Gary Moore: Remembering a legend (Original photo by Harry Potts) |
It's been two years since Gary Moore passed away, Richard Beech looks at the legacy of a true guitar legend...
I'll never forget when I heard the news. I was working at a recording studio at the time, mixing an album for a band. We were two days behind schedule on the final mixes, but when I heard the news that Gary Moore had passed away, I had to go home.
It's actually one of the only times I've been wracked with grief at the passing of somebody I didn't personally know. Gary Moore was a huge inspiration for me when I was growing up, he really moved me on from the stage of being a young guitar hobbyist, to being somebody who wanted to dedicate their life to music.
He sang through the guitar, he was a technical wizard who always kept up with the contemporary trends in guitar playing (hence his whammy bar days in the 80s), but he always played with utmost expression, channeling the blues through every single note.
'Still Got The Blues' has to go down as one of the greatest blues albums ever made, a mixture of original songs and inspired covers, Gary actually held back on his technical ability and speedwork on many of the songs and focused intently on the attack and decay of each strike of a string.
The tone, the playing, the feel and the production were all perfect, for my money, it was Gary Moore at his absolute finest.
His on-stage showmanship was also second to none, even in the late stages of his career. He knew why the audiences came to watch him, and he gave it to them.
Holding that E note during the solo of 'Parisienne Walkways' until the feedback kicked in and the audience cheered for more (or 'Moore' perhaps), rarely can a guitarist make one single note so iconic, but he managed it.
Two years on, it doesn't become any easier to digest the fact that I will never see Gary Moore perform live again, he will never record another album. But what does provide some comfort is the library of material he left behind.
Particularly at this time of the year, dig out your Gary Moore albums and remind yourself (as if you need reminding) as to why he is one of the true guitar legends.
May his legacy live on and inspire future generations of world class guitarists.