Gary Moore – Live From London Album Review

It’s hard to believe that some nine years have passed since Gary Moore, the legendary guitarist, passed away from a heart attack in 2011. Perhaps its because his music has become so much a part of the vocabulary of modern rock and blues, that it feels as if he’s never been away; and yet his absence leaves a void, which covers, no matter how respectfully done, can truly fill. However, Live from London, will at least go some way towards sating the appetite of fans for unreleased material. Recorded at a special, one-off club show at the Islington Academy on December 2^nd, 2009, Live from London is a thirteen-track exploration of Gary’s blues roots, exquisitely played and capturing much of the energy that was the cornerstone of Gary’s lengthy career. It adds nicely to Gary’s already extensive live album collection (the last of which, Live at Montreux, was released back in 2011) and is more or less essential for fans and newcomers alike.

The set opens with a blistering take on Albert King’s Oh Pretty Woman, filtered through the raw energy of Jimi Hendrix and featuring a solo that will have bedroom guitarists the world over weeping into their amplifiers. It’s a hell of a start, and one that clearly has the audience in raptures, Gary ripping into the track like it’s the first time and his band only just keeping up with his screaming lead work. The pace hardly dips as Gary unleashes the then-new Bad For You Baby, from the 2008 album of the same name. Sticking with his most recent offering, Gary and his band tear into Down the Line, which recalls the Meat Puppets’ blazing, country-punk in the live environment. Dizzyingly fast, with Gary’s fingers flashing over the fretboard as if it’s on fire, the energy of the night is palpable and entirely at odds with Gary’s typically laconic song introductions. A squally take on Since I Met You Baby flashes past on the way to an epic-length take on John Mayall’s Have You Heard, here expanded from the album version to cover almost ten minutes. A welcome change of pace, the track’s subtle, organ-drenched introduction allows the audience a rest, lest they spontaneously combust, and if the latter stages of the song resolutely maintain the pace, that’s only to allow greater space for Gary’s astonishing soloing. It gives way to another John Mayall track, an awesome take on the iconic All Your Love (from Beano), which sees Gary give old Slowhand a run for his money as the song reaches its fiery conclusion. However, it all pales in comparison to J.B. Lenoir’s Mojo Boogie (covered on Bad For You Baby), which sees Gary break out the slide for a rendition that leaves the original gasping in its wake.

Sitting at the album’s heart is the sumptuous ballad, I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know, which features some of this record’s most expressive soloing. Listening at home, close your eyes and you can picture Gary, illuminated by a single spotlight as the rest of the stage is doused in blue, just allowing the emotion to flow out through his fingertips, and it marks the emotional high point of the set. In contrast, Too Tired, is a hair-raising guitar workout that flashes past in the blink of an eye, segueing into Gary’s Blues 1, and eliciting huge cheers from the audience. Next up is a mesmerising take on Gary’s own evergreen classic, Still Got The Blues (For You), from the 1990 album of the same name. One of those songs that instantly hooks you, it’s a powerful take on a much-loved track, and Gary gives it all. From the same album, Jimmy Rogers’ Walking By Myself nearly doubles in length, despite being delivered at the speed of a runaway freight train, the audience singing along for all they’re worth despite the deafening levels of Gary’s hulking Les Paul. Milton Campbell’s The Blues Is Alright serves as Gary’s unofficial theme tune, bringing the show almost to boiling point; before the poignant Parisienne Walkways (co-written with Phil Lynott), here tripled in length by an ecstatic Moore, takes everything over the top and ends the show with a dizzying display of virtuosity which, nevertheless, is tethered by the hauntingly familiar melody. A remarkable set closer for a remarkable set, Parisienne Walkways is one of those pieces of music that remains resolutely undimmed by familiarity, and the guitar work leaves the listener utterly breathless.

Live From London just about crams itself into a single CD, offering up thirteen tracks in seventy-eight minutes. From the explosive first track, which sees Gary blitzing Oh Pretty Woman through to the graceful, nostalgic beauty of Parisienne Walkways, the show just grabs you and keeps you hooked, much as you imagine it must have done on the night. There are no extended stage raps, no rampant egos on display, just wonderfully executed versions of tracks that cut right across Gary’s extensive back catalogue. A player in thrall to the artistry of the blues, Gary Moore’s rare ability to pour his heart into his playing remains unparalleled and this special release does much to recall his genius. 9.5