Still Got the Blues
Encyclopedia
Still Got the Blues is a 1990 album
by guitarist Gary Moore
. Prior to this album Moore's work had consisted of predominantly jazz-fusion with Colosseum II
and rock
and hard rock
styles including his work with Skid Row
, Thin Lizzy
, G-Force
as well as a large repertoire of solo work. This album, as evidenced by its title, is a departure from hard rock to an electric blues
style.
Still Got the Blues has been arguably the most successful of Moore's solo albums as it was well received by old fans and also converted many who had never before heard of the Irish guitarist. The album's visibility and success was assisted by contributions from well known veterans Albert King
, Albert Collins
and George Harrison
. Moore chose to record his lead vocal in the control room with the then just released Shure Beta 58 supercardiod microphone rather than the studio typical big phantom powered condensor microphone in a sound booth. It is argued that this assisted him to achieve as greater passion and live feel whilst still maintaining studio polish.
The title track was released on the single format and reached #97 on the Billboard Hot 100
on 16 February 1991. It is the only single of Moore's to chart in the Billboard Hot 100.
The album reached #83 on the Billboard 200
on 16 February 1991, then was certified gold by the RIAA on November 1995. This is the most successful album both in sales and chart positions from Gary Moore in the US.
) by the German band Jud's Gallery. Moore denied knowing of the song, due to its unavailability on record or CD at the time of studio work on his album; the court stated that the song could have been heard on the radio or in a live performance during that time. The court also stated that there was no evidence that the guitar solo was lifted from "Nordrach", but copyright infringement does not depend on outright theft. Moore was ordered to pay Jürgen Winter, leader of Jud's Gallery, an undisclosed amount in damages.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by guitarist Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
. Prior to this album Moore's work had consisted of predominantly jazz-fusion with Colosseum II
Colosseum II
Colosseum II was a British band formed in 1975 by the former Colosseum drummer and leader, Jon Hiseman, following the 1974 demise of his band Tempest. Hiseman announced his plan to form the band eventually named Colosseum II in November 1974, but only Gary Moore was named. Rehearsals were due to...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
styles including his work with Skid Row
Skid Row (blues-rock band)
Skid Row was a Dublin based blues-rock band of the late 1960s and early 1970s, fronted by Brendan "Brush" Shiels...
, Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
, G-Force
G-Force (Gary Moore album)
G-Force is a 1980 album by the namesake UK-American band led by Gary Moore. Moore was on an American tour with Thin Lizzy and left the band mid-tour. He went to Los Angeles in an attempt to make a solo rock presence...
as well as a large repertoire of solo work. This album, as evidenced by its title, is a departure from hard rock to an electric blues
Electric blues
Electric blues is a type of blues music distinguished by the amplification of the guitar, bass guitar, drums, and often the harmonica. Pioneered in the 1930s, it emerged as a genre in Chicago in the 1940s. It was taken up in many areas of America leading to the development of regional subgenres...
style.
Still Got the Blues has been arguably the most successful of Moore's solo albums as it was well received by old fans and also converted many who had never before heard of the Irish guitarist. The album's visibility and success was assisted by contributions from well known veterans Albert King
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
, Albert Collins
Albert Collins
Albert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
and George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
. Moore chose to record his lead vocal in the control room with the then just released Shure Beta 58 supercardiod microphone rather than the studio typical big phantom powered condensor microphone in a sound booth. It is argued that this assisted him to achieve as greater passion and live feel whilst still maintaining studio polish.
The title track was released on the single format and reached #97 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on 16 February 1991. It is the only single of Moore's to chart in the Billboard Hot 100.
The album reached #83 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
on 16 February 1991, then was certified gold by the RIAA on November 1995. This is the most successful album both in sales and chart positions from Gary Moore in the US.
Plagiarism case
On December 3, 2008, a Munich, Germany court ruled that the guitar solo on the title track was plagiarized from a 1974 song called "Nordrach" (named after a villageNordrach
Nordrach is a municipality in the district of Ortenau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
) by the German band Jud's Gallery. Moore denied knowing of the song, due to its unavailability on record or CD at the time of studio work on his album; the court stated that the song could have been heard on the radio or in a live performance during that time. The court also stated that there was no evidence that the guitar solo was lifted from "Nordrach", but copyright infringement does not depend on outright theft. Moore was ordered to pay Jürgen Winter, leader of Jud's Gallery, an undisclosed amount in damages.
Track listing
Personnel
- Gary MooreGary MooreRobert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
- lead vocals, leadLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
s - Don AireyDon AireyDonald Airey has been the keyboardist in the rock band Deep Purple since 2002, succeeding Jon Lord...
- keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Stuart Brooks - trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Albert CollinsAlbert CollinsAlbert Collins was an American electric blues guitarist and singer whose recording career began in the 1960s in Houston and whose fame eventually took him to stages across the US, Europe, Japan and Australia...
- guitar - Bob DaisleyBob DaisleyRobert John "Bob" Daisley is an Australian musician, bassist and lyricist who has performed in genres of rock, blues, R&B, hard rock and metal.-Early career:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Raul d'Oliveira - trumpet
- Brian DowneyBrian Downey (drummer)Brian Michael Downey is an Irish drummer.Downey is the drummer and a founding member of the rock band Thin Lizzy, and a friend from childhood of co-founder and frontman Phil Lynott. Along with Lynott, Downey was the only constant member of the pioneering hard rock group until their break-up in...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Martin Drover - trumpet
- Andy HamiltonAndy Hamilton (saxophonist)Andy Raphael Thomas Hamilton MBE is a Jamaican-born British jazz saxophonist and composer.Hamilton was born in Port Maria, Jamaica, and learnt to play saxophone on a bamboo instrument...
- saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846... - George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
- guitar, vocals - Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
- keyboards - Albert KingAlbert KingAlbert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
- guitar - Frank Mead - saxophone
- Nick Payn - saxophone
- Nick Pentelow - saxophone
- Andy PyleAndy PyleAndy Pyle is an English bass guitarist. He played with The Kinks from 1976–1978. Prior to that, he was in Blodwyn Pig and Savoy Brown...
- bass guitar - Graham Walker - drums
- Mick WeaverMick WeaverMick Weaver is a session musician best known for his playing of the Hammond B3 organ and is a much respected exponent of the Blues and Funk styles.-Career:...
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Gavyn WrightGavyn WrightGavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra, best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions as well as numerous TV and movie soundtracks Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London...
- strings