As deserved as praise and admiration for SRV is, it has always been puzzling to me that people in the US almost completely ignore Gary Moore whose playing, to me, was a few notches above SRV's, especially in the pain Gary was able to convey and the note sustain. Both amazing guitar players prematurely passing. Very sad indeed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFYuzKKhphI |
For me, SRV and Gary Moore were pretty different animals. Unlike Moore, Stevie had that Texas flavored thing going on. And, while he was undeniably a wonderful player, I always thought Gary Moore was fighting an uphill battle for recognition for several reasons: 1) He was Irish - not exactly a hotbed of blues musicianship 2) His rock records weren't IMHO great and they confused his identity as a blues player 3) He was never the main man in his highest profile gig - Thin Lizzy 4) He obviously admired Peter Green a lot (check out Blues for Greeny) and his early sound bumped up very closely against Green's - right down to that distinctive phasey guitar tone. I suspect that he was sometimes (wrongly IMHO) dismissed as a Green wannabe and that this also clouded his identity. Later in his career, after the rock period, when he went back to the blues, IMHO he found a more personal voice on the instrument. I'd agree that there's plenty of overlooked gold in Moore's catalog, especially in that later phase of his career. Marty |
Marty, The thing is Gary is very widely known and popular in the rest of the world. It is only in the US that he, for some crazy reason, has never been fully appreciated. His omission from the RS 100 greatest guitarists list is as absurd as it is a case in point (not that it's Gospel, but still). His music might have been a different flavor in the '70s and '80s, but his talent was always mind-blowing. By the time he focused primarily on blues, he was already recognized as one of the greatest guitar players outside of the US, so I really doubt that anyone would even think of him as a Green wannabe. But I do agree with you that him being Irish was a big factor in his less than deserved popularity in the US. But that solo around the 5 min mark is just unreal. |
