Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Some legends are taken far too early for the public to comprehend, the sense of unfinished business looms large in the conscious.
What we hold onto is the hope that those who have featured long in our lives have left us more than memories, they have squirreled away nuggets of gold in which the listener is given more than anticipated promise, they are endowed with faith; for the passing of a hero, especially one so prolific as one of the true greats of the Blues, Gary Moore, will always have something for the fans even in the event of Time’s inevitable passing.
Gary Moore Live – From Baloise Session is a tight, succinct, and riveting set captured for prosperity set against the final years of one of the few musicians who straddled the periods of the Blues with greatness and the deft touch of electricity very much at hand; and whilst it is impossible to place every track available on to a single cd, to frame the moment of a gig is purely a gift to the fan, a chance, a gilded opportunity highlighting daring and prospect amongst the crowded rooms and open spaces that the live set offers.
From the opening bars of Oh, Pretty Woman, and beyond the horizon of Blues deep introspective in masterful performances of Thirty Days (To Come Back Home), the excellent Don’t Believe A Word, Still Got The Blues, and Walking By Myself, Gary Moore’s prowess is undaunted, the ferocity of calm assurance is focused, determined, and one on which holds the promise of continual courage for the genre to stay relevant in a changing world.
Blues may have found itself floundering as the 20th Century came rushing towards its close, but it took genius to overcome the decay, and as this wonderfully presented live performance shows, the Northern Irish musician is much more than that, he was a legend, in his own time, and after his untimely passing from the stage.
To hear Blues in the songs of those who have left us can leave a sadness in the soul, and yet by doing so, by willingly embracing the mood and the narrative of those who have gone beyond the sound created, we are left with the language of memory, and in every new release from gigs or unreleased studio sessions found, we are left with the permanence of their presence in our hearts and mind.
Ian D. Hall