Gary Moore Interview - Sticking With The Blues

• Close As You Get
• Jimmy Witherspoon
• Mr King...
• The Rock and Blues
• Influences
• Talking gear

Career Retrospective

"... whenever I was in the dressing room on my own, I'd start playing blues to myself. One night, Bob Daisley, the bass player, came in and said, "You know, Gary, you should make a blues album next. It might be the biggest thing you ever did." I laughed, you know. He laughed, too. But I did, and he was right, and it was." Gary Moore, speaking of a moment leading up to the making of his "Still Got The Blues" album, released in 1990.

Gary Moore is first and foremost a blues guitarist. In fact, his newly released CD, ‘Close As You Get', is proof of that once again. Fans of his harder playing like to think otherwise, and sometimes view him as chameleon in style, or as a performer who forgets where his actual fan base is. Truth is, he was very much a young blues rocker when he was in the Dublin based Skid Row, a blues-rock outfit that often played support to the early Peter Green fronted Fleetwood Mac. He also played the blues while opening for his other idol in the small clubs of Belfast back in his early days. Together, he and Rory Gallagher would swap guitars, primarily because neither was able to afford the luxury of new strings. He grew up listening to Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor, and Peter Green in the sixties, and watched and listened as the three guitar icons replaced each other in the legendary Bluesbreakers, the British blues band fronted by the multitalented John Mayall. It's true, though, that his affiliation with Irish rockers Thin Lizzy, his own Gary Moore Band, and the fusion based Colosseum II brought him initial success as a budding young rocker and an inventive player. That said, it was his solo work that attracted the most attention before he started taking the blues seriously, and he was very much a hard rock/metal guitarist at that point in time.

Though his debut solo release, 1973's ‘Grinding Stone', didn't leave much of a mark, Gary released ‘Back on the Streets' five years later. It contained the benchmark song ‘Parisienne Walkways'. The passionate Phil Lynott vocal combined with the sweet, bluesy, soaring melody of Gary's guitar proved to be one of the many defining points in the career of both performers. This collaboration led Gary to team up once again with Lynott and Thin Lizzy to make the album perceived by many to be their best. ‘Black Rose' (also known as ‘Roisin Dubh: Finsceal Cnoc'), the closing song on the album of the same name, contained another passionate Lynott vocal as well as an incredibly diverse and stylish lead guitar arrangement from Gary, one with haunting Celtic influence and a fast paced, ever-changing melody. His third release, ‘G-Force', was with a band of the same name he put together merely to support a Van Halen tour. Though the band parted ways just as quickly as it had gotten together, ‘G-Force' is perceived by many to be an under-rated album to this day.

Gary Moore become a known and respected name in the rock world and throughout the 80's released several well received albums, including 1982's ‘Corridors of Power', 1983's ‘Victims of the Future', 1985's ‘Run For Cover", and the Celtic infused ‘Wild Frontier' from 1987. These, along with a few respectable live albums, all helped render him deserved recognition, not only as a brilliant guitar player but as a decent vocalist as well. His hard rock and metal playing style, combined with the amazing knack to conjure an imaginative Celtic vibe, became known as the signature Gary Moore guitar sound. Collaborations and cameo appearances happened regularly throughout the following years, with Greg Lake, Cozy Powell, George Harrison and the Traveling Willburys, and others.

Nevertheless, the primary defining moment in the career of Gary Moore occurred with the release of ‘Still Got the Blues' in 1990. Having enough of his rock and metal playing, he decided to revisit the music he loved since he was young. Not knowing if it was a good idea, yet deciding to make a go of it anyway, ‘Still Got the Blues' turned out to be the most successful album of his career. It was lush with good music. With a little help from guests George Harrison, Albert Collins, and Albert King, Gary's original compositions sat nicely between the covers, a formula that works more than adequately for him to this day. The Deadric Malone penned ‘As the Years Go Passing By', as well as his own ‘Moving On', made fans as well as skeptics listen seriously to his exceptional blues-rock guitar playing style, his ample vocal ability as well. Though it was no secret even then what a Peter Green devotee he was (and still is), his cover of Green's ‘Stop Messing Around' has emerged as one of the song's best covers, and is seen by many as akin to Green's own versions of the same.

Gary has released numerous blues albums since the aforementioned gem, and although he still feels the need to pacify some fans with sporadic jaunts into his rock past, he has emerged as one of the best blues-rock performers on the scene today. And as good as that first one was, he appears to be getting even better. Last years ‘Old New Ballads Blues' was a gem in itself, and although his formula of exceptional originals within (just a few) blues covers was still prevalent, originals like ‘Gonna Rain Today' and ‘No Reason to Cry' are looked at as potential classics. His ability to blend his own style with the styles of those who inspired him, such as Peter Green and Roy Buchanan, as well as true bluesmen like B.B. and Albert King, is truly an inspiration in and of itself.

This all leads up to the 2007 release, ‘Close As You Get'. Comparable to ‘Old New Ballads Blues' - it can almost be regarded as ‘Part II' - it's much more of a roller coaster expression of the blues. Again, the Moore originals sit nicely alongside the blues covers. This time, however, the gritty, soulful blues rockers often reach deeply into a traditional blues ambiance, or, "as close as you get". His slow blues tracks (about five in all) get about as diverse, melancholy, and deep as slow blues can get. He's often reminiscent of Roy Buchanan in places, and he sometimes flirts with a Peter Green sound that's haunting and exhilarating. He has learned to ‘leave space', as he is known to say, and his personified notes soar off in sustained sonic expression. The music within is stylish and diverse enough to please just about everyone who appreciates the blues. His cover of Son House's ‘Sundown' might even appease the blues purists. Sonny Boy Williamson's ‘Checkin' Up On My Baby' is an interesting blend of traditional vocals, harp, and a Zeppelin-like riff ambiance. His own ‘I Had A Dream' could possibly include his best blues solo work to date. In fact, ‘Close As You Get' may just be his best album to date. Only time will tell. But no matter how one might see it, Gary Moore is on a roll, and the blues is where he's at.

I chatted with Gary on May 1st, 2007, shortly before the release of "Close As You Get".