An article from the time when Mr. Moore were on the verge of wasting away three years with Colloseum II, when he and Phil Lynott together were a match made in heaven. Well, at least that`s my opinion and I have nothing against Colloseum at all, but I just feel that Gary should have spent these years in another way than he did. He was such a great talent – we all miss his very emotional and wonderful guitar-playing.
True Stories: boy protege comes good
Gary quits Skid Row and Thin Lizzy but finds happiness is a warm Hiseman
By Pete Makowski
Remember super speedo guitarist Gary Moore? Well it seems a lot of you do gathering from enquiries that have filtered into the office. The last heard from Gary he was in Thin Lizzy – a short-lived stay. Then apparently Gary went to Germany to sort things out.
In fact, Moore`s been in Britain since August when he met that ace skin beater Jon Hiseman. “We met out of musical frustration. We were both sitting at home thinking of packing it in. I didn`t want to do anything unless it was with the best people.”
Before we get into Moore`s present plans let`s take a look into his illustrious past, at only 22, Moore has matured into one of Britain`s major guitar talents.
Moore`s professional career began when he was sixteen with a band called Skid Row formed by bass player Brush Shields. Wasn`t it in fact Brush who taught Moore how to play?
“That was bullshit, I was playing for seven years before that… Brush taught me a few things,” he replied with a sly grin. “I had a lot of experience in that band but a lot of people wanted us to be something we weren`t… the next Led Zeppelin or something like that.”
Even then Moore`s guitar prowess was stunning to say the least. The band brought out two albums on CBS then split, from there Moore formed his own band. “I took what was available… there were so many hassles and in the end we couldn`t afford to keep it going. That band taught me a lot – never to do it again.
“The whole band didn`t pull its weight, some people were committed to the music and some were there for the ride. Carrying passengers doesn`t go down in my book.” Out of that came an album `Grinding Stone`. “That was supposed to be a double, it doesn`t sound balanced as a single record set.”
So again Moore moved on to join the ranks of Lizzy. “I had a good time but it got to the point where I realised that Phil (Lynott) didn`t need me there, his songs were strong enough, he just needed some people to fill out the sound.”
Moore`s eyes immediately lit up when I asked him about his present position. At present the band consists of Hiseman, ex-Blodwyn bassist Andy Pyle and Gary. They are currently looking for a singer and keyboards player.
The band have been rehearsing five days a week for the last few months: “We get there at ten in the morning and go on through till five, there`s no mucking about. It`s difficult to describe the type of music we`re playing in words.
“We`re trying to set a different direction, not like Yes, but we`re not going to blow people`s ears off. I know we`re going to have a hard time when we start gigging. I know we`re going to get a hammering from the press or maybe go over people`s heads but we`re not going to change for anybody.
“Jon Hiseman has taught me a helluva lot,” said Moore with some reverence. “He played me things by people like Coltrane that I had never heard before. He also wants it to be known that this is not his band.”
The band have already written some material, Gary composes while Hiseman writes the lyrics then they work it out together in rehearsals. “Jon gives me the lyrics and I take them home, take them apart and work melodies out. “We do other people`s material like Joni Mitchell`s `Down To You` and a Jack Bruce number but they`ve both got our trademark.
“The good thing about this band is that we`ve had a lot of experience in the music business itself. We`re not going to be rushed into any deals, we`re all free of contracts. All the gear we`ve got belongs to Jon`s PA company so we`re pretty independent.
“We`re not going to record an album until we`ve been on the road for at least three months cause that`s when it`s peaking. And when we do record an album it`s going to have a very live feel.”
There`s still the vocalist to find, they`ve already tried Graham Bell and Steve Yorke. “There is one guy that I think will be joining but I can`t tell you his name at the moment. Y`see this band`s got so much scope, there aren`t any restrictions but the hardest part is finding suitable people.
“We`ve all been searching for a band like this. We`re all on the same level musically, all we have to do is take it by the reins and go.”
One of Moore`s future ambitions is to play with an orchestra. “If I did something like that in a few years time I`d be a very satisfied person. I`m starting to take my own direction as a guitar player. If you asked me about a year ago who I am influenced by then I would have said Hendrix or Zappa while now it`s different. My style changes every year… now I want to play 1975 style.”
I have personally transcribed this from the original paper. Any errors in the text from the original magazine may not have been corrected for the sake of accuracy. If you have a music-related web-page where this fits – please make a link to the article. With credits to the original writer of the article from all of us music fans!
This number of Sounds also contains articles/interviews with these people: Average White Band, Chick Corea, Gilbert O`Sullivan, Guess Who, Led Zeppelin, Trapeze, John Martyn, John McLaughlin, Billy Connolly, J. Geils Band, John Holt, Hall & Oates, Donovan, Country Joe McDonald, Golden Earring.
The original music paper this article came from (pictured at the top) is for sale!
1. Send me an e-mail if you are interested. Send it to: geirmykl@gmail.com
2. The offer should be 20 $ (US Dollars) to be considered. (This includes postage).
3. We conduct the transaction through my verified Paypal account for the safety of both parties.
