Although initially making his name as a blisteringly fast rock shredder in the 1970s and ‘80s, by the time of his premature death in February 2011, Gary Moore had arguably established himself as the world’s top blues guitarist. It was a change that began with 1990’s Still Got The Blues, featuring a few covers of classic 12-bar tracks, but mostly comprising Moore’s own compositions in the blues vein. A couple more albums followed in similar style, featuring guest spots from such luminaries as BB King and Albert Collins, before the restless Moore started experimenting once again with his style and drifting off into other areas.
However, 2001 saw him return to the blues with full force with the aptly-named Back To The Blues album, and he stayed there, more or less, until his demise at the age of 58. Not surprisingly, the intervening years have seen a steady flow of unreleased material bob to the surface, mostly live work, the latest of which is this November 2008 gig recorded at Baloise Session, an annual indoor festival in Basel, Switzerland.
The festival is known for incorporating a wide palette of styles, although jazz and blues have figured prominently over the years. This set starts without any preamble or fuss – Moore hits a couple of tentative chords to make sure he’s plugged in and working OK, gives the briefest of spoken introductions, then launches full-tilt into an electric rendition of Roy Orbison’s Oh Pretty Woman. The band is pin-sharp and incisive, with Pete Rees on bass, Vic Martin on keys and Thin Lizzy sticks man Brian Downey, no less, on drums – Downey had played on Moore’s Close As You Can Get album of the previous year, although not on his then-current album Bad For You Baby. The lead guitar is incendiary of course, and Moore spits out the vocals with venom. The applause seems a little polite to start with, as might be expected from a festival crowd, who have not specifically come to listen to Moore’s brand of rocking blues.
A change of feel accompanies the next number, a groovy, jazzy version of Ivory Joe Hunter’s Since I Met You Baby, with walking bass line, and Moore paying a little more attention to the vocal melody. Then we have another change as a rockabilly work-out of Chuck Berry’s little-known Thirty Days follows, featuring a stop in the middle for all but the drums and vocals.
So far so adrenaline-fuelled, but the band then slows things down for a while, with a 12½ minute cover of Al Cooper’s I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know. Funereally slow, with sparse drumming, the gaps filled by Hammond organ sounds, the vibe drifts towards jazz before starting to build at three minutes. The solo is lengthy, with Moore wringing hurricane speed and weeping emotion out of his Les Paul by turns; really, honestly, this is what Gary Moore is all about. It is followed by an extended presentation of Thin Lizzy’s Don’t Believe A Word, incorporating the slow version that represents the way the song was originally written, before launching into the better-known power-rock rendition.
Moore’s classic ballad Still Got The Blues is up next, and the audience appears to start taking more notice – this is still the only Moore solo song to breach the top 100 in the US, reaching no.31 in the UK in 1990. And really, this is a beautiful version too; far and away the most tastefully melodic piece in the set, and the highlight of the album for this reviewer.
We’re back to the power blues after that, with his rocking version of Jimmy Rogers’ Walking By Myself, which he originally released on the 1990 album mentioned earlier. This is a slightly slower and more swinging version though, a subtlety which gives it more forward momentum than even the original steamroller version managed – another highlight. Moore then cracks into some blistering guitar over a restrained Hammond backing, which leads into the classic pub-blues riffage of The Blues Is Alright. A fair bit of audience participation ensues, before the band hammers back into the main theme for one final chorus and some band introductions before a big crash ending.
The whole show runs for some 55 minutes. Moore’s guitar work doesn’t fade with the passage of time, the band is excellent, and it’s certainly a treat to hear Brian Downey out and about. Moore’s vocals have always caused me a little consternation, as he shouts as much as sings when playing live, but that’s always been the case, and I doubt if it will cause much concern to hard-core Moore fans. The production of this set is excellent, with every note of every instrument coming through loud and clear. If you like Gary Moore, you’ll like this, I have no doubt.
Gary Moore Live – From Baloise Session is available now on CD, Blu-Ray, vinyl and digital via Provogue
