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.
There's a Hole
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What is it that you need
Are you gonna take everything
Do you wanna see me bleed
What is it that you're looking for
Do you always have to take some more
'Till there's nothing left to feel
Nothing left of you and me
There's a hole where we used to be
Everything's so empty now
Without you and me
There's a time that we never had
Everything's so empty now
And it feels so sad
Why is it that you never see
What are you trying to do to me
Or is it that you just don't care
That I'm in misery
We gotta set the record straight
Before it starts to get to late
I'm begging on my bended knees
Won't you hear me please
There's a hole where we used to be
Everything's so empty now
Without you and me
There's a time that we never had
Everything's so empty now
And it feels so sad
Does it really have to be this way
Do you ever hear a word I say
There's a hole where we used to be
Everything's so empty now
Without you and me
There's a time that we never had
Everything's so empty now
And it feels so
And it feels so sad
There's a hole, there's a hole, there's a hole
Where we used to
Where we used to
Where we used to be
The lyrics of "There's a Hole" by Gary Moore seem to address a broken relationship that has left the singer feeling empty and sad. He questions what the other person wants and needs, as well as what they are looking for in their interactions. There is a sense of being taken advantage of and hurt, as evidenced by the lines "Are you gonna take everything/Do you wanna see me bleed." There is a feeling of loss, as if something that once existed between them is now absent. The repetition of the phrase "there's a hole" underscores this emptiness and creates a haunting atmosphere.
The singer also expresses frustration at the other person's lack of understanding or concern. They seem to be unresponsive to his pleas and unaware of the pain they are causing. He begs for clarity and communication before it is too late, indicating that there is still hope for reconciliation. The use of the phrases "on my bended knees" and "won't you hear me please" add to the emotional weight of the lyrics, suggesting a level of desperation.
Overall, the song conveys a sense of grief and longing for what once was. The repeated refrain of "there's a hole" reinforces the idea that something is missing, and the singer's impassioned plea for understanding underscores the depth of his feelings. This song provides a poignant commentary on the pain of lost love and the difficulty of moving on.
Line by Line Meaning
What is it that you want
Asking what the person desires
What is it that you need
Asking what the person requires
Are you gonna take everything
Wondering if the person plans to take all there is
Do you wanna see me bleed
Asking if the person wishes to witness one's pain
What is it that you're looking for
Inquiring about what the person is searching for
Do you always have to take some more
Asking if the person always has to take extra
'Till there's nothing left to feel
Taking everything until there's nothing left to experience
Nothing left of you and me
The relationship is over and there's nothing left between the two
There's a hole where we used to be
There's an empty space where the relationship once existed
Everything's so empty now
Life feels desolate without the relationship
Without you and me
The relationship is over and neither is present
There's a time that we never had
Reflecting on the missed opportunities of the past
And it feels so sad
The emptiness of the present feels sorrowful
Why is it that you never see
Questioning why the person never comprehends
What are you trying to do to me
Asking the person what they're attempting to do
Or is it that you just don't care
Wondering if the person lacks concern
That I'm in misery
Affirming that the situation is causing distress
We gotta set the record straight
Needing to clarify the situation and fix things
Before it starts to get too late
Before time runs out and there's no coming back
I'm begging on my bended knees
Pleading earnestly for resolution
Won't you hear me please
Asking the person to listen and respond
Does it really have to be this way
Wondering if things need to be so bleak
Do you ever hear a word I say
Questioning if the person ever listens
There's a hole, there's a hole, there's a hole
Repeating that there's an empty space
Where we used to
In the place where we once had a connection
Be
Now there's nothing
Contributed by Austin I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.