Gary Moore. Live From Baloise Session.
One of the giants of blues-rock guitar, Gary Moore made notes bend, soar, and weep as he moved effortlessly between heartbreak and aggression. This humble man from a Belfast council estate found international fame with Thin Lizzy but had Top Ten hits with Parisienne Walkway and Out In The Fields, with Phil Lynott. Although adept at jazz-rock and hard rock, the blues were Moore’s first love – and that’s what we get on these eight tracks recorded live in Basel, Switzerland, just over two years before he died in 2011.
Gary’s playing is bursting with life, energy, and feeling. Swerving his hits, he opens with the tough swagger of Albert King’s Oh Pretty Woman, and follows that with the heavy upbeat blues of his own song Since I Met You Baby. Moore makes his Les Paul sing throughout – furious here, elegant, eloquent and expressive there. Joys include the relentless rock’n’roll of Chuck Berry’s Thirty Days and a sublime cover of Lizzy’s Don’t Believe A Word. Most moving is Al Kooper’s I’ll Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know, a drawn-out blues ballad dripping with soulful tenderness. Elsewhere we get the poignant beauty of his Still Got The Blues, before he ups the pace for Jimmy Rogers’s Walking By Myself and closes on a belting high with The Blues Is Alright. Moore makes it better than alright.
Blues lovers should also seek out ex Procul Harum guitarist Robin Trower’s terrific new album Come And Find Me. The sparse and fluid relaxed tracks kick off with the dreamy A Little Bit Of Freedom and detours into leisurely psychedelic blues on Take This Hurt Away. There are echoes of Hendrix and nods to Cream throughout.
Skunk Anansie. The Painful Truth. They’re in their 50s now, but as Skin rap-sings on the defiant synth-punk of An Artist Is An Artist, ‘You don’t stop being an artist cos you’re old.’ They dabble in dub, rock and disco. Her voice is still stunning. On Cheers she toasts failure over a driving bass, the urgent feel negated by downer lyrics. Whatever happened to hope springs eternal?
Status Quo. Live! Quo’s Live! album, released in 1977, was largely taken from the first night of their 3-gig Glasgow Apollo run in October ’76. That original is here, newly re-mastered, along with all three shows in their entirety, plus a classy booklet containing new sleeve notes by Classic Rock’s Dave Ling, biographical information, photos and memorabilia, plus a bonus article about the mastering processes. 60 tracks for £69. No Down The Dustpipe though.
Yogi-G & The Family Tree. Show Me the Truth. Gaz Whelan, co-founder of and drummer with the Happy Mondays, has declared it’s “time to revive the music that made us feel alive” with his new band. Tracks like Shine On (Brother) plunge back into a 1990s Madchester groove while sounding upbeat, fresh, and contemporary. Good to hear Rowetta Satchell back in action again after leaving the Happy Mondays six months ago.
Cardinal Black. Midnight At The Valencia. The blues-infused Welsh alt-rockers impress on their 2nd album with a set that ranges from the dark prowling menace of Keep On Running to haunting ballad Push/Pull via the urgent Holding My Breath and the uplifting Need More Time. Tom Hollister’s rich, emotive vocals and Chris Buck’s tasteful guitarplay set the trio apart. Greatness surely awaits.