I haven't checked out A Different Beat and looking at the description from "wikipedia", it doesn't seem like a worthwhile listen. Gary's guitar with pop-like sensibility, loops, samples, drum machines and dance beats? Hmmm. Lynott was able to experiment on his two solo records, but then again, he was more of a writer, bass player and frontman. With Michael, I've been meaning to check out some of his latter day efforts, particularly the "Temple of Rock" projects. I really kinda dug "The Plot" recording he did with Pete Way back in the early 2000's; I really liked the rawness of his playing on that, even though the songs weren't overtly spectacular and Pete was certainly no Phil Mogg when it came to singing, but RIP.
Good radio broadcast recording this,,Gary Moore in June 1986 at The Milton Keynes Bowl, UK...Other acts on the bill that day, Marillion, Jethro Tull, Magnum and Mama's Boys.
Been years since I listened to The Plot. I thought he & Pete had lost the plot (pun intended) when I first heard it. It's like a punk rock album (?). Schenker's latter day efforts are pretty awful IMO. I like the 1st Temple of Rock probably the most of those because there are some actual melodies on it. A friend of mine hates it and says something like it is too poppy and prefers the next one (Bridge the Gap). We've discussed Schenker up here in this thread already a bunch of times, he needs a singer with a talent for writing melodies over his riffs, like Phil Mogg did in UFO. As much as I love his playing I need melody or songs with melody to stick with me, not just chugga-chugga-chugga riff backgrounds with nothing over top of them. I keep buying his albums anyway, force myself to listen to them once, then they collect dust. Live is a different story though. He has a huge back catalog of good songs to air with his amazing solos over top. If you must explore Temple of Rock go with the Live In Europe release I mentioned a few pages back, even if you buy a scaled down version instead of that limited edition set, there are tons of cool songs on there (a bunch by the Scorpions since his band consisted of the classic Scorps rhythm section). I still wish he would hook up Glenn Hughes. A great singer & songwriter (& bassist) who could steer Michael into actual decent songs. I don't think Schenker wants something like that though. I think he wants to basically call the shots (?). So he works with what a friend of mine calls "ditch singers" who do what their told without trying to say "ugh, this isn't working, there is no melody here)"....
Regarding that, sorry, think I am mixing up threads. Were just talking about that Live In Europe in a different thread a few days agao but can't recall which one.....
Thanks for the opinions and insights on Michael's latter day stuff, will definitely check out the "Live in Europe" release as well as the first Temple of Rock disc also. I'm just glad that he's still out there doing it.
Again my apologies for confusing threads. I think the Schenker discussions including the recent mention of Live In Europe are in the The "Official" All Purpose Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Thread. OK...found it here: The "Official" All Purpose Heavy Metal and Hard Rock Thread I really dig this live release a lot, so cool to hear all the Scorpions songs done live by Michael: This was the first Temple of Rock tour (they have another live album a few years later) but ironically features only ONE song from that album. I don't recall all of the flavors this came out but might be (1) simple CD of the main concert, (2) DVD of the main concert, (3) blu-ray of the main concert, (4) a boxset/book like above but without the bonus DVD, and (5) what I have that is pictured above, with the bonus DVD that has like an hour rehearsal with no vocals in a backroom dive rehearsal room in Brighton warts & all, jamming away.
That was a great day. Love Magnum and Marillion too. That was just before Magnum released the Vigilante album and was around their peak for me. It was Marillions “Welcome To The Garden Party” all dayer. Gary was second on the bill and put on a great show. I used to have a tape of the full day off the radio, long lost, so thanks for sharing.
AFAIK the rights situation is affecting the entirety of his Virgin catalogue, i.e. the blues albums too. What I heard was that deluxe editions had been compiled but couldn't be released because of the legal wrangling A straightforward reissue of an album (Still Got the Blues got a vinyl reissue, for instance) seems possible, though. I avoided the album for a long time because of how it's been described, but I don't think it's that bad. It's more guitar-centric than Dark Days in Paradise and the Hendrix cover is pretty free of programming. There are a couple of duds (although "Can't Help Myself" is curious because he plays a lot of bass on it, it wears me out after a while, and the remix was unnecessary; "We Want Love" is a bit odd; "Fatboy" I find enjoyable but I'm sure many won't, as it's very unusual) but if you can accept electronics mixed with blues, it's rather interesting. His singing and guitar playing isn't much different from the blues albums following it. Here he is playing the opener "Go On Home" on TV and it gives a good glimpse of what he was up to at the time: (Also one of the rare opportunities to see him play with a slide.)
Thanks for sharing your opinions and overview of "A Different Beat" and also the clip of "Go On Home". That gives me a better perspective of what to expect from this curious musical experiment he tried for. He once said in an interview regarding Lynott and the punk scene of the late 70's and how he formed the short-lived "Greedies" project with ex-Sex Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jones, that trying different styles of music was a healthy approach as a musician. Basically implying that it was vital to one's craft in not limiting yourself to a particular style, which is quite true in a personal sense. It seems with "A Different Beat" this was the approach he did at that particular time. Was it a worthwhile experiment? Perhaps. To the fans, maybe not so much, but from his inner creative soul, hey, it was worth a shot at something different and unique. And really, that's all that really matters in regards to the artist or musician.
If you haven't heard it yet, allow me to recommend 2018's Resurrection. (Sorry for the off-topic post)
A Different Beat is one of my favorites by Gary. Regardless of subjective taste, if you love Gary Moore, you’d be crazy to not, at least, listen to Surrender and Lost in Your Love from that album.
Yes, those are both good tracks. "Surrender" was also a great live track, as you can hear on the live discs from the Blues & Beyond box set which otherwise mostly previewed material that would appear on Back to the Blues. And I found a really intense live version of "Lost In Your Love" too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKRLfJwvXH8&list=PLtchHDR9npQWO_wztMPpdfBZs4leRCw0Y&index=4 After I wrote my above comment, I realized that it's really the second half or last third of A Different Beat where I start to lose interest. If he'd kept the album at a shorter length, I think I'd rate it quite well. (The outtake "Looking at Your Picture" from How Blue Can You Get isn't bad, and I'd probably have included it instead of something else.)
I must give it another spin, haven't played it in a long time. Fatboy was an instant skip for me though!
It's one of his most unusual tracks for sure - reminds me of some of Billy Gibbons' experiments, and, possibly, also Jeff Beck (RIP). The intro is the worst thing IMO. Here's a track that apparently comes from the early stages of Dark Days in Paradise but doesn't really sound anything like that album, as it's much bluesier. "My Foolish Pride" was released as a b-side on the single "I Have Found My Love In You":
I love the BBM album. I was on the edge when considering Greg Lakes KBFH album. Once I found out Gary was on it, I bought it.
I was just watching One Night in Dublin. What a fantastic performance and great tribute to Phil Lynott. I had a hard time accepting any Thin Lizzy lineup post-Phil but had Gary Moore been fronting it I think I would have been more open to the idea. Shame we lost him so young. Moore should have grown old like the great blues guitarists. I was introduced to him as a kid when Corridors of Power and Victims of the Future were getting air play on US radio. Loved the blues records too. Just a talented, versatile guitar player.
I used to Play the Tracks that Gary plays On from Gary Boyles "Electric Glide " for My Guitar Snob Buddies , some Serious Playing there . Other Faves are Nuclear Attack , Toughest Street in Town ,Black Rose and the Opening Track From Corridors of Power , just to mention a few off the Top of my Head .
I love that DVD and agree with most of what yer saying. I just wish he hadn't opened with his lame texas-style blues song Walking By Myself and kept his set to all Phil/Lizzy related songs like it was supposed to be. I remember some people that were there at the time complaining bitterly about that & slagging him off on various forums etc later. They took him opening up his set with that song, since the show was supposed to be a salute to Phil, and nothing to do with Gary's blues career, as a personal insult. I guess he did it as a warmup or something, I dunno. I made my own CDR audio from the DVD so I could listen to it in the car and I purposely edited that song out since it just does not fit with the rest of the music at all. If he had opened with Military Man or Out In the Fields that would have been stellar though.
Seriously? We’re not done with this in 2023? Give me a break. «A thread on the Thin Lizzy discussion forums suggested that you were guilty of hogging the limelight a little. [Sighs deeply] Well, Brian Downey suggested opening with Walking By Myself [a Jimmy Rogers song from Still Got The Blues], and I thought it would be really arrogant to go out and play Jailbreak first. I didn’t want anyone to think I was trying to be Phil, it was just to break the ice. It was a Gary Moore gig but was my idea to share it with the Lizzy guys. I really take offence at that. I bet that **** all came from Dublin. If I hadn’t put the gig together it wouldn’t have happened. So those ****s can all **** off.»
That's interesting. Obviously I was unaware of the background. But yes I stand by what I said - him opening with that DID cause some discontent and drama on the forums from people who were there and not expecting that song to be the opener, and they blamed Gary for that, hogging the limelight, being an arrogant jerk or something. And me personally, I hate that song and wish he hadn't opened with it, even now in 2023, and am entitled to voice my opinion.
