This year, BMG have decided to reissue four Gary Moore LPs: the studio albums Old New Ballads Blues (2006), Close As You Get (2007), and Bad For You Baby (2008), along with the live album, Live at Bush Hall 2007 (2014). Available on both CD and vinyl, these reissues capture Gary on fiery form and, while they have no extras of any kind, they provide a welcome opportunity for fans who missed out the first time around to pick them up at a sensible price.
Old New Ballads Blues, Gary Moore’s 15th solo album, continued his exploration of the blues with a mix of classic blues tracks and his own original compositions. With Don Airey (Rainbow, Deep Purple) on keyboards, Jonathan Noyce on bass, and Darrin Mooney on drums, as the title implies, it finds Gary turning in an eclectic set that covers the wide gamut of his playing.
This review covers the double vinyl edition of the album. Pressed on pristine black vinyl, it comes in a standard, slip on cover with a hype sticker on the front. The platters are housed in poly-lined, white paper sleeves, and there’s a single-page 12” insert containing lyric exerts and album credits. There are no new liner notes, sadly, and, as with the other reissues in this series, no bonus tracks.
Disc 1
The album kicks off with the gritty pulse of Elmore James’ Done Somebody Wrong, all hyper-distorted slide guitar and a raw-throated performance from Gary. It makes for one hell of an entrance, especially if your eye was caught by the word “ballads” in the title, for it sits very much at the hard end of the blues. Another cover follows, in the form of Willie Dixon’s You Know My Love, and it’s a very different proposition. With a full brass section (arranged by Don Airey and Gary Moore) adding some weight to the slinky, late-night soul the track exudes, it’s best turned up loud and left to flood the house with the blissful sound of the blues – especially when Gary’s climactic solo rips from the speakers.
The side wraps up with a horn-soaked reworking of Midnight Blues, one of Gary’s best loved (and much covered) tracks. It’s a stunning take on a classic and, with the horn section once more in tow, it sounds utterly sublime. Frankly, this opening trio of songs are worth the price of admission alone, with Midnight Blues sounding utterly alive thanks to the pristine production.
The second side finds Gary strutting his funky stuff on Ain’t Nobody, a track which recalls the smooth, soulful tones of Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Seriously addictive, and with Don Airey’s keyboards providing the depth, it’s a great opener for the side.
Following on, a very chilled Gonna Rain Today does a remarkable of transporting the listener to a rainswept night spent walking the streets, the neon reflecting from the pools forming on the surface of the road. It’s an intimate moment that is soon swept away when Gary unleashes a stinging take on Otis Rush’s all-time classic, All Your Love. With his guitar turned up to 11, Gary simply dominates this remarkable song, leaving your ears to ring for some time after the song itself has wrapped up.
Disc 2
The second disc opens, somewhat unexpectedly, with the sedate Flesh And Blood. A slow-paced cut, it nods to the likes of John Carrick and, while it’s not a bad song, it lacks the immediacy you expect from an opening number. However, as the 2006 original was not released on vinyl, you have to assume it was sequenced with this in mind at the time. It’s soon eclipsed, at any event, by the pulse-raising Cut It Out – an instrumental showcase with more than a touch of Further On Down The Road about it. Guaranteed to get your toes tapping, it finds Gary and his band having a blast in the studio, just letting their creativity fly in a spontaneous outburst captured here for all posterity.
The final side of Old New Ballads Blues opens with an absolute monster of a ballad. Titled No Reason To Cry, it finds Gary exploring his tender side over a track that draws in elements of Eric Clapton and Procol Harum to create a truly immersive soundtrack to heartbreak. Led by an instantly recognisable lead from Gary, which seems to weep over the opening bars, it’s a lovely track that unfolds at a leisurely pace over the course of nine minutes. Gary’s playing here is exquisite, the extended solo that sits at the song’s heart as notable for what Gary doesn’t play as what he does, although flashes of fire do creep in as the song wends its way gently towards its end.
Following such an epic is no easy task and Gary opts for discretion, dimming the lights yet further over a relaxed, soulful take on Jerry Marlon Beach’s I’ll Play The Blues For You. Another track that nods to Clapton, this time during his period collaborating with Michael Kamen on the Lethal Weapon soundtrack, it’s an understated finale that helps to ease the listener back to the world they left behind when the needle first hit the groove.
Final thoughts
If you love either Gary Moore or the blues and don’t already own this album, then this reissue is essential. The selection of songs, the sheer verve that Gary brings to them, and the stunning production are all great reasons to pick up Old New Ballads Blues and, for the pitch-perfect rendition of Midnight Blues alone, it’s a record you simply have to have. While it’s a shame there are no new liner notes (that’s the sort of touch that really brings a reissue campaign into its own), the quality of the pressing makes this most welcome. 9/10
