Dave On Rock

I recently re-watched this DVD, which I first reviewed for the Lord of the Strings the fan site for Gary Moore based out of Hungary, which I have been a regular contributor under the name of Emerald , in 2006.

I have had a rethink on my original review and am amending my original review, based on the passage of time and a change of heart I have felt in my attitude towards Gary. I am known to be one of the most fiercest supporters of Gary Moore and his works and music for many years. The amount of satisfaction that Gary’s music has given me over the years, has unchanged. I applaud Gary for being a real person throughout his career, it may have well caused his career immeasurable damage over the years.

Also I wish to address the chasm between Gary and the loyal fan base of Thin Lizzy which over the years has not closed up. Sure Gary was called in several times to replace Brian Robertson as guitarist with the band and actually left the band during an important US tour, which he has since admitted wasn’t his smartest move, but the often tumultuous relationship between Gary and Phil Lynott is as much to blame. I have read the excellent book “The Rocker” by Mark Putterford, which is well written and fleshes in much of the details missing of the up and down again working relationship of Gary and Phil.

Since the early Dublin days and I don’t have my copy of Putterford’s work at hand at the moment, but I am fairly sure that early incarnation of Phil’s and Gary’s band together however brief lived. there was magic present even back then.

So on August 19th 2005, which would have been the eve of Phils 56th birthday, a statue of Phil Lynott was unveiled in Dublin’s Grafton Street by his mother. There to witness the event were members of Thin Lizzy from throughout the bands career. The following evening, they joined forces under the leadership of Gary Moore for a concert that paid tribute to Phil Lynott’s memory. The core band of Moore, Jethro Tull bass player Jonathon Noyce and the mainstay of Thin Lizzy their main drummer who has always played with them, except for brief periods through illness, ect., Brian Downey.

The lineup of past Lizzy guitarists, excluding Midge Ure and Snowy White, Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham and the first guitarist Eric Bell.Each guitarist played separately with Gary.

Extraneous of all this lineup, apparently I learned later that Lizzy tribute bands claimed they had arranged for and collected money to help pay for the statue of Phil and to cover costs for the ceremony, ect. One of these tribute band members got into an internet ‘debate’ with me over Gary Moore’s involvement in the whole preceedings. They were of the opinion that Gary took over the proceedings, ect. Originally he was to be a guest, ect.

I find these claims to be totally groundless and as I will reveal Gary was key to the success of the evening and since he can singlehandly play and sing any era of Thin Lizzy perfectly well by himself, if he had not participated, they show would not have been the artistic success that it turned out to be. The rift between Lizzy fans and Gary Moore has existed since the the occasional times Gary was in the band. Arguably their most artistically complete album Black Rose recorded in Paris in 1979, was throughout marked with the songwriting and guitar playing of Gary Moore. The love/hate relationship of the two Irishmen, the northerner and the southerner, was the theme of their collective works.

On to the show, Gary opened with “Walking By Myself” which was somewhat appropriate as Phil was no longer there, yet to me I sensed some hostility from the Lizzy crowd as it wasn’t a Lizzy song, but Gary being the consummate professional he is carried on. On a related note, and I have been involved in somewhat of a hate Marshall JCM2000 DSL100 amplifiers, which Gary was using at this time and for a comsiderable period before and afterwards. To me their tone isn’t right to my personal taste, though Gary has resorted to using quite the pedal board setup since using these, multi-channel amps….

I will attempt to stay on the main topic here but for me Gary’s amplifier choice colors my interpretation of his tone, as I know how good he can sound with other choices. Gary can sound great through any amplifier, I would have preferred an amp like his 1972 1992 model Marshall Super Bass for example, but that’s just me! Next up is Jailbreak complete with flashing police lights, as back in the Lizzy days.

Gary exhibits his usual total command of the material and his singing which has greatly improved over the years, was up to the task of the Lizzy tunes. Plus his ability to play and sing at the same time, has always placed him in a separate category of accomplished guitarists. Then the band goes into “Don’t Believe a Word” incorporating both the slow and fast versions of the tune, Gary plays exceptionally well on this tune. He is using his Gibson Custom Shop Les Pauls throughout, nary a vintage Les Paul in site. I believe he has Tom Holmes in the reversed neck pickup Sunburst version, He also has a charcoal/black maple quilted top Les Paul that is quite attractive.

Then it is time to bring on the first of the ‘guest’ guitarists, Brian Robertson who never played in Lizzy with Gary at the same time as Gary was the one usually replacing the injured Robbo. To be frank Brian gave it his best shot, but for my money Gary is carrying the version of  Emerald that they are playing and Brian is a wee but rusty and doesn’t play with the same fire he once had. He has had a rough go of it throughout the years and matched up against a guitarist of Gary’s caliber, most players would look shoddy to be fair. Gary gives Brian every opportunity to rise to the occasion, but I think Brian was a little nervous as well. He was playing a seventies Les Paul, which may well be the one the band first bought for him when he first joined the band!

The next tune “Still In Love With You”, which in the Gorham /Robertson version of the band, was always a standout performance for Brian and one can’t help but think back to the fantastic 1977 performance of Live and Dangerous which Brian owned the solos on.

Sadly on this occasion he would come close, but be sharp on occasion, ect and he seemed to lack confidence. I realize that back on the seventies his playing was bolstered by a combination of speed and whiskey and he was much younger. Again Gary saves the day and carries the tune. I felt that Gary gave every guest player the opportunity to shine and didn’t attempt at any time to overplay against the other guitarist, though just Gary laying back in a groove is superior to many others lead work!  It was great to see Robbo, still alive for one thing and it was brave of him to get up there and be there for Phil’s mum.

Next the now gray haired Scott Gorham bounded on with his current weapon of choice, a Floyd Rose equipped Stratocaster with a bridge humbucker and quite a few rack effects as well. In fact I thought at time he was doing an eighties Steve Lukather impersonation! His tone to me was thin and weasly and I remember on the GM fan forum, a big joke about the Weasel pedal, ect!

Black Rose was the number they first played and this is the song where Gary taught Scott all the guitar parts, in fact it was rumored for many years that Gary had played all the guitars on the studio version, I don’t believe that to be true though.

Next the Cowboy Song segued into The Boys Are Back In Town which for such a simple song has the most amazing number of chord changes!! This all was well received by the crowd and then Scott was gone and on came Eric Bell , whom Gary introduced as the only man who Phil thought could play this song properly. Eric’s performance was inspired and he was also well received, though Lynott hated that song for many years, it was their first big break.

Gary then played an excerpt from Old Town which segued into Parisienne Walkways which Gary teased the crowd with around the sustained note and threw in Happy Birthday for Phil at the end.

Standout performances besides Gary were Brian Downey, the solid rock foundation of Lizzy and often overlooked for his loyalty and massive contribution to the drive and force of the bands music.

Jonathon Noyce’s performance was adequate, I wasn’t expecting him to have a mirrored pickguard bass guitar or leather trousers, he did wear a leather coat though. Who could replace Phil, to be fair.

Gary Moore has dedicated a fair amount of his solo material to the story of Phil and himself, from 1987′s Wild Frontier through After The War, with the incredible autobiographical song Blood of Emeralds.

This beautiful tale co-written by the fantastic Neil Carter, says all there is to say about the triumphs and ultimately sad but inevitable tragedy that Phil was doomed for. No one could stop his ship crashing into the rocky shore. Bob Dylan told Hughie Lewis that in his opinion Phil Lynott was one of rock musics greatest poets.

As Gary and various family and band members watch the unveiling of the statue the day before, Gary can be seen kissing his young daughter as he holds her in his arms. Phil’s incredible mother Philomena places a kiss in the likeness of her son, whim she loved and was most proud of.

So well done Gary Moore and all the band members, a fitting tribute to Phil, though I would of liked to have heard Johnny Boy and Blood of Emeralds but they may have been to much for Gary to deal with, plus Blood of Emeralds requires the great keyboard playing of Neil Carter.

I was angry, I was sad

just thinking about the times we had

I felt so lost and lonely too

what could I say, what could I do?

And after all, the time goes by

No one knows the reasons why

You lived each day like there was no tommorow

You spent those years living on time you borrowed

And in your eyes, all I could see was sorrow.

Excerpt from Blood of Emeralds written by Moore/Carter

Every time I hear these lyrics or even the sad melody, it brings a tear to my eye, as Gary’s lyrics, though pertaining to Phil , in a way reflect how my life was headed and how I managed to avoid tragedy with the help of the Lord , who helped in my own personal recovery.

http: //www.moorepanos.com/pages/misc/dublin.htm

By the way this DVD is now available in full HD 1080p in Blu-Ray technology for those who are lucky enough to own such equipment!!

Dave

Lester was the man, had his broken arm cast in the playing position, was a true revolutionary, a man with an incredible vision and imagination. As a true genius, he had the ability to create and invent, what he had in his mind..incredible!

Plus he never gave up on his love of playing and continues to be an inspiration to all guitarists, young and old. I never met him, I did meet Ted McCarty a few years before his passing and shook his hand.

Let’s remember the lovely Mary Ford at this time also, she played a large part in his success, and her life was a sad one.
That a mad scientist type creator would be responsible for one of the most beloved guitars in the world. When one thinks of solid body electric guitars, two come to mind, the Fender Stratocaster and the Gibson Les Paul.

All the Waterford Gap issues, that Les was presented with Gibson’s concept of his basic idea, this issue haunted all the biographies of Les and he should get credit where it’s due, to be fair.
The Log guitar was the start of all this and Les’s mastery of multitrack recording, was as revolutionary as his guitar designs and playing, ironically I had just been wondering about Les last week and how he was doing and how I would feel about his inevitable passing, it still hasn’t sunk in yet.

I love all forms of Les Pauls, from Juniors to Bursts, they are unique and a design that is timeless.

Just imagine how many tracks Les will have available in heaven.
I will miss his quick, acid witt and his great sense of humor
That Les would pass away during the 50th anniversary of the most famous Les Paul ever, the 1959, is apropos, in a way.

God bless you Lester, Rhubarb Red and thanks for all you gave us, we love you..it’s a sad day.. more soon, I bough the Les Paul Legacy Box set of CD’s quite a few years ago now, would like to see the TV shows he recorded with Mary, bless her heart. I do have mixed emotions about Les, but there are good memories for the most part, and I am sure he never threw anything away, his sons and daughter could have a garage sale for years.

I think also that Les made it a point never to play one of the classic years ’58-’60 Sunbursts, as he was all in favor of the Goldtops and the black Customs. I recently had the opportunity to play a 1958 Les Paul Standard last year and although the only amps I was allowed to play through were a Pig Nose and an Orange (modern version), so tone wise I couldn’t tell you, but that is  another story ..

Hopefully the passing of Lester Poulfus, will not generate a ridiculous leap in the vintage values of the instruments bearing his name, he also signed about every other Les Paul out there, so a signed LP by the great man would not bring that much extra coin.

I would like to add that Les suffered from terrible arthritis from the 1960′s, the  formentioned horribly broken right arm, he fractured a finger on his left hand during a show with Mary, when he struck his hand against her guitar during a gag. I admire Les Paul and forgive any of the claims of selfishness and egomania. Les had many regrets about how he treated others and particularly Mary. People even forgave his delusions that he alone designed the Les Paul guitars. When Gibson decided to build guitars to his more personal persuasion, with complicated electronics and his low-impedance pickups , which required a pre-amplifier for use and the era in which it was introduced, was not favorable to this type of guitar. The many management changes at Gibson, did little to bolster Les’s confidence in Gibson. I admire him for being the outspoken critic, while still under contract, of the Gibson company. The Berlin years and the Ted McCarty years were favorable ones to Les. His brilliance with the multi-track recorders was as much the huge legacy he left, which contributed directly to all the ‘music’ we enjoy today.

One of my favorite guitarists of all time, Steven Schneider, aka, Steve Stevens, has had a fondness for Les Pauls for the last few years, though his are far from stock using Tone Pros locking bridges and his own Bare Knuckles pickups. Steve had a 1953 Les Paul Goltop that had been refinished and had PAF’s fitted, Billy Idol bought this for Steve when he joined his band. I heard this guitar had an unfortunate end, being run over by a van or something drastic.

Steve is using Les Pauls almost exclusively these days. I have my ’52/’56 Les Paul Goltop conversion of course and had two 1954 Les Paul Juniors, which were killer. I know that Steve had a Les Paul Special single cutaway as well awhile back, it was a TV model.

Lets chose to remember Les as the brilliant inventor and father of modern day recording as he is/was! I also got the feeling that Gibson made a whole lot more money than Les did on using his trademark. When he divorced Mary, he had them take his name off the 1961 Les Paul SG, to save paying his ex-wife any royalties and also he was Less than thrilled with the skinny devil horned guitar that took the place of his beloved maple topped single cutaway..

Dave

Here is what B.B.King had to say in the introduction to the excellent book
PETER GREEN Founder of Fleetwood Mac The Biography by Martin Celmins which I highly recommend:
Forward by B.B.King
Back in the sixties, Peter Green was one of a new breed of great guitar players, and during that time I spent a week touring with him and Fleetwood Mac. Sure, he was a very fine person; in fact he was the same person no matter who you were. Now that sort of guy is hard to find in this business.
It’s funny, but I kind of remember him more after he left Fleetwood Mac, like when he played on my London sessions album. It was around that time, I know that he became disillusioned, but it was also then that our friendship grew.
I could sympathize with him because there had been times for me too when I felt the same – sometimes maybe it seems like everyone else is doing better than you…looks happier…got the best ideas. But then things change – it’s hard to know how, but they do. Years later when I played concerts in London Peter would still sometimes come backstage and say hello – and that meant something to me. It didn’t matter that he didn’t seem to want to say much – I was real glad that he bothered to come along.
People have told me that in his early years my guitar playing influenced Peter a lot. Now that’s something I take as a great compliment, but I have to tell you that I don’t get it myself. When I hear Peter Green…I hear Peter Green

B.B.King
March 1995
What a great compliment from a pivotal bluesman to another..

I first heard Peter Green’s amazing guitar playing, many years before I first heard Gary Moore. Gary Moore is very complex to understand and to many they cannot take his playing, end of story. That is a shame, he has a lot to say, still to this day.
Peter Green’s playing still can chill me to the bone, he pierces one’s soul with his haunting , tortured playing. He has truly been to hell and back, as have many of us, but his gift of beautiful, almost sacred music, continues to give many, many years later.
That he is one of the undisputed blues masters, there should be no doubt

Since 2006 I have mostly maintained a thread on the Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen on Metro Amp Forum, here are some snippets pf info from the hundreds of posts I have shared there…

http://www.alloutguitar.com/interview/e … _malmsteen
Chronology of YJM US models;
The American Fender YJM Strat model year updates are as follows:

1988 Introduction: Along with the Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster, the Fender Yngwie Malmsteen Signature is the first or Fender’s Artist / Signature series of guitars. Malmsteen and Clapton are the first Artists to be so honored. These early YJM Strats featured a modern (small) headstock, 21 Fender “vintage” medium frets, American Standard style 2-point pivot Tremolo, modern Fender/Schaller tuners, and 2 x Dimarzio HS-3 pickups (neck and bridge) and Fender single coil in the middle. Also, I believe the truss rod adjustment was via screw driver at the end of neck near top of pickguard. This model continues unchanged through 1993.

1994 1st update: Fender changes headstock to Yngwie’s preferred late sixties large headstock, changes American Standard type tremolo to original, vintage Synchronized Tremolo, and aged plastic parts. Pickups were still 2 x HS-3 and 1 x Fender American standard (middle). This model continues unchanged through 1997.

1998 2nd update: Dunlop super Jumbo 6000 frets introduced. Tuners changed to Vintage Fender “F-Key” style. Dimarzio YJM pickup introduced, and is featured in the neck and middle position, with a Dimarzio HS-3 in the bridge. Mint pickguard with aged plastic parts. Truss rod access moved to headtock via allen wrench. This model continues unchanged through 2006.

2007 3rd and latest update: Bullet style truss rod is introduced. Deeper neck scalloping is introduced. Fender’s standard wood screw Neck / body joint is finally changed to reflect Yngwie’s special modification==>4-point machine bolt / threaded insert type neck anchoring system. Special, slimmer “C” shape neck profile is introduced. Pickguard changed to 3-ply white.
Some are claiming the 2007 YJM’s have thinner neck profiles:
I caliper measured both my 2002 and 2007 YJM strats at the 1st and 12th frets.

The 2002 measures around 19.6 and 21.8 mm thick
With 2mm deep scallops

The 2007 measures 18.0 and 20.5 mm thick
With 2.3mm deep scallops

An Ibanez Wizard is spec at 17mm and 20 mm

So you can see the 2002 would have around 17.6 mm of solid wood around the lowest region 1st fret area and the 2007 would have around 15.7 mm of wood in that same region.

That is about 11% thinner where the neck is thinnest (low valley of a scallop)
That’s a fair amount.
Also questioning his use of the YJM DiMarzio’s:
I have this question in my head lately after closely examining a few pictures and videos of Yngwie with his guitars.
One can easily distinguish a DiMarzio YJM from a HS-3 from their magnet stagger at the B string. With the YJM, the magnet is even lower than the plastic cover, with the HS-3 the magnet is clearly raised above the cover.

I’ve seen closeup pics of his 2007 tours where Yngwie’s even using his ’07 updated artist series YJM Strats and even in those the neck magnet appears to be a plain HS-3 (visible from the raised B-string magnet).
In his concerto suite DVD with the Japanese philharmonic orchestra at some closeups one can clearly see the raised B-string magnet at the neck position which to me indicates that he’s using an HS-3 there aswell.
It appears that most of his guitars use HS-3′s in bridge and neck position.
Maybe it’s really like the DiMarzio website says and he’s only using the YJM pickup in some of his vintage Strats…

Btw, sometimes I really wonder if he’s using those HS-3′s and YJM’s at all or if DiMarzio just say he does when he’s maybe using something else/secret. (a purely speculative thought on my behalf, of course).
These aren’t my quotes, thanks to YJM forum for data.

http://video.i.ua/user/625858/4403/22166/?redux

Cool DOD250/YJM308 link from Japan, featuring the Analogman mod:

http://www.dot-advance.com/dod/eng/

click on the pedals for video clips.

More Duck info, I had hoped to buy this replica guitar in 2005 but as it wasn’t available yet, I chose a HW stack and we know the rest !
My guy at Scottsdale GC, has a direct line with the Fender Scottsdale marketing guy, so here’s hoping??
The Duck: Yngwie’s Malmsteen’s 1972 Fender Strat,”
Guitar World, August 1994
[ Sidebar text that accompanies Anne Petty's centerfold photo of The Duck]

This 1972 Stratocaster, nicknamed “The Duck,” is certainly the most celebrated of Yngwie Malmsteen’s guitars. “I was in Japan last year for a big music convention,” he says, “and while I was signing autographs, lots of fans asked me to sign guitars that were total copies of this one–right down to the Donald Duck sticker on the headstock, the ‘Play Loud’ sticker on the body and the Ferrari decal on the back.”

Like most of Yngwie’s Strats, this one is fitted with DiMarzio HS-3 pickups in the bridge and neck positions, with the original pickup still in the middle, and the standard Fender bridge. The maple fingerboard was scalloped by Yngwie himself in 1980 and it was refretted at least once, in 1987, following an experience neither Yngwie nor the guitar will soon forget. “I was playing ‘Queen in Love’ in Anchorage, Alaska, when an over-enthusiastic fan threw a half-empty, one-liter, bottle of Jack Daniels onstage,” Yngwie recalls. “It hit the 17th fret so hard, it popped right out of the wood!”

Yngwie bought the guitar in the late Seventies, from a drummer auditioning for his band in his native Sweden. This Strat has been pictured on the cover of numerous Malmsteen albums and is the guitar used to play all the solos on his Grammy-nominated Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force (Polydor, 1984). “It’s not my favorite Strat,” says Yngwie, “but for some reason it’s one of my best-sounding ones. It’s been my main guitar since ’78. I used it 99 percent of the time in Steeler and Alcatrazz, and I’ve played it on all my tours. I’m retiring it from road work this year. I don’t want it to get stolen or more beaten to death than it already is! This puppy’s been through a lot, from constant use and abuse onstage. The headstock has broken off at least six times, and I used to put my cigarettes out on it all the time. [A burn mark below the input jack testifies to Yngwie's use of the Strat as an ashtray.] I’m not very kind to my instruments. Sometimes I’ll throw my guitar high into the air, but a spotlight may get in my eyes when I try to catch it. So rather than let the guitar break my hand, I let it crash onto the floor.

Hell just read my posts under yngwie308, it’s a lot easier than copying all the links, videos, pictures, ect…

http://forum.metroamp.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=16626&st=0&sk=t&sd=a   just copy and paste this link, sorry I am figuring out what I  can and cannot accomplish with this blog!!

Dave

Reading a recent issue of The Guitarist,issue265,at Barnes and Noble,I came across a fascinating article by the famed English music journalist,Charles Shaar Murray,where he describes the history surrounding the Peter Green/Gary Moore Les Paul,Greeny,before it was sold to Peter Green.
Tony Tyler,who died last October,was for most of the ’70′s as first features editor and the assistant editor of the New Musical Express,a British music newspaper,similar to the Melody Maker and Disc.
Tony was primarily a keyboardist,but dabbled in guitar.He worked in a now defunct West End of London instrument shop,selling keyboards and guitars during the day and playing them at night.
Tony was a big fan of Eric Clapton and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers,particularly the tone Eric had with his ’59 Les Paul Standard.
Since he worked in a music store,he was able to recieve one of the first 1959 Les Paul Standards in his shop,and gave himself a great discount as well.But being primarily a keyboardist,Tony realized that Peter Green,would be able to go so much further with this Les Paul than he could,so he quite unselfishly sold the LP to Peter,for little more than he paid for it.
So that is the story of how this guitar came into the hands of it’s two most famous owners.The fact that Peter in turn,practicaly gave the guitar away to Gary,taking the money from Gary selling his SG at the time.
Tony before his death learned of the guitar being listed for $2 million .He said if he had kept it under the bed,he at least would have gotten a few hundred thousand dollars,even without the provenance,it was to have later.
So Peter first recieved the guitar through the kind and generous act of a musican and true fan,so it is so sad that the end of it’s days,the Maverick Music people are the ones to hold the guitar,it needs to go to Cleveland in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Maybe that’s why Peter gave the guitar so freely to Gary,in the spirit of how freely it was provided to him in the first place.
Just thought this was a fascinating story,I’m sure lots of you have stories of famous guitars changing hands as well.

The well known now definct music store was Selmers of Charring X road in London, btw.

Dave

Thanks to all who have responded and written to me so far..I have many plans and not enough time yet to complete them, but they are coming. Two major rock related interviews are about to be conducted and I have a few themes I want to develop. I am hoping to eventually take this site to a higher level visually and thematically.

I am just glad to have started the ball rolling as it were and have high hopes for the future here.

Some of my life true adventures, some history of Celtic music, which particularly interests me. Pieces on my favorite guitarists, including Peter Green, Gary Moore, Tommy Bolin, Steve Stevens, many others as well.

Right now I am in research mode as I am planning these interviews and an E interview is a new thing to me, but so is all of this as well, but off we go!!

Dave