Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Biography: Many consider Gary Moore to be one of the most underappreciated guitarists in rock music, particularly in America where he has barely made an impression at all. Nonetheless he is often cited as an influence on the work of many other notable guitarists including Ozzy Osbourne’s axeman Randy Rhoads, and his fortunes are interweaved with the success of other well-considered artists.
Moore drew his own inspiration from the stalwarts of blues-rock, in particular Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac. His first taste of fame was as a member of Skid Row where he first met his future Thin Lizzy associate, Phil Lynott. After he left Skid Row in 1972 he chose to form his own group, the Gary Moore Band, but when their debut album failed to arouse any interest he decided to re-connect with his old bandmate Lynott. Moore didn’t play with Lizzy for long at first, though he did return to play with them from time to time throughout the 70s, including working with them on Lizzy’s seminal Black Rose (1979) album. He went on to do session work and to join Colosseum II though, once again, he didn’t stick around, working with them on three albums.
Moore’s second solo album generated the hit “Parisienne Walkways” – recorded with Lynott on vocals – and he created another new band G Force who lasted for only one album. In the 80s he put more energy into his solo work and enjoyed a run of European successes with albums released during this decade. His first album of the 90s marked a change of direction and the blues oriented Still Got the Blues became his best-selling offering. Subsequent albums evoked a similar sound, then in 1994 he formed the single album supergroup BBM. Since then he has continued to release solo albums which show his enduring fascination with blues and rock.

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Product Description: This five-disc box collects as many complete concerts by Irish blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore, recorded in 1990, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001 at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Some might call this too much material, especially given the number of songs that recur (four versions of "All Your Love," three each of "Oh Pretty Woman," "Too Tired," and "You Don't Love Me," and two each of "The Blues Is Alright," "Further on Up the Road," "Need Your Love So Bad," "Parisienne Walkways," "Since I Met You Baby," "Still Got the Blues," "Stop Messing Around," and "Walking by Myself"), but there is in fact substantial variation from disc to disc. The obvious outlier is the 1990 disc, on which Moore is joined for four superlative songs by legendary Texas guitarist Albert Collins. But the 1997 concert finds Moore moving from straight Chicago-style blues to an alternative metal roar, the guitar cranked up ferociously loud and backed by a mix of live instruments, occasionally chintzy synths, and programmed beats. By 1999, he's returned to the blues, albeit a hard-rocking version that's still closer in spirit to Blueshammer than Buddy Guy. The 2001 set is a mixed bag, running the gamut from a restrained take on "Stormy Monday" to an almost punk rock sprint through Jimi Hendrix's "Fire" and the amp-frying closing instrumental "The Prophet." At each concert, he's backed by a sympathetic and skilled band (including horns in 1990 and 1995), which only draws attention to one of this set's biggest flaws – the total lack of information. Concert dates are provided, but no personnel listings or songwriting credits. It's a shame that the backing musicians are so ill-served, but otherwise, any serious Moore fan would do well to pick this set up and spend an afternoon or two wallowing in six hours of screaming blues-rock guitar.

Reviews #1: Wow nice to get some quality audio releases from these incredible shows. This is a great collection of live shows from across the years for his amazing shows at Montreux. For fans of his hard rock years this set isn't for them. If you have been a fan of his across all aspects of his career then this is the set for you. Although some of his hard rock songs do show up on here it's the blues numbers that really shine. The set has been released (for the most part) on a two set DVD, there are several tracks that were not released on the set. This makes for a compelling reason to get this set. Is it expensive, Yes. Is it worth it, YES. The one thing I would like to see is more of the rest of his live career appear in a nice format like this, Would love a nice full live set from BBM or Colosseum II, or from his tour for the Black Rose LP with Thin Lizzy. Let's go Virgin Record either open the vaults yourself or have another smaller label do it. Wounded Bird Records comes to mind. Doesn't really matter who releases them let's just get them out to the fans. ~ Amazon Customer

#2: If you like Gary Moore, the blues, and live albums then this five CD box set is for you. The career of Gary Moore has now spanned four decades. He has been part of such groups as Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II, and BBM with Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce but it has been his solo work as a blues/rock fusion artist that has brought him the greatest acclaim. He remains one of the best guitarists alive today and has built up a formidable catalogue of close to forty albums. An important part of his ongoing legacy has been his performances at The Montreux Jazz Festival. Eagle Rock Entertainment has now gathered his five appearances and released them in one spectacular box set titled Essential Montreux. Disc one reaches back to 1990. He had just released his classic Still Got The Blues album and it forms the foundation for his twelve song set. He also mixes in some old blues tunes and his guitar work on Peter Green’s “Stop Messin’ Around” and Otis Rush’s “All Your Love” is inspired. A highlight is the guest appearance by legend Albert Collins on “Cold Cold Feeling.”
It would be five years before he returned to Montreux. Disc two presents his entire July 16, 1995 performance of fourteen tunes. The highlights are again a couple of Peter Green compositions from the first Fleetwood Mac album. “Long Grey Mare” and “Merry-Go-Round” both are modernized through his unique blues/rock fusion style. He made a quick return to Montreux during the summer of 1997. Six of the eleven tracks are live versions of material just released on his Dark Days In Paradise album. This was a polished performance as he brought along his regular band which included a keyboard player which gave the music a fuller sound. A terrific version of “Over The Hills” is presented which combines Irish music and Celtic mythology and is a fitting tribute to old friend Phil Lynott. His 1999 performance is presented on disc four and here he returns to some basic blues. He still has a keyboard player on board but now he uses it as a counterpoint for some tasty improvisation. His take of Little Willie John’s “Need Your Love So Bad” lives up to the original. He also proves that he is a formidable songwriter himself as his “Still Got The Blues” is played in all its pulsating glory. His final song is an almost jazz rendition of Phil Lynott’s “Parisienne Walkways” which is a direction he may need to explore more often. His Montreux saga concludes with his 2001 set. He had just released Back To The Blues and such songs as T. Bone Walker’s “Stormy Monday” and B.B. King’s “You Upset Me Baby” form part of his set. His cover of Jimi Hendrix’ “Fire” is a rare performance that comes close to the original. Gary Moore is above all a consummate guitar player and Essential Montreux finds him at his creative best. There is over six hours of music and it just flies by which is the best testament to his talent.

DISC 1 - 1990

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Lossless: 543 Mb | Mp3 (Fraunhofer IIS - 320 kbps): 176 Mb | Label: Eagle Rock | Catalog Number: EAGBX402/A

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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DISC 2 - 1995

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Lossless: 517 Mb | Mp3 (Fraunhofer IIS - 320 kbps): 166 Mb | Label: Eagle Rock | Catalog Number: EAGBX402/B

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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DISC 3 - 1997

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Lossless: 547 Mb | Mp3 (Fraunhofer IIS - 320 kbps): 175 Mb | Label: Eagle Rock | Catalog Number: EAGBX402/C

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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DISC 4 - 1999

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Lossless: 509 Mb | Mp3 (Fraunhofer IIS - 320 kbps): 165 Mb | Label: Eagle Rock | Catalog Number: EAGBX402/D

DISC 5 - 2001

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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Lossless: 492 Mb | Mp3 (Fraunhofer IIS - 320 kbps): 157 Mb | Label: Eagle Rock | Catalog Number: EAGBX402/E

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Gary Moore - Essential Montreux (Special Edition 5 CD Set)

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