Seeing as how he was probably my greatest hero, his death came as a great shock, and made that day one of the most depressing in recent memory. These last ten days I have been thinking a great deal of how to put into words what a terrible tragedy this is.
Gary Moore was a man who kept busy throughout his career. You'll find his name alongside some of the very greatest in the industry; Bob Daisley, Cozy Powell, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Neil Murray. He covered every possible genre, from jazz with a swing to ruthless heavy metal, and excelled at all of them. At one point, he even incorporated elements of techno beats into his experimental album "A Different Beat".
I have strong memories from the time when I was first introduced to his music. I was exposed to it by my elder brother, who used to play Lost in Your Love and Wild Frontier on his huge stereo. At this point, I should mention, I had scarcely heard more than a few bits here and there, but I absolutely loved it.
Thus, one day, when we were ordering CDs from Ginza, as we would always make joint orders for the family to cut down on shipping charges, my brother bought a limited edition of Blood of Emeralds, the Very Best of Gary Moore Part 2, that featured an extra CD with special versions of some of Gary's top songs. Now, that record had some great song,s and the bonus CD had the one I loved the most; a live version of Wild Frontier.
But somehow, I felt that something was held back, as if I was just standing at the edge of a great lake, ready to dive in. So I ordered the CD I really wanted; Out in the Fields, The Very Best of Gary Moore Part 1.
I remember vividly when I got it. We were on vacation in Småland, and we celebrated the birthday of my grandfather, if memory serves. My father and elder brother were coming by train, and the CD I ordered had just arrived back home, so they were bringing it.
I got permission to sit in the car and listen to it, and it was the most awesome thing ever! I must've listened to Out In The Fields and Wild Frontier fifty times over the course of that holiday!
If it weren't for Gary, I would've never come across Thin Lizzy or Iron Maiden, and whatever part of me that is a rocker I owe entirely to him.
In the lyrics of the song "Hero" by Europe, we find this line of text that I'd like to dedicate to him:
"You're still my hero, my friday night
You wrote the soundtrack to my life
You give me something to hold onto
As I'm still growing up, you are the rock in my life"
Rest in peace, and know that we love you!
