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.
Released in 2008, Bad For You Baby is Moore’s seventeenth solo album. It features standout collaborations with Cassie Taylor and Otis Taylor and it was to be Gary’s final release before he tragically passed away, on 6 February 2011.
This review covers the double vinyl edition of the album. Like Old New Ballads Blues, it comes pressed on black vinyl and is housed in a standard sleeve with a hype sticker on the front.
Unlike that release, the platters are contained within printed liners, with complete lyrics (rather than the usual snippets) and album credits. There are no new liner notes, sadly, and, as with the other reissues in this series, no bonus tracks. It is, however, a beautifully pressed edition that is both warp and crackle free, making it a welcome reissue for fans.
Disc 1
The album opens with its crunchy title track, which boasts both a hard-hitting riff and a chorus that positively wedges itself in your brain. As might be expected, it has one hell of a solo too, Gary’s guitar mired in a distortion so heavy you can practically feel the grooves crackling, and it makes for a solid start to the record. It’s followed by the swingeing Down The Line, a ramshackle blues rocker held more or less in place by Sam Kelly’s driving beat.
Next up, Gary gets his funk on with the vibrant Umbrella Man, an adrenaline-charged rocker with a great riff, it’s nicely anchored by Peter Rees’ insatiable bass groove. With the opening trio making one hell of an introduction, it is only onHolding On that Gary finally loosens his grip, offering up a sweet, soulful ballad with a fantastic fifties pulse. With Vic Martin’s keyboards and Cassie Taylor’s smoky backing vocals, it’s a real highlight and it also provides a nice counterpoint to the riff heavy numbers that open the album.
Side B opens with the first of two Muddy Waters tracks. A rambunctious take on Walkin’ Thru The Park, it’s delivered with such remarkable panache and verve you feel like you’re right there in the room with the band as the band race around one another, Gary’s stinging leads tempered by Vic Martin’s keys and Peter Rees’ prowling bass. Play it loud, and you’ll find it impossible to sit still which, you imagine, is exactly the effect they were after.
Another cover follows in the form of Al Kooper’s I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know, and it’s a much calmer piece of music. One of two gorgeous slow blues pieces found on the album, it finds Gary’s understated lead nestled in a warm bed of keys, and it’s a pleasure to simply drift within its embrace as the track stretches out to a leisurely ten minutes.
Disc 2
Kicking off the second act, J.B Lenoir’s Mojo Boogie is brought vividly to life as Gary, on slide, summons huge jolts of electricity from his guitar. A toe tapping belter of a track, it gets the second disc off to a flying start. The spirit of Muddy returns on the slinky blues rock of Someday Baby, which pairs some great guitar work with the sort of insistent beat that demands you tap your toes. The side wraps up with an original number. Titled Did You Ever Feel Lonely, it opens with a blazing great riff before settling into the more sedate, late-night blues that Gary used to do so well, with some suitably dazzling lead work to keep you on the edge of your seat right to the very end.
The final side contains just two tracks, both original compositions, and they’re both absolutely stunning. The first of these is Preacher Man Blues, which has the most addictive vocal, a touch of bone-dry harmonica, and Cassie Taylor providing sweet backing vocals. A dusty, wiry, wonderfully funky track, Preacher Man Blues is memorable, beautifully played, and it’s just a pleasure to sink into it, letting your imagination traverse the American West in time to the music.
The grand finale comes courtesy of Trouble Ain’t Far Behind, a ten-minute exercise in slow-burning majesty that sees the album out with some of Gary’s most exquisite guitar work. A track that pretty much epitomises everything that a slow blues should be, from the keening vocal to the sumptuous keys, it provides this damn-near flawless album with a perfect ending.
Final Thoughts
Of the four excellent albums that BMG have reissued, I’m torn between Live At Bush Hall 2007 and Bad For You Baby as the pick of the bunch. Certainly, Bad For You Baby presents a compelling argument. With every track an absolute gem, the playing and production sublime, and the vinyl perfectly pressed, it is one of those albums that just transports you far away the second the needle hits the groove. It’s an absolutely stunning record and an essential addition to any collection. 10 /10
