in the face of obstacles.
Come out with your hands up.
Give it your all in every situation and never surrender, even if the outcome is uncertain.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the it.
Strive to achieve greater heights and fulfill your highest potential.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Work tirelessly, be dedicated, and never give up on your dreams, no matter what obstacles you confront.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your hands up.
Reach for the sky.
Come out with your
Hands up, hands up, hands up.
Exert yourself to the greatest extent possible when faced with adversity, and never accept defeat. Your willingness to succeed will help you achieve your goals.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the sky.
Reach for the sky.
Keep striving to become the best version of yourself and reach the pinnacle of success in all endeavors.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network, SOUND OASIS PRODUCTIONS, LLC
Written by: DONALD FRANKLIN GRIFFIN, BILLY GRIFFIN, WARREN MOORE, GARY (GB MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind