Gary Moore Interview

In a career spanning 30 years Gary Moore has achieved the status of a guitar legend. His special blend of intensity combined with deeply felt lyricism have been an inspiration to guitarists the world over and in many ways epitomise what guitar playing is all about. To be able to switch from the sweet melodic tones of Parisienne Walkways or The Loner, to all out rock such as Victims of the Future is a rare gift and owes a lot to his experience and the influence of many different kinds of music. . .

		Gary Moore Gary Moore's career as a professional musician began when, at 16, he joined Dublin-based Skid Row, whose singer at the time was Phil Lynott. After leaving to form the Gary Moore Band [which toured the States twice and opened for the Allman Brothers Band], Moore played briefly with Thin Lizzy before forming two seminal '70s bands, Colosseum ll [jazz-rock fusion] and G-Force [one of the first bands to explore a mixture of heavy metal, soul and funk], then made two albums with Greg Lake.
Gary Moore went solo in 1982 with Corridors of Power, taking the charts by storm with a series of hugely successful albums and singles like 'Empty Rooms' and 'Out In The Fields' [another collaboration with Phil Lynott]. At the close of the '80s, Moore explored his Celtic roots with Wild Frontier. In 1990, Gary re-discovered one of his early musical inspirations - the blues. "I just felt I had nothing more to say in heavy rock and I needed a new direction" he observes. Moore's commercially - and critically-acclaimed blues albums concluded with Blues For Greeny, his moving tribute to one of his musical influences and early mentor, Peter Green. In 1994, Moore formed BBM with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker [rhythm-section of the legendary Cream], recording an album, Around The Next Dream, and thus fulfiling a long-wished-for musical experience.

Then, Gary embarked on his most exciting musical exploration. "I found myself being drawn back to a more song-orientated style" he says. "When I made the new album, it really felt like starting over." Moore assembled a band of world-class musicians, including drummer Gary Husband, bassist Guy Pratt and Magnus Fiennes on keyboards and programming. ame out a lot more, as I was doing it so much to a high standard with Paul's group and Whitey".
"This album encompasses everything I've ever played: Irish Folk, jazz, ballads, Eastern music; there's even a touch of aboriginal on the track 'Cold Wind Blows'." Dark Days In Paradise has influences as diverse as its melodic scope is intoxicating, and will attract an entirely new generation of Gary Moore fans with its touches of hip-hop and jungle, but Moore's unique, instantly-recognisable lyricism also ensures that the album will delight his long-term fans. "When you've been playing as long as I have, there's no point in standing still - I'm not the same person as I was 10 years ago and I hope this album reflects that."


Gary's Marshall Collection The collection of Marshall items that Gary Moore has amassed over the years, totals nearly 100 separate pieces. It is not a planned collection as such, but more a mix of working gear and pieces of interest that have been gathered up during a continuing successful career, stretching back nearly 30 years. Almost every album, recording project, or live performance undertaken by Gary Moore has had the unmistakable Marshall tone as part of it. The collection ranges from Guv'nor pedals and MS-4 battery mini stacks, through combos in all sizes and speaker configurations, to various amps, vintage and new, to stacks of stacks. Here are a few highlights and favourites from Gary's collection :

Oldest Piece
1962 Mk.I circa 1965 Super Tremolo 2x12" combo.
The grill cloth has been changed at some point, as has the output transformer, which is actually from an AC30. It was last used on stage at the Blues for Greeny show at the Shepherd's Bush Empire [1995], which was filmed for the video of the same name, and used partly on the BBM tour during 1994.

Youngest Piece 1997 JCM 2000 DSL100. A very early production model, which after its arrival at rehearsals in May of last year, went on to be used as the only amp on every show during 1997. It can currently be seen and heard on two instructional music videos, one from Gary Husband, drummer of the Dark Days in Paradise European Tour 1997, and one from Jack Bruce.
		"This came through at just the right time, as rehearsals were just beginning for the Dark Days in Paradise tour, and it fast became a favourite amp. So much so that it was the only amp I used for the rest of the year."

Most Used 1992 JMP Super Bass circa 1972. Originally purple, but painted black sometime in the 1980's by some misguided soul, presumably to match the stage set of the time. This is the most used amp since the late 1980's, and has appeared on nearly every album, video, and quite a few live show's in the past two decades. Not very different from the standard 1959, except for a few components, but is the preferred amp compared to the 1959s of the same vintage, in the collection.
This is one of those amps that gets Marshall enthusiasts excited. It is a very loud amp, with a lot of distortion which starts at lower levels, in fact, with most amps you find you need to turn them up to 6/7 before they start to work, this gives you plenty of tone and drive set on about 3. Every guitarist has the sound of an amplifier in their mind which acts as a yardstick for all others, this is such an amplifier.

Most Requested Set-Up JTM45 Re-issue amp, Guv'nor pedal with Electrovoice loaded 1960B Of all the various tones that have been heard on Gary's records, the sounds on the Still Got The Blues album are the most asked about by fans on a regular basis. During 1989 the JTM Reissue series was in the final stages of development, and Gary received an early production model [RI 001 1X] at the start of the initial recordings that would become the 'Still Got The Blues' album. Used in conjunction with a 1959 Les Paul Standard, a Marshall Guv'nor pedal, and a 1960B 4x12" cab loaded with Electrovoice 12" speakers, it became the featured tone of the album, heard on nearly all the tracks including the title track.
		Gary: "One of the guys from Metallica goes up to [producer] Bob Rock and says, 'This is the sound I want,' and plays him 'Oh Pretty Woman' from Still Got The Blues. Then they proceed to go through all these pre-amps and processors to achieve it. I felt I should write and say, 'That's not how to do it. You've got the money now guys, go out and buy a '59 Les Paul, a Guv'nor pedal and a JTM45!"

Studio Set-Up JMP-1 Valve Midi Pre-amp. At Gary's home studio, nearly all of the guitar sounds are produced with a Marshall JMP-1 Valve Midi Pre Amp. For ease of use, the emulated output is plugged directly into the mixing desk and the channels switched via the 4 way foot switch. Outboard effects are placed in the stereo effects loop, making for a very flexible setup. This configuration can be heard on the sound track to the film The Changeling, after many appearances on home demos.
It also means that having a Marshall 100 watt amp and cab blasting away at home is not necessary as the JMP-1 covers most of the sounds, making it less annoying for the rest of the household.

Most Essential
1960B 4x12" cabinet loaded with G12-75T Celestion speakers.
An amp is only half as good without a Marshall 4x12" cab to play through. Currently using a 1960BX, again loaded with G12-75T Celestion speakers, with the grill cloth from a reissue 1962, fitted vertically, instead of horizontally, as seen on the combo.

This is just a selection of the extensive Gary Moore collection which, rather like Gary's playing, reflects his ability to adapt to the different needs required by the music he is making at the time.
Boldly trying new directions and constantly changing styles have become as much trademarks of Gary Moore's guitar work as the memorable chorus or classic solo.

Special thanks to Gary's Guitar Tech, Graham Lilley, without whom this feature would not have been possible.