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.
don´t take me for a loser
Gary Moore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now I've left those days behind,
And it's time for the wheel to turn.
Baby, I used to be so easy to take for a ride.
But now I've learned to play the game,
And my eyes are always open wide.
I was the one who would listen to you,
But those days have gone, and it's time you caught on,
'cause this time nothin's gonna get by.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
Don't take me for a fool, baby.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
Baby, you used to be the one who could run around.
But now my heart is in my head,
And nothing you have said can pull me down.
One day, I told you everything would come back on you.
And now you've had all your chances,
And your one night romances are through.
I was the one who would listen to you,
When you handed me all of your lies (all of your lies).
But those days have gone, and it's time you caught on,
'cause this time nothin's gonna get by.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
Don't take me for a fool, baby.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
I was the one who would listen to you,
When you handed me all of your lies (all of your lies).
But those days have gone, and it's time you caught on,
'cause this time nothin's gonna get by.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
Don't take me for a fool, baby.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
Don't take me for a fool, baby.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
Don't take me for a fool baby.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
Don't take me for a fool baby.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
In "Don't Take Me For A Loser," Gary Moore sings about leaving behind his days of being taken advantage of and manipulated by others. He acknowledges that he used to be easily fooled and led astray, but now he's learned to play the game and keep his eyes open. The song's chorus repeats the message, "Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win," emphasizing his determination to no longer be a victim. Moore also warns his former lover not to underestimate him or take advantage of his past weaknesses, as he is no longer willing to be a fool.
The lyrics reference Moore's past experiences and how they have shaped him into the person he is today. He expresses that he is in control of his life and will not allow others to take advantage of him again. The lines "my heart is in my head" and "nothing you have said can pull me down" indicate that Moore is now thinking clearly and not allowing his emotions to cloud his judgment like they may have in the past.
Overall, "Don't Take Me For A Loser" is a powerful anthem about taking control of your life and not allowing others to take advantage of you. Moore's fierce determination and unwavering confidence shine through in the lyrics, making it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, I used to be the kind anyone could burn.
I used to be naive and easily taken advantage of.
But now I've left those days behind,
I'm no longer gullible and trusting.
And it's time for the wheel to turn.
It's my turn to take control and come out on top.
Baby, I used to be so easy to take for a ride.
People used to be able to deceive and manipulate me.
But now I've learned to play the game,
I've become more shrewd and savvy in dealing with others.
And my eyes are always open wide.
I'm watchful and mindful of the tactics others may use to get ahead of me.
I was the one who would listen to you,
I used to be a good listener who would take in what others would say.
When you handed me all of your lies (all of your lies).
But I was also gullible enough to fall for the falsehoods that you would tell.
But those days have gone, and it's time you caught on,
I'm no longer falling for your lies, and it's time you realized this.
'cause this time nothin's gonna get by.
I'm more vigilant and won't let anything slip past me.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't underestimate me or assume that I'm weak.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
I am confident that I will come out on top in this situation.
Don't take me for a fool, baby.
Don't think that you can deceive me anymore.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
I won't make the same mistake twice of trusting and being deceived by you.
Baby, you used to be the one who could run around.
You used to have the upper hand and be able to do as you please.
But now my heart is in my head,
But now my logic and rational thinking prevails over my emotions and feelings.
And nothing you have said can pull me down.
Your words and actions no longer have the power to manipulate and influence me.
One day, I told you everything would come back on you.
I warned you that someday you would face the consequences of your actions.
And now you've had all your chances,
And now it's finally catching up to you.
And your one night romances are through.
You can no longer deceive and use others, and your fleeting relationships are over.
Don't take me for a loser.
Don't misjudge me or think that you have the upper hand over me.
Don't take me for a fool, baby.
Don't think that you can manipulate or deceive me anymore.
Don't take me for a loser, 'cause I'm gonna win.
I am confident that I will come out on top in this situation.
'Cause it would take a fool to lose you again.
I won't make the same mistake twice of trusting and being deceived by you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: GARY MOORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind