As we've just run a feature on Gary's first band, Skid Row, this would seem like a good place to look at his first solo album, the one that started it all and would lead to great things for the man. Although a short album, and indeed not actually credited to him alone --- and featuring mostly instrumental work into the bargain, it's nevertheless a glimpse into the future of someone who would become one of the most famous, accomplished, loved and respected, and now sadly missed, blues guitarists on this planet.
Grinding stone --- 1973 (Castle)
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Although released as “The Gary Moore Band”, this nevertheless stands as the debut album from Gary Moore. It's quite short, having only six tracks in all, however one of those runs for almost ten minutes, with another clocking in at seventeen, so you certainly don't feel shortchanged. The band Gary used on this album were not signed up for the second album, which was released under his own name, though keyboardist Jan Schelhaas went on to work with both Caravan and later Camel.
The album opens with the title track, which as mentioned runs for almost ten minutes, perhaps an ambitious first step into the world of rock music? Even moreso, as it's an instrumental. How many emerging artistes would you be prepared to listen to almost ten minutes of music from, without vocals? After a somewhat low-key opening, it's quickly into an uptempo boogie groove, which even at this early stage highlights Gary's expertise on, and love of the guitar. This is the first and only time Gary shares guitar duties, with the exception of 1990's “Still got the blues”, where he enlists the great Albert Collins, George Harrison and Albert King, and again in 1992 when both Collins and the legendary BB King guested on “After hours”. Apart from those instances, Gary has always taken care of all guitar work on any and all of his albums.
“Grinding stone”, the track, is really more a jam than an actual song, and despite its nine-plus minutes it goes by fairly quickly, never seeming stretched or overlong. The first time we hear Gary sing then is on “Time to heal”, and his voice, it has to be said, is rough and raw, having something of a time being heard and distinguished above the music, a straightforward rocker with boogie elements, nice piano from Schelhaas, and in fact the twin guitar attack, in tandem with Philip Donnelly, works quite well on this track, lot of elements of Rory Gallagher in the song. All tracks on this, including the two instrumentals, are written by Gary, so even from the off he was keeping a tight control over his material.
“Sail across the mountain” is the first time we get an inkling of just what beautiful ballads this man would write over the ensuing almost forty years. A lovely, lazy, laidback tune that just makes you want to lie back and relax, nice country-style piano and restrained guitar ushering the song along, and indeed even Gary's voice is less raw, more tempered and softer than on the previous track. There are elements of Lynyrd Skynyrd in the song too, very nice. “The energy dance” is exactly not that, a short instrumental mostly based around keyboards, bit odd, then we're into the big one.
Running for over seventeen minutes, perhaps overlong, “Spirit” recalls early Thin Lizzy, and is a big, rocking monster that goes through plenty of changes over the course of its length. Elements of funk, rock, prog rock, jazz fusion all run through the song. Halfway through it slows right down and in fact stops, then slowly comes back up on synth and organ, slows and almost stops again then comes right back with some heavy organ and guitar, then goes into a heavy progressive-rock vibe with some serious synthery and then the expected breakout guitar solo. I guess it served to highlight Gary's talent on the guitar but even so this is not what I would have chosen to announce myself to the world, had I been him. I think two long instrumentals on an album with only half-a-dozen tracks was asking a lot of the public.
The album ends on a straight boogie rocker, called “Boogie my way back home”, with some nice harmonica from someone who's uncredited, and great honky-tonk piano from Schelhaas. In fairness, as a debut this was never going to set the music world alight, but it's a daring first album, certainly exhibiting some of the embryonic talent that would flower into one of the greatest blues guitarists of this century, and lead to a massively successful career.
TRACKLISTING
1. Grinding stone
2. Time to heal
3. Sail across the mountain
4. The energy dance
5. Spirit
6. Boogie my way back home