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.
So Far Away
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arrested, he was bound.
They said there'd been a robbery,
his pistol had been found.
They marched him to the station house,
he waited till the dawn.
And as they led him to the dock,
he knew that he'd been wronged.
he heard the bailiff say.
He knew without an alibi,
tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom.
Over the hills and far away,
for ten long years he'll count the days.
Over the mountains and the seas,
a prisoner's life for him there'll be.
He knew that it would cost him dear,
but yet he dare not say.
Just where he'd been that fateful night,
a secret it must stay.
He had to fight back tears of rage.
His heart beat like a drum.
For with the wife of his best friend,
he spent his final night of freedom.
Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
Far from the mountains and the seas,
back in her arms again he'll be.
Over the hills and far away.
Over the hills and,
over the hills and,
over the hills and far away.
Each night within his prison cell,
he looks out through the bars.
He reads the letters that she wrote.
One day he'll know the taste of freedom.
Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day.
As sure as the rivers reach the seas,
back in his arms again she'll be.
Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
As sure as the river reach the seas,
back in his arms is where she'll be.
Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day.
As sure as the rivers reach the sea,
back in her arms is where he'll be.
Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.
Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.
The song 'Over the Hills and Far Away' by Gary Moore tells the melancholic story of a man who has been wrongly accused of robbery and sentenced to ten years in prison. As the song begins, we see the man being arrested by the police, who claim that his pistol had been found at the scene of the crime. Even though he is innocent, he knows that he faces conviction without an alibi to prove his innocence. The bailiff reads out the charges against the man, leaving him with no hope for freedom.
The heartbroken man remembers his final night of freedom, which he spent with the wife of his best friend. Although he knew it would come at a cost, he kept quiet about his whereabouts that fateful night, unable to reveal the secret without implicating himself. In his prison cell, he reads the letters that his lover wrote to him, dreaming that one day he will be reunited with her. Throughout his confinement, he vows to return to her one day, "over the hills and far away," enduring the hardships of his imprisonment with the hope of being reunited with the woman he loves.
The lyrics to this song carry a lot of emotion and paint a vivid picture of the man's plight. It is an excellent example of how a songwriter can tell a story through music, and why Gary Moore was revered as one of the greatest blues-rock guitarists of all time.
Line by Line Meaning
They came for him one winter's night.
He was arrested on a winter night.
Arrested, he was bound.
He was arrested and tied up.
They said there'd been a robbery,
his pistol had been found.
He was accused of a robbery based on the discovery of his pistol.
They marched him to the station house,
he waited till the dawn.
He was taken to the station house and made to wait until morning.
And as they led him to the dock,
he knew that he'd been wronged.
He knew he was wrongly accused as he was taken to the dock.
"You stand accused of robbery,"
he heard the bailiff say.
The bailiff accused him of robbery.
He knew without an alibi,
tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom.
He knew he would lose his freedom as he had no alibi.
Over the hills and far away,
for ten long years he'll count the days.
He was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment.
Over the mountains and the seas,
a prisoner's life for him there'll be.
He would lead a prisoner's life across mountains and seas.
He knew that it would cost him dear,
but yet he dare not say.
He knew the truth would be costly but chose to remain silent.
Just where he'd been that fateful night,
a secret it must stay.
He had to keep the whereabouts of that night a secret.
He had to fight back tears of rage.
His heart beat like a drum.
He felt angry and emotional and had to suppress his tears.
For with the wife of his best friend,
he spent his final night of freedom.
He spent his last night of freedom with his best friend's wife.
Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
He promises to return one day when he is free.
Far from the mountains and the seas,
back in her arms again he'll be.
He wishes to be back in his lover's arms, far away from the prison.
Each night within his prison cell,
he looks out through the bars.
He spends each night in his cell looking out of the bars.
He reads the letters that she wrote.
One day he'll know the taste of freedom.
He reads the letters written by his lover and dreams of experiencing freedom one day.
She prays he will return one day.
As sure as the rivers reach the seas,
She prays for his return, believing it will happen.
back in his arms again she'll be.
She hopes to be back in his arms once he returns.
Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
He reiterates his promise to return one day.
As sure as the river reach the seas,
back in his arms is where she'll be.
He believes his lover will be in his arms when they are reunited.
Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day.
She continues to pray for his return.
As sure as the rivers reach the sea,
back in her arms is where he'll be.
Just like the rivers reach the sea, he will be back in his lover's arms.
Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.
He dreams of being far away from the prison and reuniting with his lover.
Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.
He repeats his dream of being far away with his lover.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GARY (GB MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
hookmanmf
any1 know the chords plz?
Tieu Kha Vu
Could have been the transitional piece on "Empty Rooms" (Studio Version)
Janne Johansson
rest in peace Gary. Over the hills and far away buddy. -your fan from 80's
amadan9999
It was today (sept 2021) that i found out that the above is a cover of a Mo Foster piece called So far Away.
madcarl666
the best version of empty rooms i also own this on unscratchy vynil
Martin Müller
Why god ? It was not his time to leave us. It is with deep sorrow, pain and regret, to hear that you left us. Rest in Peace my alltime Idol. Living without you will not be the same. Unforgettable one of your last tours throgh Ukraine, especially Kiev 2010.
Xterain
@serduchka200x i think gary moore was in trouble cause what i know he drank himself to death.
amadan9999
What?????