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.
Rectify
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Gary Moore/Cass Lewis/Darrin Mooney)
I never knew you were so close to the edge.
I saw you standing up on top of that ledge.
You never told me that the damage was done.
How could I know I'm not the only one?
I'm gonna rectify you.
I always said you were too close to yourself.
You never took the time for no one else.
I told you that you would be sorry one day.
But all you did was let the shadows play.
I'm gonna rectify you.
I'm gonna rectify you.
I've seen your kind too many times before.
Now Evil Joe is knockin' on your door.
But one day soon you'll find it's all too late.
And what you had's all turned to bitter hate.
I'm gonna rectify you.
I'm gonna rectify you.
I'm gonna rectify you.
I'm gonna rectify you.
Gonna rectify,
I'm gonna rectify.
Gonna rectify,
I'm gonna rectify.
I'm gonna rectify you.
Ooh-ah.
In the song Rectify, Gary Moore sings about a person who is struggling with their inner demons and is near the brink of self-destruction. The singer expresses his surprise to see this person standing on the ledge, as he had never known how close to the edge they really were. He laments that the person did not confide in him about the damage that had been done, leaving him in the dark about their struggles.
The singer vows to rectify their situation and save them from themselves. He feels that the person has not taken the time to think about anyone else, constantly focused on their own troubles. The singer had warned them about their predicament but all they did was let the shadows play. He mentions Evil Joe knocking on their door, which could be a metaphor for their past catching up with them. The singer fears that the person will realize their mistakes when it's too late and everything they had will turn to bitter hate. Despite this, he reiterates his determination to rectify their situation, possibly indicating that there is still hope for them.
Overall, the song Rectify portrays the internal battle that some people face, and the importance of seeking help and support from those around us before it's too late.
Line by Line Meaning
I never knew you were so close to the edge.
I was unaware of how close you were to the brink of destruction.
I saw you standing up on top of that ledge.
I witnessed you standing on the edge of a dangerous situation.
You never told me that the damage was done.
You did not reveal to me that the harm had already been inflicted.
How could I know I'm not the only one?
I had no way of knowing that I was not the sole victim of your actions.
I always said you were too close to yourself.
I frequently cautioned you about your excessive self-focus.
You never took the time for no one else.
You neglected to prioritize the needs of others.
I told you that you would be sorry one day.
I warned you that your recklessness would catch up to you eventually.
But all you did was let the shadows play.
You ignored my advice and allowed darkness to dominate your actions.
I've seen your kind too many times before.
I have encountered many individuals like you in the past.
Now Evil Joe is knockin' on your door.
Your destructive behavior has attracted negative consequences.
But one day soon you'll find it's all too late.
You will eventually realize that the damage is irreversible.
And what you had's all turned to bitter hate.
What you once cherished has transformed into resentful feelings.
I'm gonna rectify you.
I am going to correct your behavior.
Gonna rectify,
I will create positive change.
I'm gonna rectify you.
I will guide you towards better choices.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind