Blues-Rock Personified: The Fiery Musicianship Of Gary Moore
Gary’s death at just 58 came as a great shock, but he left a legacy of nearly 40 years of work.
If the great guitarists are often the ones that took what had gone before and used that inspiration to become unique players themselves, then Gary Moore is on the A-list.
The Northern Irish guitar hero was born in Belfast on April 4, 1952. His death on February 6, 2011, at just 58, came as a great shock, but he left a legacy of nearly 40 years’ worth of recording. Plus, of course, a reputation as a brilliant player, in the studio and on the stage. This hand-picked playlist aims to capture the sheer blues-rock power of Gary Moore In 20 Songs.
To shine the spotlight chiefly on his solo work, it omits Moore’s copious additional work with bands such as Skid Row, G-Force and Thin Lizzy. The selection begins with his 1978 album Back On The Streets. His official solo debut, it spread the word about Gary’s fiery playing to a wider audience, especially when he combined with his Thin Lizzy compadre Phil Lynott to hit the UK Top 10 with its romantic single “Parisienne Walkways.”
That led the way to three further decades of uncompromising rock releases including such Top 40 albums of the 1980s as Corridors of Power and Victims of the Future, before Gary hit big with 1987’s Wild Frontier. Another new staging post came with the 1990 album Still Got The Blues, which emphasised his widespread respect among fellow musicians in its contributions by Albert King, Albert Collins, and (on “That Kind Of Woman”) George Harrison.
1992 brought a summit with another hero, B.B. King, who frequently sang Moore’s praises and played with him on Gary’s own “Since I Met You Baby,” on After Hours. It became his highest-charting UK album, peaking at No.4. Gary then became part of the forceful power trio BBM, with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, for 1994’s Around The Next Dream.
Gary’s recording adventures continued into the 2000s on records such as Back To The Blues, Old New Ballads Blues, and what turned out to be his final album, 2008’s Bad For You Baby. For Gary Moore, it wasn’t a case of going back to the blues, because he never left them, and his contribution to the music he loved was immense.
Listen to the Blues For Beginners playlist.
Florentino Stabile
February 11, 2015 at 10:54 pm
My all time favorite is Empty Rooms with Still Got the Blues a close second.
W G Bowyer
February 12, 2015 at 12:06 am
My fave is “Run For Cover”
John Elliott
February 6, 2016 at 8:58 am
Thin Lizzy Black Rose. Got To Give It Up. One of most blistering solos I’ve ever heard. Still sends shivers almost 40 years later!
Mike
February 6, 2016 at 2:44 pm
No mention of his work with Coliseum II? For me his most inventive playing.
Jon Kristjansson
June 30, 2019 at 1:40 am
Exactly!!!!!!!!
Jack Edwards
April 7, 2016 at 6:41 pm
Pretty Woman was gritty and my favorite.
Drawde
February 7, 2017 at 12:52 am
So what are the songs? I’m not going to join Spotify just to find out.
Kevin
February 7, 2018 at 2:15 pm
You don’t have to join just install on a laptop as it’s free.
Jimmy Bolleaux
February 7, 2017 at 2:46 am
I loved his Guitar when he played with Skid Row, way back when.
Perre
February 6, 2018 at 11:18 am
Don’t forget the song “Business as usual” from the record Dark days in paradise it’s the true story of his life
Mike Wallace
February 6, 2018 at 3:35 pm
How about ‘Don’t take me for a loser”?
Kevin
February 7, 2018 at 2:16 pm
Soooooooooo much great stuff by Gary…this list could be a hundred songs long!!
Mike Lewis
February 6, 2019 at 3:26 pm
“Corridors of Power and Victims of the Future, blues-infused rock”??!! a little confused with this description, as more likely to group under the hard rock/Heavy metal banner maybe.
The BBM album “Around the Next Dream” was released in 1994.
“Ivory Joe Hunter staple ‘Since I Met You Baby”, is not the same song that Gary did the duet with BB King on!!! It is an original song, written by him.
Slightly amazed that a record company that has so much of his back catalogue, appears to know so little about an artist!!!
Izzy
April 5, 2023 at 3:43 pm
Blues for Narada & still got the blues for you.