Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Curby wrote:
Greenose wrote:

Just my opinion, but I think these pop shots at Gary Moore are pretty lame.  Joe considers Gary a friend so I think it's time to lay off.

I've been meaning to reply to this since I first saw it, but have been hesitant due to strong feelings about Gary Moore mentioned previously here.  I start my reply by saying I've never seen Gary Moore live and can't profess to saying I know him as either a nice guy or not.  All I know about him is through his recorded material and I have to say I'm extremely impressed with both his body of work and his skill as a guitarist.  I'm sorry, but I don't get the petty negative comments about the thin vocals of a now Fifty-seven year singer.  Everyone's entitled to an off night performing - especially at this stage in his career.  I got his new album and maybe it's the magic of digital age, but his voice sounds fine to me.  Did he have a lapse of judgement or make an idiotic comment born out of professional jealousy?  Maybe he did.  But again, if Joe Bonamassa can forgive him, why can't some people here be the better man and follow suit.
I'm gonna waffle now like BluesMan did today about gassing up his car.  True story!  I made a Blues mix recently for a good friend of mine that included samples of all my current favorites.  Guess which song he singled out as exceptional?  Old sourpuss Gary Moore's "Still Got The Blues".  That song is to Blues what "Sweet Home Alabama" is to Southern Rock.
So, finally, is Greenose being unreasonable asking for a buried hatchet?  I think not.

Ditto Curby. I'd kept out of this one so far as I am a GM fan of long standing and had decided to just watch from afar. He certainly seems to have his detractors here although I am not sure why that is. Maybe it is a perceived arrogance, or that to some he is not a 'blues' guitarist in the true sense. I've seen him many times live the only duff show being when I bought tickets late and was at the very back of a sold out hall. The dialogue from the stage might not be that inspiring but the playing always is.

But each to their own. Does it really matter if he cops a few potshots on this forum? Not really. Blimey even Joe gets his share of criticism on here! Ouch!

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

What some members may be unaware of was the significance of Gary Moore to blues music in the UK. Still Got The Blues was released in 1990 and was the top selling blues album ever in the UK at that time. Songs like Still Got The Blues and Cold Day In Hell (from After Hours) even had some success as singles.  It did bring people's attention to the blues, including my own. Indeed if it was not for Gary, I'd probably not have travelled down the path that led me to Joe!

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Greenose wrote:

What some members may be unaware of was the significance of Gary Moore to blues music in the UK. Still Got The Blues was released in 1990 and was the top selling blues album ever in the UK at that time. Songs like Still Got The Blues and Cold Day In Hell (from After Hours) even had some success as singles.  It did bring people's attention to the blues, including my own. Indeed if it was not for Gary, I'd probably not have travelled down the path that led me to Joe!

You're quite right there Duncan, Gary had a similar effect on me with that album all those years ago, and I have several other albums of his in my collection. However, I stand by my opinion that on several tracks on Bad for you Baby he is "overreaching" himself vocally - dont forget this is a studio album so it's not just a case of an "off night" as Curby put it. Hope you guys don't hold it against me - it's just an opinion, and that's what makes the world go round eh? It's certainly why we all sign up to discussion forums such as this, and what Blueser would have expected from his original post. Whatever Gary might have said or not said about Joe is bound to add spice to the opinions on here though, but I made it clear in my post that it had not swayed my judgement.

As a guitarist, I've got a healthy respect for Gary's playing and have spent many an hour playing along to his music, and several weeks trying to perfect his version of Dont Believe a Word which I think is superb(did you take in that Youtube Link I posted?) I know that if I was to get up on stage and sing it, people would probably be throwing themselves out of the windows lol but then I'm not a professional musician.
The guys in my band all think our singer (four years Gary's senior) is a pain in the butt when he insists we transpose songs into a different key from the recorded version, just to suit his ageing vocal chords. I bet our audience apreciates it though.

At the end of the day it's our opinions that shape our lives in every decision we make whether we are buying a house or a CD or a bottle of milk. Sorry - I'm getting a bit philosophical  now. What I want to say is that it's great to have a platform such as this to share and discuss those opinions with such a really well informed bunch of people all with that  common thread - Keepin' the Blues Alive!.

Respect

Ian

Please be in no doubt that this is the REAL ME! Beware imposters........................

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Great post Icon!   I may not totally agree with everything you said, but I do respect your opinion.  It's thoughtful posts like yours that keep me coming to this forum.

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Hi Ian, I need to hear the whole album before passing comment on his vocals on it, but just to clarify I had no issue with your or anyone else's opinion of Gary's music whatsoever.  We are all entitled to do so, as Hansmike says on Gary or anyone else including Joe - objective criticism and I are no stangers! smile

As you rightly say that is the benefit of a discussion forum like this. Rather my comments were directed towards the "giggling schoolboys at the back of the class" who were providing little in the way of  analysis.

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk

42 (edited by RICjunkie 2009-03-16 17:31:07)

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Wow Jane - I never figured you for being a metal-head! LOL

Gary went the blues-rock route about the time he released "Sill Got the Blues" c. 1990.
I'd suggest sticking with CDs recorded from 1990 onwards.

Before that he did metal, Celtic, jazz fusion... I do have some of his earlier stuff and it is good!

Major Tom to ground control...

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Another problem is that posts came come accross completely different to how they were intended. I often re read my own posts and some sound really obnoxious, even though they were not meant that way at all.
A light hearted tongue in cheek comment, can be taken completely the wrong way.
May be I should have a disclaimer in my signature:D
I am so grateful to forums like this, without them I would have missed out on tons of talent and wonderful concerts my son and I have experienced.

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

mbcl wrote:

Another problem is that posts came come accross completely different to how they were intended. I often re read my own posts and some sound really obnoxious, even though they were not meant that way at all.
A light hearted tongue in cheek comment, can be taken completely the wrong way.
May be I should have a disclaimer in my signature:D
I am so grateful to forums like this, without them I would have missed out on tons of talent and wonderful concerts my son and I have experienced.

I hear you Martin. I would never have heard of Back Door Slam, Aynsley Lister or Ryan McGarvey without this forum.

I still can't understand people dissing other artists in here. Yeah, we've all been to bad concerts. I'm sure that some artists are so full of themselves that they choose not to interact at all with their fans.

I'm just glad that we have guys like Joe who will spend a few precious minutes after each show to sign autographs and greet fans. It just makes us all appreciate artists like that all the more.

Major Tom to ground control...

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Jane, I picked up a copy of the "Gary Moore Live in Dublin - a Tribute to Phil Lynott" DVD and watched it over the weekend. It's really good. He plays a few Thin Lizzie classics on it.

Major Tom to ground control...

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

RICjunkie wrote:

Jane, I picked up a copy of the "Gary Moore Live in Dublin - a Tribute to Phil Lynott" DVD and watched it over the weekend. It's really good. He plays a few Thin Lizzie classics on it.

Dont you just love the treatment he gives "Don't Believe a Word".
Apparently, Lynott wrote it as a blusey balad originally, hence Gary treating us to that before launching ito the better known version.

Ian

Please be in no doubt that this is the REAL ME! Beware imposters........................

47 (edited by gsj 2009-03-25 18:13:48)

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Giggling schoolboys. That's a bit 'holier than thou' isn't it? My opinion on Gary Moore has been aired here way way back. But just so you know why I don't hold him in such high regard Greenose I'll let you have the abreviatted version.

Over the years Gary Moore has changed musical course from blues to rock and back again more times than probably he can remember. No problem there, that's his choice to do so. What irks me is his comments over the years along the lines of 'the blues is dead, I'm a rock guitarist' followed a year later with 'rock is dead, I'm a blues guitarist' and so on and so on. It's just too hypercritical for me. Also, I don't like his singing voice, grates on my ears.

My view on him was formed way before his comments on Joe so don't assume that's coloured my opinion at all. It's my choice not to like him as it's your choice to like him. Now, if you're suggesting that we're not allowed to have a laugh and a joke now and then on this forum then one of us is in the wrong place mate. As for providing analysis....I'll leave that to someone else. As far as I'm concerned it's just music. Some we like, some we don't. Some heals, some raises the spirits......but it's just music.

Geoff

Greenose wrote:

Hi Ian, I need to hear the whole album before passing comment on his vocals on it, but just to clarify I had no issue with your or anyone else's opinion of Gary's music whatsoever.  We are all entitled to do so, as Hansmike says on Gary or anyone else including Joe - objective criticism and I are no stangers! smile

As you rightly say that is the benefit of a discussion forum like this. Rather my comments were directed towards the "giggling schoolboys at the back of the class" who were providing little in the way of  analysis.

never give up, never slow down
never grow old, never ever die young

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Hi Geoff, I'm sorry if my comments irritated you. I think I was having a bad day that day! My point was more that comments should really relate to the album rather than Gary in general.  I have to say though I'm not in favour of general negative posts that cannot be understood by the majority of readers. 

As far as Gary's work is concerned as far as I am aware all his music was rock, with a little blues until 1990 when he recorded Still Got The Blues. Since then it has been primarily blues based, albeit at times through the guitar trio of BBM and Scars.  He did one with dance beats that was pretty awful.  I've never read the statements you claim to have heard though!

To clarify I'm not a massive fan of Gary these days as I have found other artists such as Joe that I like more, however I will actually be seeing him live for the first time in a month, so I'll share my thoughts then on his new material. 

Some detail about Don't Believe A Word. Phil Lynott wrote the song for the Johnny The Fox album but when Lizzy's Glaswegian guitarist heard it, he did not like it and he and Brian Downey insisted on changing it to the famous version that was recorded on the album.

Then when Gary was recording the album "Back On The Streets" in 1979, he and Phil decided to re-record the song in it's original style.  That version it was a slow blues tune sang as a duet by Gary and Phil.  Apparently Peter Green was in the studio at the time and told them it was the kind of tune he would have recorded with Fleetwood Mac, and they said to him "yes, that was how we wanted it to sound".
It's hard to find the Back to The Street album, but worth it to hear that song.

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk

49

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Fair enough. I have read Gary's "comments" in Guitar magazines over the years....I'm not making it up, honestly wink I recently saw footage on TV of Lizzy doing a gig on the steps of Sidney Opera House. Gary Moore was great, if a little 'wired'. Just don't like him now. And the GIT sold Peter's guitar too!

never give up, never slow down
never grow old, never ever die young

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

gsj wrote:

Fair enough. I have read Gary's "comments" in Guitar magazines over the years....I'm not making it up, honestly wink I recently saw footage on TV of Lizzy doing a gig on the steps of Sidney Opera House. Gary Moore was great, if a little 'wired'. Just don't like him now. And the GIT sold Peter's guitar too!

Did he really sell the Peter Green Les Paul?!!! Thats Nuts! Did he at least get a million dollars for it?
Geoff - Say it isn't so.

This is bothering me.

Rock On and Keep the Faith

Jack Loves Patty Loves Joe

51

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Don't ask me....I didn't see any money change hands hmm

fuzzy wuzzy wrote:
gsj wrote:

Fair enough. I have read Gary's "comments" in Guitar magazines over the years....I'm not making it up, honestly wink I recently saw footage on TV of Lizzy doing a gig on the steps of Sidney Opera House. Gary Moore was great, if a little 'wired'. Just don't like him now. And the GIT sold Peter's guitar too!

Did he really sell the Peter Green Les Paul?!!! Thats Nuts! Did he at least get a million dollars for it?
Geoff - Say it isn't so.

This is bothering me.

never give up, never slow down
never grow old, never ever die young

52 (edited by Greenose 2009-04-23 16:08:12)

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

I saw Gary Moore last night in Glasgow.

First on was Buddy Whittington who played a fine upbeat set of blues tinged with a little bit of funk. Most of the material came from his debut solo album and he went down pretty well with the crowd, although I suppose many were looking for a more rocky style of blues. No doubt he is a fine guitarist and he played the most tasteful guitar riffs all night...

Gary came on for his set and immediately launced into Bad For You Baby and the sound was not so good and his vocals were low in the mix compared to his guitar which was deafening. Then the vocals were turned up louder than the guitar!
Thanksfully by the third track the sound seemed to be rectified and Gary strapped on the Les Paul for a great version of Oh Pretty Woman, before an extended version of the John Mayall song Have You Heard.  Most of the songs came from Still Got The Blues and Bad For You Baby. The crowd although large was pretty subdued, they would applaud, but did not really get involved when he was trying to get them to sing or clap along. I'm not sure if they wanted rock or more blues. All Your Love and the slide driven Mojo Boogie were standouts as was the guitar organ interplay on Albert Collins' song Too Tired. There was some unnecessary soloing at times and I’d have liked to have heard something a little more subtle at times too such as  Need Your love So Bad, Midnight Blues or Jumping At Shadows would have been good.  The largest cheer was for the final encore Parisian Walkways and Gary perhaps playing in Scotland did give us a little hint of his celtic style in the closing minute before the end of the set.

I'd have bought a CD but they were charging £20 for a pre-signed CD, or nothing at all. My verdict: worth seeing and I'm glad I did so, but I do wish I'd seen him a decade or so earlier.

"The recently formed Edinburgh Blues Club has identified an appetite for the personal communication between musicians and audience that the blues long ago perfected." The Herald Newspaper (Scotland)
http://www.edinburgh-blues.uk

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Duncan,
thanks for the review. Sounds like you came out with the same feeling I did when I saw him years back (twice), good to see but could have been better. I will be be giving Gary another shot on the 29th smile


Greenose wrote:

I saw Gary Moore last night in Glasgow.

First on was Buddy Whittington who played a fine upbeat set of blues tinged with a little bit of funk. Most of the material came from his debut solo album and he went down pretty well with the crowd, although I suppose many were looking for a more rocky style of blues. No doubt he is a fine guitarist and he played the most tasteful guitar riffs all night...

Gary came on for his set and immediately launced into Bad For You Baby and the sound was not so good and his vocals were low in the mix compared to his guitar which was deafening. Then the vocals were turned up louder than the guitar!
Thanksfully by the third track the sound seemed to be rectified and gary strapped on the Les Paul for a great version of Oh Pretty Woman, before an extended version of the John Mayall song Have You Heard.  Most of the songs came from Still Got The Blues and Bad For You Baby. The crowd although large was pretty subdued, they would applaud, but did not really get involved when he was trying to get them to sing or clap along. I'm not sure if they wanted rock or more blues. All Your Love and the slide driven Mojo Booking were standouts as was the guitar organ interplay on Albert Collins' song Too Tired. There was some unnecessary soloing at times and I’d have liked to have heard something a little more subtle at times too such as  Need Your love So Bad, Midnight Blues or Jumping At Shadows would have been good.  The largest cheer was for the final encore Parisian Walkways and Gary perhaps playing in Scotland did give us a little hint of his celtic style in the closing minute before the end of the set.

I'd have bought a CD but they were charging £20 for a pre-signed CD, or nothing at all. My verdict: worth seeing and I'm glad I did so, but I do wish I'd seen him a decade or so earlier.

Re: Bad For You Baby Gary Moore

Duncan, thanks for the review. I can echo some of your impressions from the last time I saw Gary live, last year.

I'm a fan of his and shall remain so on the basis of his tremendous playing over the years evidenced by a vast catologue of great material.

That said, last year, some of his playing was just too loud for the venue, so clearly his sound is still an issue. For me his vocals are adequate for what he, and we, need them for. No more no less.

I passed up the opportunity to see him again earlier this year mainly because I had seen him recently and I suspected there might be nothing new in the set really. Plus the entry was still about 30 Euros, not a king's ransom, but there are so many other artists to see at the moment, that, even as a fan, I thought that money would be better spent elsewhere.

Artists like Gary have a lot of competition these days and therefore it is becoming even more important to be accessible, receptive and responsive to their fanbase. I saw Gary was labelled by someone in a magazine recently as an ' old curmudgeon'. A bit hard I thought, but it shows how a performer can easily become stereotyped and as a result could lose touch with their paying public and potential new fans.

Don't get me wrong, if we are talking about Gary his playing is good enough to ensure a position among the greats, but I wonder how many new fans he is gaining in todays market.

He is good enough to give a new fan a 'Joe moment' when seeing him play for the first time but there is more to performing than just the playing. The interaction with the crowd is so important as over a long career the music will only hold up so long, and if the sound is duff..well.

Reading this before I post, it looks like I am having a dig at GM. Not so, and not intended. I just want him to be the best he can be, but as a fan maybe I expect too much. We always bloody do I suppose.....:/

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012