Gary Moore
Belfast born guitarist who began his musical career in a band called Skid Row in the 1960's with vocalist Phil Lynott. Phil quit to form Thin Lizzy and later offered the guitar slot to Gary Moore. Gary played with Thin Lizzy off and on in the band's formative years in the early 1970's and later rejoined them in 1979, performing on one of Lizzy's greatest albums, "Black Rose." Gary also has a successful solo career as well. He released a handful of successful heavy metal platters before switching modes and conquering the blues world. Gary recorded a few solo songs with Phil after the demise of Thin Lizzy and even recorded video for "Out in the Fields" with Phil Lynott that was later released on Thin Lizzy's "Dedication" video.

The Gary Moore Band-Grinding Stone (Castle) 1973

1. "Grinding Stone" -instrumental (9:41)
2. "Time to Heal" (6:20)
3. "Sail Across the Mountain" (7:06)
4. "The Energy Dance" (2:35)
5. "Spirit" (17:08)
6. "Boogie My Way Back Home" (5:41)

Gary Moore's first solo outing after leaving Skid Row. On this album Moore explores many different styles including blues, funk and heavy guitar rock. However, it's quite clear that Moore's love is the blues, as this is the basis for most of the work on this disc. Of course in years to come Gary would return to this sound, but never again would he be as experimental as he was on this disc. I actually enjoy this one as much as some of my favorites below, but it is quite different. The funky, epic song "Spirit" and the Jeff Beck inspired title track are my favorites. This Castle Records re-issue is remastered and includes lengthy liner notes.

Gary Moore-Back on the Streets (MCA) 1978

1. "Back on the Streets" (4:19)
2. "Don't Believe a Word" (3:47)
3. "Fanatical Fascists" (3:00)
4. "Flight of the Snow Moose" -instrumental (7:22)
5. "Hurricane" -instrumental (4:51)
6. "Song for Donna" (5:26)
7. What Would You Rather Bee Or A Wasp" -instrumental (4:51)
8. "Parisienne Walkways" (3:24)

FINALLY!!! Thanks to a very generous trader and friend from Illinois I now have this long sought after disc. (Thanks James.) Anyhow, one of the main reasons I wanted this disc, besides the obvious fact that I am a Gary Moore fan, is because a third of the material on it was written by Phillip Lynott. "Don't Believe A Word" is a soulful rendition of the Thin Lizzy classic with Phil and Gary trading off lead vocals. "Fanatical Fascists" and "Parisienne Walkways" were also written by Phil. The instrumentals, all written by Gary, are awesome, especially considering the year of release. Few were shredding like this in the 70's. The instrumentals all have a serious Jeff Beck vibe to them. Unfortunately, this Holland import has little in the way of liner notes or a booklet. The insert is a single page with the original cover art printed on the front and nothing on the back. 'Back on the Streets' was Gary's second solo record. There was a long gap between releases because of Gary's involvement with Thin Lizzy. Apparently, from stories I have read, Gary had originally agreed to help out his old friend Phil Lynott only temporarily, while longtime Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson recovered from some sort of accident that made him unable to play guitar. Due to Robertson's departure from the band Gary stayed on to record and tour for Lizzy's 'Black Rose' album and in exchange Phil agreed to help write and record Gary's second solo effort. I believe Phil also recorded most the bass for this disc. So, this record should be essential to any Thin Lizzy die-hard, as well as Gary Moore fans. I should also mention that this import returns the album back to it's original song order. Apparently the other cd versions changed the song order around as well as had a different cover.

Now I just need to find 'Grinding Stone' and 'Dirty Fingers.'

Gary Moore-Victims of the Future (Virgin) 1983

1. "Victims of the Future" (6:09)
2. "Teenage Idol" (4:15)
3. "Devil in Her Heart" (3:24)
4. "Empty Rooms" (6:34)
5. "All I Want" (4:07)
6. "Shapes of Things" (4:10)
7. "Murder in the Skies" (5:48)
8. "Hold on to Love" (4:25)
9. "The Law of the Jungle" (6:13)

An excellent hard rock/heavy metal album from Gary Moore."Murder in the Skies", "Devil in Her Heart", "Victims of the Future" and the Yardbirds' cover "Shapes of Things" are all top notch rockers that reach the excellence of his Gary's work on "Black Rose," one of the finest albums ever written, in my opinion. This particular copy is a European import. Although I assume it will eventually get re-issued, as of writing this review, this cd is relatively hard to find, unless you want to spend a few bucks on eBay.Features keyboardist, Neil Carter (ex-UFO).

Gary Moore-Corridors Of Power/Run For Cover (Axe Killer) 2000

Two remastered recordings, re-edited in a luxurious black book with silver foil stamping. The book includes a 28-page booklet with biography, lyrics, photos and full page pictures of the original cover art.

CORRIDORS OF POWER
One of the most metallic Gary Moore discs. Favorite songs on this disc are album opener "Don't Take Me for a Loser" and the excellent cover of Free's "Wishing Well," a song with enough hook to catch a shark. (Blackfoot also recorded this song.) Besides featuring the excellent vocal and guitar talents of Gary Moore, there is a host of well known guest musicians; drums are by Ian Paice (Deep Purple), and the bass player is Neil Murray (Black Sabbath, Whitesnake.) This disc contains three excellent bonsu tracks, including the original version of "Empty Rooms."

RUN FOR COVER
'Run for Cover' is only slightly less metallic than 'Corridors of Power' with a slightly more pop sheen, but to be quite honest, of the two, this is my favorite. Overall, this is still a pretty heavy album. Gary turns in yet another stellar vocal and guitar performance. As with 'Corridors' Moore brings in a wealth of outside talent to beef things up, including former Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes on "Reach for the Sky" and "All Messed Up"; and Gary's childhood friend and Thin Lizzy mainman Philip Lynott on the dramatic "Military Man". Lynott also trades off lead vocals on 'Out in the Fields.' This song is written about the religious turmoil in Phil and Gary's native Ireland. This song was actually Lynott's final recorded performance before his tragic death. This disc contains two bonus tracks including a live version of the Lynott penned "Parisienne Walkways" and the a version of Lynott's "Still In Love With You" from a 45rpm single that Phil and Gary released. This song was originally recorded on Thin Lizzy's 'Nightlife.' The live track also features Phil on vocals.

Gary Moore-Dirty Fingers (Castle) 1984

1. Hiroshima (4:30)
2. Dirty Fingers (1:09)
3. Bad News (5:06)
4. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (3:37)
5. Run to Your Mama (4:44)
6. Nuclear Attack (5:11)
7. Kidnapped (3:50)
8. Really Gonna Rock Tonight (3:50)
9. Lonely Nights (3:58)
10. Rest in Peace (5:58)

Beautiful 2000 re-issue of one of Gary Moore's rarest cds. 'Dirty Fingers' was actually recorded in 1980 for Jet Records, but was shelved for years, only to be released after Gary began to gain some popularity in 1983. One of the interesting things about this album is that it features an all-star band which aside from Gary aslo included ex-Ted Nugent vocalist Charlie Huhn, ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain, and ex-Pat Travers/Black Oak Arkansas drummer Tommy Aldridge. Of course Tommy also went on to play with Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, House of Lords, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent among others. Jimmy Bain is the original and current Dio bassist as well. So, there is a ton of history in this band, and the music on this disc certainly shows that history. According to the extensive liner notes in this disc, Gary Moore himself was unhappy with the release, however, as it contained only rough vocals, guitar tracks and mixes. According to Gary, "...I was pleased with the songs on it, but I would liked to have at least finished the mixes before letting people hear it." Hmmm, perhaps this is a good thing. Sometimes over polishing tends to ruin a good rock n roll record. In my estimation this album is just good quality 1970's heavy metal with some finger-flyin' guitar work in the spirit of Thin Lizzy's 'Black Rose' and Gary's own 'Corridors of Power.' Like many re-issues, the original artwork has been modified as shown above. I sort of hate when they put little pictures of the cover art and then something generic surrounding it, however, Castle did the smart thing by including the original cover art on the opposite side of the insert, so you can just flip it over and display the original art in your cd case.

Gary Moore-Rockin' Every Night-Live in Japan (Disky) 1986

1. "Rockin' Every Night" (3:17)
2. "Wishing Well" (4:54)
3. "I Can't Wait Until Tomorrow" (12:04)
4. "Nuclear Attack" -instrumental (5:58)
5. "White Knuckles" (3:48)
6. "Rockin' and Rollin'" (4:03)
7. "Back on the Streets" (5:13)
8. "Sunset" (4:34)

EXCELLENT live album by former Thin Lizzy axeman Gary Moore. Gary is a great guitarist with a lot of charisma, and he has a great voice as well. This disc features some of his best material put to a live setting that adds a bit of aggression and raw energy to the songs. Ex-Deep Purple drummer Ian Paice was on board for this recording. Picked this one up for $4.50.

Gary Moore-Wild Frontiers (Virgin) 1986

1. "Over the Hills and Far Away" (5:20)
2. "Wild Frontier" (4:14)
3. "Take a Little Time" (4:05)
4. "The Loner" -instrumental (5:54)
5. "Wild Frontier [12" Version]" (6:38)
6. "Friday on My Mind" (4:11)
7. "Strangers in the Darkness" (4:38)
8. "Thunder Rising" (5:43)
9. "Johnny Boy" (3:15)
10. "Over the Hills and Far Away [12" Version]" (7:26)
11. "Crying in the Shadows" (5:01)

This album suffers severely from the 80's trend to tone down the guitars with keyboards and a clicky, electronic drum sound. This really is just not one of Gary Moore's finer albums. There are a few standout cuts like the Lizzy-esque "Thunder Rising," "The Loner" and to a lesser extent "Over the Hills and Far Away," but otherwise I was disappointed.

Gary Moore-Still Got the Blues (Charisma) 1990

1. "Moving On" (2:38)
2. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (4:24)
3. "Walking by Myself" (2:55)
4. "Still Got the Blues" (6:08)
5. "Texas Strut" (4:50)
6. "Too Tired" (2:49)
7. "King of the Blues" (4:34)
8. "As the Years Go Passing By" (7:42)
9. "Midnight Blues" (4:57)
10. "That Kind of Woman" (4:28)
11. "All Yor Love" (3:39)
12. "Stop Messing Around" (3:52)

This album was a good seller for Gary from what I have read and increased his popularity once more. Pretty funny that when an artist is no longer concerned with writing his next big hit and just concentrates on what he does best, that he puts out one of his finest discs in years. "Sill Got the Blues" is obviously a blues based record, with some reworkings of old blues standards and some good originals as well. "Texas Strut" plays some serios homage to ZZ Top.

Gary Moore-The Early Years (WTG) 1991

1. "Out in the Fields" (4:17)
2. "Military Man" (5:41)
3. "Empty Rooms" (4:17)
4. "Shapes of Things" (4:12)
5. "Rockin' Every Night" (2:47)
6. "Murder in the Skies" (5:50)
7. "Victims of the Future" (6:11)
8. "Wishing Well" (4:05)
9. "All Messed Up" (4:53)
10. "End of the World" (6:50)

If your going to capitalize on the popularity of an artist, then this is the way to do it. In 1990, Gary Moore gained some popularity with his blues albums, so Epic jumped on the opportunity to release a "best of" disc of some of his earlier hard rock/heavy metal songs. What is ultimately cool about this disc is that it starts off with two Gary Moore/Phillip Lynott collaborations. Both "Out in the Fields" and "Military Man" feature Phil on lead vocals and playing bass. "Out in the Fields" is actually a duet with Phil and Gary trading off lead vocals. This song was also released on some Thin Lizzy compilations. The rest of the disc is awesome as well, with serious rockers like "Victims of the Future" and "Rockin' Every Night." Missing from this package, however any tracks from 'Back on the Streets,' an album that contains several Lynott penned tracks including 'Parisienne Walkways' and 'Don't Believe A Word.' Tons of well known and respected musicians on this disc including Glen Hughes (Deep Purple/Black Sabbath), Ian Paice (Deep Purple), and Neil Murray (Black Sabbath, Whitesnake). "Shapes of Things" is a Yardbirds cover. Great cover version of Free's "Wishing Well" as well. Blackfoot also recorded this song.

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