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Played with ’em all
Some time before the start of the US tour that wrapped up in late September, Glenn Hughes spoke to the Rockin’ Metal Revival podcast. He mentions at one point that he’s heading to Copenhagen next, and that gig was on August 11, 2023.
When asked about his favourite guitar player, Glenn’s answer was probably not what you’d expect:
I wanna go on record now. I’m going to list a few for you. I played with [Joe] Satriani, [Joe] Bonamassa, [Tony] Iommi and [Ritchie] Blackmore and Pat Thrall and Brian May and Jerry Cantrell and Warren Haynes. I could go on and list them. And Mel Galley and Tommy Bolin. I mean, I could carry on. But my favorite… I really want you to push this one. My dearest old friend — we started working together in 1979, Gary Moore was the best.
Now, people, understand me now, Gary and I were very close. We made the album ‘Run For Cover’. When I look back at Gary, and I look back at Gary and I working together and him playing in my studio and sitting in my home on the couch writing songs, that guy was un-be-lie-va-ble. I mean, un-be-lie-va-ble. Again, all those people I spoke about [are] iconic guitar players. I mean, I’ve played with them all, and I’m very proud to say. Bonamassa right now is… I mean, Joe’s incredible. And Ritchie [and] Tony. But Gary Moore…
In other Glenn news, he appeared on September 30th with the Kings Of Chaos project at a private function in Brazil. The band also featured Matt Sorum, (Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver), Gilby Clarke (Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Joe Hottinger (Halestorm), and Carmine Rojas (David Bowie).
The set list, reportedly, included:
Rebel Rebel (David Bowie)
Highway Star
You Could Be Mine (Guns N’ Roses)
Fall To Pieces (Velvet Revolver)
Smoke On The Water
The Flame (Cheap Trick)
It’s A Long Way To The Top (AC/DC)
Rebel Yell (Billy Idol)
Thanks to Blabbermouth and BraveWords for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Yo,
There’s no-such-thing as “the best” imo, just moments in time when someone lays down some music that’s unique, melodic, memorable, & stands-out from the rest, at that time.
Gary Moore could play some fine guitar, that’s for sure. RIP.
Peace !
October 3rd, 2023 at 00:27I always take all these ratings with a pinch of salt.
October 3rd, 2023 at 07:49Maybe if Glenn is free for 90 min or so he can play ‘Made in Japan’ and hear Ritchie’s guitar playing speaking volume.
As Gregster@1 said it’s all about the moments in time.
But to be far ‘Empty Rooms’ by Gary Moore could be the best bluesy rock song ever written.
There are also quite a lot of these best rock voice rankings on you tube and a lot of them don’t include Ian Gillan and I scratch my head and say Why can’t they listen to ‘In Rock’ or ‘Machine Head’ to get some more knowledge.
Peace ✌️
Sometimes I wish he’d save his voice for singing only …
October 4th, 2023 at 05:58After having seen Glenn’s show and then watching the 1987 video, Wild Frontier, this made my day. I love having my ears sexually assaulted by the late, great guitarist. The I Can’t wait Until Tomorrow book is very informative. There’s also another one coming out later this year, for those who might need a bit of perspective.
October 4th, 2023 at 18:32I adore Glenn and I like Lizzy, been to Halestorm gigs. But there is singing and there is oversinging and they are both guilty as charged here. They leave nothing of the song’s original poignancy.
Scott Weiland was a deeply troubled man and a darn junkie who wasted his life and broke his family’s heart (again and again). But no one could or can sing that song like him. It’s his.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JhsUFuqbCM
And for all his flaws: He was a hell of a frontman/artist putting shrieky Axel in his place. He oozed rock’n’roll.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKbmFM54CLI
(I even forgive him the SS-hat which wasn’t in the best of tastes; he later on discarded it.)
October 5th, 2023 at 01:25I read Glenn’s personal rating of Gary Moore as a guitarist/artist/musician and marvel at it (my bones with Gary’s style are well-documented here: he’s obnoxious to me for his NOTE-FOR-NOTE incessant intensity), but then many people would level the same criticism of “too much of everything” at Glenn’s singing style too, so maybe he felt he found a kindred spirit in Gary. (Gary’s eternal and widely careening quest for finding a musical niche to make his permanent home in shows parallels to Glenn’s erratic stylistic career too. In comparison, people like Blackmore, Iommi and Bonamassa are matured stylists/auteurs in their own given fields and not in constant self-questioning whether their last product was the right one for them.)
I think the Run For Cover album is nothing to write home about (more gloss than Victims Of The Future, but less substance, Wild Frontier had better songs but was ruined by that God-awful drum programming) and Glenn’s contribution (what little of it made the end product) largely unremarkable by his own standards. By his own admission, Gary set out in his work with Glenn to create music in the vein of Hughes Thrall (an album he loved), I think he failed in that: Gary was in any case more of a physical player while Pat Thrall was a man thinking in guitar soundscapes and those soundscapes coupled with Glenn’s voice and propulsive bass playing are what made the Hughes Thrall album special.
But I obviously hold a minority view. Dave says he even likes his ears to be raped by Gary (very apt way of putting it!), I guess I’m more in the #MeToo camp! ; – )
October 5th, 2023 at 09:00I agree w/Glenn.
Gsry Moore is not my cup of tea, Blackmore is.
However, I saw Gary in Copenhagen w/Paice and Murray.
It was unbelievable. Over-the-top unbelievable.
October 8th, 2023 at 10:42I guess just like seeing Hendrix.
@7…
Henrik said re-GM live in Copenhagen qt.”It was unbelievable. Over-the-top unbelievable.
I guess just like seeing Hendrix”.
What a compliment to give. It says it all.
Peace !
October 9th, 2023 at 11:06I never saw Hendrix, but to me he was with all his flamboyance very much a light and shade (as is Ritchie btw), sometimes extrovert, sometimes subdued player, sometimes even plain bored or listless. OTOH, Gary to me never played anything lightly or subdued, whether he was doing fusion, rocking out or a ballad. There was also zero humor in his playing. Anything he played had a maximum of intensity, commitment, earnestness and energy. He was so-to-say brickwalled in his dynamic approach. The man was a constant sonic onslaught clamoring to take center stage – I found that tiring and at times even obnoxious. Also very unnecessary: He had enormous ability, but ruined it for me with his approach.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:44Yo,
Gary Moore did what he had to do at the time, to make-it to the top. The music industry through the 1980’s was diversifying in all areas, with new “genres” appearing etc etc.
The competition was massive, new-wave, hair-metal, dance, contemporary, & even punk wasn’t quite dead yet, with bands like “Blink 182” appearing, keeping punk alive well into the 2000’s…
For GM to make it to the top using good old Rock & Roll & Blues as his primary sound, he “had” to play like he did.
And don’t forget that he made it whilst other mega-guitar-virtuosos such as EVH, Steve Vai, & Satch were in the mix, running for the same recognition…In fact, I’m surprised that GM playing Blues & Rock rose above these guys with so much success…I’ve always found a kinship in his playing with Neal Schon’s from Journey,( at least the live-album where he lets loose).
There “has” to be something more to the man & his playing that’s seen in positive light, that the masses picked-up-on, to get him there. Perhaps the continued onslaught with his playing simply kept on knocking at everyone’s door for recognition, & appreciation.
RIP Gary Moore.
Peace !
October 10th, 2023 at 11:03I know what you’re getting at, lieber Gregster, both Neil Schon and Gary Moore can sound rhythmically a little jumbled when they play real fast, it might have to do with their fusion background. Those early Journey albums were very jazzy. They also have a similar approach to vibrato and squealing notes!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD3nMUcZWoI
October 10th, 2023 at 17:05GM rose to fame because he had the songs in addition to the playing. As simple as that 🙂
October 10th, 2023 at 17:06I’m not a Gary Moore fan, just not familiar with his music. All I have of his is his Blues for Jimi dvd, and I absolutely love it!
October 11th, 2023 at 02:58“GM rose to fame because he had the songs in addition to the playing. As simple as that …”.
I remember Gene Simmons commenting on Gary Moore around the Run For Cover album (which was very much geared towards the American market). He said something like: “He’s great guitarist, but the way he looks and with his singing, he probably won’t make it in the States.” Turns out that Gene was right, as he often is.
October 11th, 2023 at 12:20Gary was the complete package with his ability to excel in all three departments: singing, playing and songwriting, nowhere better illustrated than in Empty Rooms. With songs like these, he connected with housewives as well, elevating his profile beyond fans of “guitar music”.
October 11th, 2023 at 15:55Elevating his profile to elevator music! 😉
October 11th, 2023 at 15:58Somewhat related to the discussion of crossing over into the mainstream, I have been watching clips of AC/DC’s “comeback” at Power Trip and I am struck by how well they present themselves after an absence of 7 years. Downtuned and with Brian Johnson sounding like crap, this doesn’t sidetrack the Young family + session drummer from delivering a masterclass, doing all the things right that Blackmore did wrong with his little reunion. Solidifying a legacy vs trashing it 🙂
October 11th, 2023 at 17:45Oh come on, we can discuss Moore’s guitar prowess, but his strained vocals were terrible especially on the early mock-AOR stuff off Corridors/Victims/Run. Had he ever settled for a co-guitarist with a great singing voice like Derek St. Holmes of the original Ted Nugent line-up, his US career might have looked different.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0bAAZ0kJVE
Someone like Derek St. Holmes is a natural; Gary was incredibly forced in his singing, no ease at all.
I liked Empty Rooms (in the original version on Victims) too and he sang it ok, but when he yelped stuff like Murder In The Skies or Shapes Of Things live, it made my balls shrink and not in a good way either. I was always relieved when Neil Carter (whom I rate highly) sang lead on some (sadly always too short) parts live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5ECaMU7csY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAtFF8FqW64
Look what I found here, interesting:
“Songfacts®:
This is a song with which everyone who has ever had a broken romance will identify. Although he could shred with the best of them, “Empty Rooms” is basically a slow bluesy type track, and is widely regarded as Moore’s greatest guitar solo. It was co-written in 1984 with keyboard player/guitarist Neil Carter, who said the vocal track was originally laid down by Glenn Hughes – one-time bass player with Deep Purple – but this “obviously never made it out of the studio”. Of the track itself, Carter said “I always joke that song has bought my house, but I suppose it probably has over the years!””
October 11th, 2023 at 17:54Gene Simmons talking about how someone ‘looks’, says it all. Moore’s singing while not in the league of others at times is a hell of a lot better & geared towards the actual song much more than many others who supposedly ‘make it’. Some like it & some don’t & Gary Moore did well indeed for a young battler from Ireland. Credit where credit is due. He was full on, so what & hyper with his playing at times, so were many others & some still are to this day. Not to mention the others & their ego & substances issues creating a false illusion of sorts. He always came across genuine Mr Moore & no matter what is said about him, nothing takes anything away from the songs & that always remains. He wrote & performed some fine songs indeed. Cheers.
October 11th, 2023 at 20:51I don’t recall mediocre vocals on Moore’s studio albums, up to & including Victims. Didn’t Jack Bruce sing a song there or was that on Corridors. Moore was aware of his vocal at times not fitting the bill. However playing live he was always going to struggle & he did, but show me a quality lead guitarist singing live night after night & delivering high quality vocal. There isn’t any, it is a difficult & really impossible job to balance both duties. They have to have someone else playing the difficult guitar parts so as to concentrate on the lead singing or have another vocalist of decent repute supporting. Neil Carter probably wasn’t given the space to move into that area in a live setting. I did own the vhs concert ‘Emerald Isles’ & the double live album ‘We Want Moore’ from the mid 1980’s, it was evident there. Talking about Moore’s studio albums what about Dirty Fingers, a few wonderful songs emerging there & that final song, the moving ‘Rest in Peace’ is another classic & the guitar solo is stellar Moore indeed. He also did a few other ‘ballads’ & I know a few other people who placed an importance on good vocals in a good song & they thought Moore sang well back then on the early 80’s studio albums, at least what they heard. As for the ‘mock AOR’ comment, enough said there. Cheers.
October 11th, 2023 at 21:58@17 said…qt.”Downtuned and with Brian Johnson sounding like crap, this doesn’t sidetrack the Young family + session drummer from delivering a masterclass, doing all the things right that Blackmore did wrong with his little reunion. Solidifying a legacy vs trashing it”… 🙂
Yeah, well said…It would appear that even RB gets it wrong sometimes, & you’d have the support of many past Rainbow members in that opinion…
People will soon forget about that mistake, that’s for sure. And at least there’s a couple of vids / DVD’s about that show the band in super-top-form, so recovery is guaranteed.
RB “could” have virtually toured the world again with Rainbow, & had a successful, yet different line-up playing in each country, eg, a UK band, a European band, & US-of-A band if he wanted, & had new members included again also…
I suggest RB well underestimated the demand for Rainbow & its music…
There’s more than likely plenty of new bands playing a similar style out there today, but I couldn’t name any that’s had / having any success.
Peace !
Nb. I finally, recently completed my “Spacehog” discography, & these guys to my ears were among the last to have any mainstream success with a hard-rock-edge about them, & this was around 20-years ago…( They did release another album in 2011 I think, that’s hard to get, as it was a local US-of-A release on their own label ).
October 12th, 2023 at 00:37There is a reason players like John Sykes and Vivian Campbell modeled their styles after him. Anyway, I think his vocals are an integral part of his songs. With someone else singing, the personal delivery would be lost and along with that, a big part of the emotion. Still Got The Blues sung by Joe Lynn Turner?
October 12th, 2023 at 03:57” …but show me a quality lead guitarist singing live night after night & delivering high quality vocal …”
Easy. Rory Gallagher, Alvin Lee or Johnny Winter for instance. Or the criminally underrated Jon Butcher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIU4znetPlk
Frank Marino too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opVpTkoCCeo
Not to forget Bill Nelson of the magnificent Be-Bop Deluxe (if you want to name someone less bluesy than the above five).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7tvUaIQPkI
No, they weren’t Freddy Mercury, but they had/have unmannered, natural voices that more than did/do the job and sound(ed) credible. Gary’s vocals were contrived (for the record: his guitar playing, though not to my taste, wasn’t) and attempting to do things his voice wasn’t made for.
But I’ll give it to Gary that he was at least better than John Sloman who reached his highest notes on the cringe- & wince-o-meter when he was with him.
October 12th, 2023 at 15:42None of those you mentioned are quality lead vocalists, they are good at what they do for their respective music yes, but a stand alone vocalist they are not. Bass players can make good quality lead singers, or should that be singers who dabbled with guitar & then switched to bass. But that instrument can leave more time & space to concentrate on the singing at certain times, depending on the arrangements. I have noticed over a long period of time that electric guitar in a busy & powerful rock band doesn’t go hand in hand with high end singing.. Gary Moore sang well enough although he did get a little ‘shouty’ at times in a live setting trying to get up there with that wall of sound getting in the way. A common issue for any singers within a loud rock band or the like. I never cringed at Moore’s vocals though, unlike some lead vocalists out there. Even Hendrix was good enough for what he did. Johnny Winter was a good powerful singer for the blues as well as Rory but when it became busy they dropped off in quality. The really busy rock bands usually had either a stand alone quality singer or a bass guitarist who could really sing, Greg Lake, John Wetton, Geddy Lee, Jack Bruce, Sting etc. Or the main guitarist who sings has a second guitarist to help out. Even David Gilmour ended up doing that in 1976 with Snowy White augmenting on the Animals tour & with his future Floyd & solo ventures he had another guitarist helping out. Eric Clapton brought in another guitarist in the 1970’s. He talked about that issue on the Cream reunion 2005 concerts, ‘how bloody hard he had to work being the only guitarist’. Difficult he said but he enjoyed it for a brief stint only. I suppose it is horses for courses again. What is that saying (song) ‘I know what I like & I like what I know’. Cheers.
October 12th, 2023 at 21:42@23 ” …but show me a quality lead guitarist singing live night after night & delivering high quality vocal …”
There’s plenty more to add also…
For sure = Jimi, Robben Ford, Robin Trower, Frank Zappa, Lowell George, Leslie West, Eric Clapton, JLT, Billy Thorpe to name a few…
Solids = Ace Frehley, Pete Townshend, Elliot Easton, Brian May, Brett Myers, Richard Steele & plenty more…
Peace !
October 12th, 2023 at 23:22I forgot to mention other bass playing lead vocalists in Paul McCartney, Chris Squire (co lead vocals at times), Glenn Hughes, James Dewar, Boz Burrell (King Crimson 1972), even Lemmy bless him. Metallica have Kirk Hammett playing the busier guitar while Hetfield sings. It is just the way of things & it makes sense. @ 25 – Pete Townshend in 1985 had David Gilmour on guitar in his band. Robin Trower had a bass player (Dewar) & Bruce & possibly others at other times & also a stand alone lead vocalist late 1980’s & beyond (Davey Thompson),. Zappa had many lead vocalists. Brian May struggled solo wise with it. The blues players can sort of get away with it at certain times. The blues is the blues, sort of rough & tumble, a bit like busking so to speak. Rory Gallagher always reminds me of a busker of sorts, a good singer for his material & the blues covers. However I do still think he may have done ok to have a stand alone singer. What about Adrian Belew in King Crimson, vastly different to his solo material in a live setting. Fripp plays the intricate guitar while Belew plays guitar while singing. Phil Collins had another drummer in Genesis, too much to play that material & sing at the same time. The big name lead vocalists in rock bands need to focus on the lyrical delivery & all that goes with it. Leave the guitarist to do what they do best. My observations of it all from over the decades. Cheers.
October 13th, 2023 at 05:09