I was a child of the 80’s so hair metal was my thing. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate all the guitar slingers I heard during that time. The first time I really got into Gary Moore was during his “Still got the Blues” phase mid-80’s. It was that album that gave him widespread mainstream top 40 success with the hit single “still got the blues”. This ones for the ladies!
I didn’t know it at the time, but Gary Moore wasn’t some kind of overnight sensation, he had many albums and critical acclaim well before “Still got the blues”. One of the songs he was known for was “Parisienne Walkways” – which in this video he plays with Phil Lynott from Thin Lizzy. You can see how old this video is from Phil’s massive afro and also that crazy Michael Jackson leather outfit Gary’s wearing. In this video Gary defines the meaning of the word “sustain”. Watch how incredibly long he stays on one note in the middle of the song.
With complete proof that “Gary Moore still has it” this video from 2004’s “50th anniversary of the strat” dvd showcases the incredible guitar skills he has. This is maybe the single “best performance of Red House” I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen dozens and dozens). It’s so emotional and dead on. When you watch Gary Moore play guitar he’s like the “Joe Cocker” of the guitar. He has a completely straight face when he sings, and seconds later while bending a note his face looks like he’s getting a colonoscopy.
I’ll leave you with the first single from the “Still Got the Blues” album which is “Oh Pretty Woman”. This is the original video, which was actually on MTV. Listen to the blisteringly fast blues runs and incredible solo sections of this song. Gary was one of the first “blues shredders” that I ever knew of. I still love to hear his playing to this day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncd6BbBMW1M
You can find all kinds of great deals on Gary Moore merchandise, like used and new CD’s, DVD’s – and all kinds of imports you can’t seem to get anywhere else at all.
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Not sure if ebay plugin is being sarcastic, but Still Got The Blues was released in 1990. Otherwise, this was a nice post. Gary will always be remembered as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. The man could play ANYTHING like an expert and make it look so damned easy! R.I.P., Mr. Moore.