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Well, here we are at the end of an exhausting week, both for me and I have no doubt for our poor overworked mods. It's been seven days of paying homage to and honouring the late great Gary Moore, and although I've done what I can to delve into the man's musical history and heritage, I'm sure there's lots I've left out, but when you live a life as full as Gary's was, eating, sleeping and breathing the blues, it's hard to cover it all in one short week.

Nevertheless, I hope I've managed to get across a little of the unbridled genius of Gary Moore, his love of and amazing talent for the blues, his almost unmatched prowess on the guitar and his flair for songwriting. I never got to see him live, sadly, and looking at the various live videos I've featured here I really wish I had, but you don't always get what you want from life. Suffice to say the man was a consummate showman and a dedicated performer, and surely gave more than value for money for every ticket purchased.

The world is a slightly darker and colder place for the loss of Gary, but it's partially warmed by the wealth of music he's left behind, which will live on long after I've gone to the great journal desk in the sky. I hope you've enjoyed what I've presented here over the past week. For those who --- for reasons known only to themselves --- don't like or are not interested in Gary's music, I've tried to also keep the usual features and album reviews going, independent of the plethora of Gary Moore-related items. Suffice to say I'm knackered, and I hope there was something for everyone there.

This is the last day, and we wind up with the last few album reviews, including two more projects and a tribute, some more live material and anything else I can dig up that I haven't already. If it seems a little overkill today, bear in mind that some of these items did go for approval yesterday, but weren't posted in time for the before-midnight deadline, and so appear today. I hold no-one responsible for this: god knows I've certainly taxed the reserves of our mods over this past week. On that point, thanks to all who diligently read, approved and posted my many (many) articles, and thanks for bearing with me. It is certainly appreciated.

So all that remains is to get the final day underway, and give you all one last look at a talent cut short far too soon. Gary, we've still got the blues for you.

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Old new ballads blues --- 2006 (Eagle)


Continuing Gary's journey into the blues which would last for two more albums before his untimely death, this album reunites him with keyboard man Don Airey and drummer Darrin Mooney, replacing bassist Bob Daisely from the previous album with Jonathan Noyce. After this album he would release one a year up until his final in 2008. Like previous blues-themed albums of his, this includes various covers, notably again from Willie Dixon (previously covered on “Power of the blues”) and Otis Rush, but it's Elmore James' “Done somebody wrong” that opens proceedings here. A hard-edged blues rocker, it features a guitar which seems to be slightly oddly modulated, as if put through some sort of effects pedal or device, giving it a vaguely mechanical feeling.

A seven-minute version of Willie Dixon's “You know my love” keeps things moving, and well, it is titled “Old, new, ballads, blues”, so we know the ballads will be coming, and of course the blues, most of the songs are new but there are some old, and two of them come from 1990's “Still got the blues”. First up is a reissue of “Midnight blues”, slow and laidback and really, not sounding that much different from the original to me, then “Ain't nobody” is a midpacer with some nice touches, especially on Airey's keys. Then there's another beautiful ballad in “Gonna rain today”, about as laidback as you can get. Lovely, soulful and heartfelt guitar work from Gary with a vocal that just reeks of hurt and despair, with a bittersweet melancholia it's hard not to get choked up by.

Things soon kick off again though, with the “new” version of “All your love” originally on Gary's “Still got the blues” album, and indeed a cover of Otis Rush's classic in the first place. Again, I have to say I don't hear a huge difference in the two versions, even though both this, and the “new” version of “Midnight blues” are labelled as being “2006”. As the album heads towards its end then, Gary tones everything down, and although “Flesh and blood” may seem an unlikely name for a ballad, such it proves to be, and a very lovely one at that. A certain country twang is evident at times on the guitar, and a soft, intimate little solo just about completes the song.

The smooth, laidback feel of the album is only disturbed one more time by a rocky little instrumental Gary calls “Cut it out”, then the longest track on the album, nine minutes of “No reason to cry”, slips back into that cool, soft, relaxed mode as Airey's passionate organ carries the tune alongside Gary's gentle guitar. Keeping things slow and easy then to the end, the album closes with Jerry Beech's lovely “I'll play the blues for you”.

A much better album, in my all-important ( ) opinion, “Old new ballads blues” still suffers from its flaws. I don't think a lot of the two “updated” versions of the songs off “Still got the blues” that are included: if they were vastly different, re-recorded or arranged, then okay, I can see the validity, given the title of the album. If they're just included as “old” songs, then okay too, but the idea of putting the suffix “2006” after them when they're just the same old versions... I just don't see it I'm afraid. I could have hoped for a better opener too, classic or not, and I think I just may turn out not to be a fan of poor old Willie Dixon...

Nevertheless, there are good tracks on this album, and in fact I would say after the first two or three it vastly improves for me, so in that regard it's a far better album, of the “blues” ones Gary recorded, than “Power of the blues”. While not one of his greatest, it might very well sneak into the top ten. Maybe.

TRACKLISTING

1. Done somebody wrong
2. You know my love
3. Midnight blues (2006)
4. Ain't nobody
5. Gonna rain today
6. All your love (2006)
7. Flesh and blood
8. Cut it out
9. No reason to cry
10. I'll play the blues for you

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Let's try a little Music of the Roxy persuasion, shall we? This is “Love is the drug”.

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All the world's a stage Part VII --- Gary Moore live

And so we come to the final day of our Gary Moore tribute, and the last selection of his live performances. Enjoy!

“Reach for the sky” from “Run for cover” (The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1985)


“Picture of the moon” from “Back to the blues” (Holland, 2001)


“Spoonful” from “Around the next dream” (BBM) (Montreaux 1993)


“Moving on” from “Still got the blues” (Montreaux 1990)


“Thunder rising” from “Wild frontier” (Kharkov, Ukraine, 2010)


“Always gonna love you” from “Corridors of power” (Location unknown, 1983)


“Down the line” from “Bad for you baby” (Athens, 2008)


“The blues is alright” from “After hours” (Valencia, Spain, 2009)


“Still in love with you” from “Nightlife” (One Night in Dublin, Tribute to Phil Lynott, 2005)


“Caldonia” with Albert King and Albert Collins

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Scars --- Scars --- 2002 (Sanctuary)


Another side project for Gary, Scars was conceived in 2002 and featured Darrin Mooney of Primal Scream, who would later go on to drum on some of Gary's solo albums, and Skunk Anansie's Cass Lewis on bass. Again, like G-Force twenty years earlier there was only the one, self-titled album released, but unlike the much lighter and almost poppier G-Force effort, this one rocks all the way. It opens on squealy guitar and thumping bass as “When the sun goes down” gets things underway. There's a certain sense of grunge about the guitar work, at least on this track, which may mark this album out from Gary's solo work.

Half of the songs are written by Gary on his own, the other half by the trio. Lewis' bass is very much in evidence here, as you might expect, and although Mooney's drumming is unremarkable for the moment, I expect it to get a bit more pronounced as the album goes on. As I said before, good drummers vs bad drummers is a hard call for me: how do you drum badly? Or well, for that matter? But in any event, “Rectify” keeps the rocking hard, though there's for the moment none of the frenetic, fast power of the likes of “Rockin' every night”, “End of the world”, “Out in the fields” or “Back on the streets”: again, it's hard rock mixed with a certain amount of grunge.

“Wasn't born in Chicago” is again driven on Lewis' strong bass, with some hard and heavy guitar work from Gary, and Mooney getting a lot more animated behind the drumkit. Gary racks up the guitar ampage bigstyle then for “Stand up”, but there's still a certain sense of restraint about these songs, as if he's not being fully given his head, and without doubt there's a Nirvanaesque sound to his guitar. Finally, we get a decent blues ballad, in the expected style of Gary Moore, though it gets a bit hard and heavy in the middle, which is a little off-putting. “Just can't let you go” does however give us the first real Gary Moore sound on the album, I believe, and not surprisingly it's one of his own compositions, and indeed one of the longer tracks, at just short of eight minutes.

The next one up is one of his too, a real blues strider, in “My baby (she's so good to me)”, which could as easily have found a home on “Back to the blues”, “Still got the blues” or any of his blues-orientated albums, and yes, it's another one written by him. It's one where Gary really gets to cut loose as we know he can, then “World of confusion”, the third solo Moore composition in a row, is a harder and heavier proposition, with none of the grunge evident in Gary's guitar prior to “Just can't let you go”: it's almost as if the album has now switched directions and become a completely rock one, leaving the previous influences behind. Is this because it's only Gary writing the songs?

Well, let's see. The final Moore/Mooney/Lewis outing is a monster, almost thirteen minutes of what appears to be slow heavy blues in “Ball and chain”, and so it proves to be, possibly the standout of the album. A slowburning, down and dirty, big grinding mess o' blues with some sterling work from Gary, but also some fine basslines from Cass Lewis, and just the right sort of drumming from Darrin Mooney. Nice! So together they can write a decent rock song, and more, a great blues track. Good to know, and the initial lukewarm reception I was giving this album has certainly heated up a lot now, and I'm really beginning to enjoy it.

Now it's interesting that the next track, credited as a Gary original, is called “World keep turnin' round”, when he included a cover of Peter Green's similarly (almost identically) titled “World keep turning” on his “Blues for Greeny” tribute album. Strange indeed. Also, it sounds very close --- almost too close --- to Hendrix's “Crosstown traffic” for comfort, but it appears to be his own song. Derivative? Certainly. I must listen to Mr. Green's song and see if it bears any resemblance. At any rate, this is a hard rocker, with some great guitar work, but the riff is very much taken from the abovementioned Hendrix classic without doubt.

The closer is another long one, almost ten minutes, and another written solo by Gary. It's another slow blues ballad, really nicely handled with some lovely touches. “Who knows (what tomorrow may bring)” kind of echoes the sentiments in “I can't wait until tomorrow”, the closer from “Corridors of power”, but it's very laidback, almost though not quite acoustic, with soft percussion from Mooney. A little in then it rocks out with hard, edgy guitar, then drops back to the quiet, introspection of the opening, with a lovely little smooth solo from Gary. The song then settles down into a nice easy blues ballad groove to the end, carried on Gary's always expressive guitar.

A definite improvement over the somewhat embarrassing “G-Force” project, it's a pity Scars didn't release more albums, and notwithstanding the annoying grunge element of the first few tracks, this could almost stand as a Gary Moore solo album on its own, so fits well into the catalogue. Nice one, Gary.

TRACKLISTING

1. When the sun goes down
2. Rectify
3. Wasn't born in Chicago
4. Stand up
5. Just can't let you go
6. My baby (she's so good to me)
7. World of confusion
8. Ball and chain
9. World keep turnin' round
10. Who knows (what tomorrow may bring)?

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We couldn't finish this tribute without mentioning Gary's time in Thin Lizzy. Although he only recorded the one album with them (Black Rose), he was in the lineup four times, mostly playing on tours or filling in for someone. Here's a selection of what we could get portraying him with his Lizzy bandmates.

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So, after all the reviews, the specials, the deep examination of the music of Gary Moore, what conclusions have I come to with regard to his best work? Well, strictly a personal choice of course, here are my top ten of his albums, and my top twenty (because I just couldn't leave some tracks out, even if they weren't good enough to get into the top ten!) of his songs.

ALBUMS



1. CORRIDORS OF POWER
2. WILD FRONTIER
3. DARK DAYS IN PARADISE
4. RUN FOR COVER
5. VICTIMS OF THE FUTURE
6. AFTER HOURS
7. BACK TO THE BLUES
8. OLD NEW BALLADS BLUES
9. STILL GOT THE BLUES
10. CLOSE AS YOU GET

SONGS

1. EMPTY ROOMS
2. PARISIENNE WALKWAYS
3. I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW
4. MURDER IN THE SKIES
5. THE LONER
6. BUSINESS AS USUAL
7. NOTHING'S THE SAME
8. RUN FOR COVER
9. REST IN PEACE
10. STRANGERS IN THE DARKNESS
11. ONCE IN A LIFETIME
12. THE MESSIAH WILL COME AGAIN
13. WHERE DID WE GO WRONG
14. STILL GOT THE BLUES
15. FLESH AND BLOOD
16. SUNDOWN
17. TROUBLE AIN'T FAR BEHIND
18. AS THE YEARS GO PASSING BY
19. SEPARATE WAYS
20. JOHNNY BOY

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Blues for Greeny --- 1995 (Charisma)


A huge influence on his early career, and one of his idols from his youth, it's not at all surprising that Gary should have released a whole album of Peter Green covers, dedicated to the man himself. Gary always knew how to give back, and he never forgot his roots. Founder and driving force behind the early version of Fleetwood Mac, Peter Greenbaum, better known as Peter Green, is a well-respected and revered figure among guitarists, particularly blues ones, and here Gary pays tribute to one of the old guitar gods.

It opens with “If you be my baby”, a song in the traditional Chicago blues style, great piano from Tommy Eyre and twin sax attack from the two Nicks, Pentelow and Payn. Of course, the song rides along on great guitar from Gary, and is a fun opener with lots of lazy energy. “Long grey mare” is another fast blues rocker, while “Merry go round”, paradoxically perhaps, slows everything down with a moody blues ballad, then a very Santana-esque (though I'm reliably informed it was Carlos who copied Peter's style) “I loved another woman” is a mid-paced ballad with definite shades of “Black magic woman” --- though again, that should be reversed. The only song on the album then not written by Green is one that gave his Fleetwood Mac a hit single, Mertis John Jr.'s blues ballad “Need your love so bad”. With what sounds like a lovely strings arrangement, but is probably just indicative of Tommy Eyre's skill on the keyboards, it's a powerful treatment of the old standard, with of course a beautifully tender guitar solo from Gary.

After that blues masterpiece epic, the next two tracks are short: “The same way” is a striding, boogie slow rocker, while “The supernatural” is more evidence of where Green had a profound influence on the playing style of Carlos Santana. “Driftin'” is another slow blues cruncher, in fact the longest on the album at just over eight and a half minutes, and featuring some powerful and searing guitar from Gary. “Showbiz blues” has a certain bluegrass feel to it, with some stripped-down guitar sound, reminds me of the best of that other fine servant of the blues, the late and lamented Rory Gallagher. “Love that burns” is a slow ballad in the style of much of Gary's work, though again this only show what an effect Peter Green had on the young guitarist, and how he carried that influence over into his own songwriting and playing.

The album then closes on “Looking for somebody”, with a very early Fleetwood Mac style, deep bass from Andy Pyle keeping the beat, slow but not a ballad, laidback but not without its power; moody, broody and dark. It's maybe a lower-key ending to the album than I would have preferred, but a decent closer nevertheless.

I'm no huge Peter Green fan, but Gary has produced a fine tribute to his mentor here, and you have to applaud that. It's just a pity the man couldn't have guested on even one of the tracks: I wonder if Gary ever made any overtures towards that end? But it's a powerful homage to the man who in many ways put him on the road to success and helped him along that road, until he could walk on his own. I have no doubt Peter Green was very proud of what Gary Moore achieved in his life, and the respect and admiration Gary had for Green shines through in this very special and personal album.

TRACKLISTING

1. If you be my baby
2. Long grey mare
3. Merry go round
4. I loved another woman
5. Need your love so bad
6. The same way
7. The supernatural
8. Driftin'
9. Showbiz blues
10. Love that burns
11. Looking for somebody

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Right, last time I gave my own home country a good pasting, (and it deserved it!) so now it's time to point the finger of derision at our cousins across the water. Yes, England, I'm looking at you! Although, like Ireland, the UK has won the Eurovision several times (sometimes even with good songs, well good in the context of the Eurovision!), they have had their fair share of cringeworthy songs, and this is one of them.

It wouldn't be so bad if you guys had not already entered --- and won with --- “Puppet on a string” a few years previous, but this effort from Clodagh Rogers (sounds like an Irish name! Oh no!) is basically just a shameful ripoff/rewrite of that song, right down to the pretty girl singing it. It's also an annoyingly bouncy, happy song, and where have we heard that before? 1967? Sandie Shaw? Still, at least as someone pointed out in the comments, she has great legs!

Hey, consider yourselves lucky I'm not featuring the Brotherhood of Man! Though, come to think of it (makes note)...


1971 --- United Kingdom --- “Jack in the box” by Clodagh Rogers

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