Gary Moore - After the War

A "must have" for fans of '80s Guitar Rock

Gary Moore is an Irish guitarist of tremendous skill. He also writes & sings. Some may know him from the time he spent with Thin Lizzy. This collection features a number of Moore's cautionary tales about war, clearly based on his experiences in Ireland ("After the War", "Running from the Storm"), a lovely instrumental cover version of "The Messiah will Come", an attack on the slew of Led Zeppelin wanna-be's that sprung up at the time ("Led Clones" featuring Ozzy Ozbourne on vocals!) a couple of laughable up-tempo rockers designed to get a little MTV play ("Ready for Love") and a powerful number called "Blood of Emeralds". Of course, the whole point here is Moore's muscular guitar style. If you recall the film "Crossroads" you remember Ralph Machio's character has to play against the deveil's guitarist (Steve Vai) to save his friends soul. Now, no disrespect to Machio, but I'd take Moore in a second. There is NO ONE that unleashes such huge, sweeping, and emotionally charged guitar solos like Moore. His fretwork is impeccable, and he displays all of the "tricks" of the day such as the Van Halen style tapping. But, unlike many players, he always stays within the context of the melody and theme of the song. July 16, 2003

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