By Monk
There are very few musicians who can make a guitar sound like much, much more than a collection of bits of electronic circuitry welded to a couple of pieces of wood, but rather like a sonic extension of their own hearts and souls, and to make the instrument sing accordingly. Now, call me biased, as we were born within a few miles of each other, he on the east side of Belfast, me on the south, but Gary Moore was one of that select group of such craftsmen – and, as this collection of previously unreleased songs from his no-doubt largely still hidden archive demonstrates, his ability to make his instrument sing and give praise still echoes strongly, just over a decade after his untimely death.
Released to mark (albeit slightly belatedly) the tenth anniversary of said event, ‘How Blue Can You Get’ features ten songs which, until now, have lain buried in the Moore family archive – it has to be said that, much to their credit, his children have been very protective of his legacy – and is the expected combination of cover versions and alternate versions of album tracks, as well as two previously unheard recordings now seeing the light of day for the first time…
The covers, each of which is given Moore’s unique and passionate treatment, dominate half of the album, from the rip-roaring opening of Freddie King’s ‘I’m Tore Down’, which Moore does indeed tear down and rebuild from the riff up, through an absolutely blinding interpretation of Memphis Slim’s ‘Steppin’ Out’, which sees Moore sliding and strolling up and down his fretboard with the sort of fire and verve that the likes of pale imitators such as Joe Bonamassa can only dream of mildly emulating, to the epic, raspy BB King-penned title track and and an atypically understated interpretation of Elmore James’ ‘Done Somebody Wrong’, which once again emphatically proves that Moore was incapable of doing that, at least in terms of his musicianship.
In between, we have those two previously unheard but nevertheless full-blooded songs: the beautiful and heart-breaking ‘In My Dreams’, which is an archetypal Moore ballad, very much in the vein of ‘Empty Rooms’,‘Parisienne Walkways’ and ‘Still In Love With You’, complete with its initially understated guitar part before he truly opens up into one of those sing-song solos, and surprisingly ZZ Top-ish funk, bass-and-drum-driven ‘Looking At Your Picture’, which features a poppy-style vocal more in the mien of some of his other covers, such as ‘Friday On My Mind’, coupled with another gritty, waspish riff and rarely laconic solo, demonstrating that Moore was one of those guitarists who knew that what you left out often spoke louder than what you included.
There are also alternate versions of two songs which in themselves are something of Moore rareties: ‘Love Can Make A Fool Of You’ was released only as a bonus track on the 2003 remaster of his ‘Corridors Of Power’ album, with the version here more laidback and melancholic than that one, while the only reference to the stunning beautiful closer, ‘Livin’ With The Blues’ I can find anywhere in my extensive Moore back catalogue is on live albums, such as last year’s ‘Live From London’ offering, so this may well be one of the rare studio takes on the track, which makes it all the more special.
‘How Blue Can You Get’ is an album which will appeal to the diehard Moore purist, such as myself. But, hopefully it will also help to refocus attention on this prodigious, and even precocious talent, and face him fairly and squarely back in the spotlight as one of the greatest guitarists, and interpreters, of his (or, indeed, any) generation.