GARY MOORE
Back On The Streets
Universal Music
5341873
UPC | 600753418734
Made in Europe
1978, 2013
“You can really hear everything that’s good about Gary on the album,” says co-producer Chris Tsangarides. “There’s blues, aggressive rock, jazz, technical ability...perhaps unlike any of his other albums, this does represent the whole of his greatness.
“Maybe it was because we were all a bit naive at the time. I’d never produced anyone before, and there was no template on which to base this album, because Gary had never done a solo album before. So, we didn’t have a precedent on which to base it. Therefore anything was possible.”
And so it proved, on an album now rightly acclaimed as true signpost of Moore’s diverse brilliance.
Tsangarides had first met Moore when he’d been the assistant engineer on the famed Colosseum II albums, on which Moore had played.
“It also helped a little that I was based at Morgan Studios in North-West London (which was then owned by Colosseum II’s management). So I got the nod for the engineer’s job on the album. And then Gary said to me, ‘Well, you might as well produce it with me'. I never thought he meant it, but of course he did. I suppose our relationship was that I was very much the studio technician and Gary was the artist. It was a case of, ‘You play it son, and I'll record it’.”
One of the first jobs Tsangarides was asked to do was recommend a drummer to Moore, and the man he chose was Simon Phillips.
“Like me, he was a young man trying to make his way in the music business, and I’d worked with him on sessions, so put his name forward." Phillips says of his selection:“I was called to play on the record. I can’t remember by whom, but possibly Chris Tsangerides - the engineer/producer. He was a staff engineer at Morgan Studios in Willesden Green, and I was always there recording for someone in those days.”. Keyboard player Don Airey has a vivid recollection of how Moore got his solo deal. “The Colosseum II management at the time got us a deal with MCA, and off the back of that they got Gary his own deal.
“Gary, myself and Colosseum II’s bassist John Mole did a lot of rehearsing together, just as a trio for this album. Then Gary brought in Simon Phillips. He was just 20 years old, but floored us with how good he was. Why wasn't Jon Hiseman (Colosseum II's drummer) involved? Well, that would have made it just another Colosseum II album with all four of us, wouldn’t it? As far as I recall, Jon was fine about it all. He even came down to the studio to listen to what we’d done.” The initial idea was for Moore to make a jazz- fusion record, not too dissimilar to the ones he had done with Colosseum II.
“It was supposed to be an instrumental album, in the same vein as Jeff Beck,” recalls Tsangarides. “And the whole thing was very much live off the floor, with my input very limited by the situation. But then after we’d done these sessions, Gary played me a song he had on cassette. It was ‘Parisienne Walkways’, and I knew then we had to record it.
“Gary had said he wanted to get Phil Lynott and Brian Downey on it from Thin Lizzy, and that’s when the second part of the album was born.” Phillips thought he’d actually played on what was to be the entire record.
“I played the whole album, as it was at that stage. He decided later to record a song or two with a different line-up. I had a blast doing the sessions. It was all live - 16-track recording. Gary was to the left of me with his full rig - two sets of Marshall 4 x 12s and Wem copycats (echo units) for each channel. John Mole to my right on bass, and Don Airy also to my right.”
‘Parisienne Walkways’ was originally a Colosseum II song, Airey says he was surprised that lyrics were added to this. “I wasn’t expecting that at all. But I knew Gary wanted to do something a bit more in the Lizzy vein with Phil and Brian, and that was after we’d done our sessions. Actually, I was disappointed not to be asked to play on this. And years later, Gary did tell me how remorseful he was about it.”
It was Phil Lynott who suggested adding lyrics to this song, as Tsangarides attests.
“He thought it would make it more commercial, and Phil already had some lyrics he felt would work. So, that’s where those verses came from. Of course he was right.”
‘Parisienne Walkways’ would reach number eight in the UK singles chart, ands also hit the Top Ten in France. Moreover, as Moore himself pointed out to Guitar Player magazine in 2007, it would also inspire one particular guitarist, namely Randy Rhoads.
"He loved ‘Parisienne Walkways. In fact, he liked that track so much he used the melody for the outro solo to ‘Mr. Crowley’ Randy definitely got that from me.” While he was together with Downey and Lynott, Moore also decided to do a new version of ‘Don’t Believe A Word’, which was originally on the Thin Lizzy album ‘Johnny The Fox’.
“Actually, the way the three of them did it was the manner in it was supposed to be done originally," offers Tsangarides. They also did a new, rather amusing song called 'Fanatical Fascists’, which was inspired by the punk movement, still very much a dominant force at the time the album was recorded (in the spring of 1978).
Airey also took advantage of state-of- the-art technology to add one or two extra flourishes.
“I’d just bought a CS-80 synthesizer, and I do recall using it for the intro to the song ‘Flight Of The Snow Moose’. I remember one of the music arrangers at Morgan, Stan Butcher, being amazed that you could get a string section sound just on a keyboard!”
The album was released in September 1978, and while it only reached number 70 in the UK charts, this became a major cornerstone of Gary Moore’s career. And everyone involved in the project has nothing but the fondest of memories of their involvement.
“I haven’t heard it in a while now, but I always thought it was a great organic album,” says Phillips.
Don Airey looks back at the sessions as being fun and going remarkably smoothly.
“I think the recording in which I was involved took six days altogether. Then there was another week with Gary, Phil and Brian working together. After that it was just a case of me adding a few overdubs and everything was done.
“The whole thing was just such great fun. As compared to the recording sessions we did with Coloseum II it went by so fast. It also helped that everyone had such a great time. Chris Tsangarides was a laugh a minute, and this rubbed off on everyone else. You know something special’s going on when things move as fast as they did here.”
“For me, this album made all the difference to my career,” admits Tsangaridis. “Being involved with something like ‘Back On The Streets’ was such a boost. I went into it as a unknown, but suddenly people wanted to work with me. And I also made contacts and friendships that would last.
“It was a great project to do, and I do have such fond memories. For instance, at one point we had to change studios because it was too loud in the one where we were, and I wanted to get more amps in to make it even louder!”
The album also showcased the way in which Moore himself liked to work in the studio, as he pointed out in 2011.
“In the studio it’s usually just one rhythm and one lead track. I keep it pretty basic because I don’t like to take away from the bigness of the sound. The more you put on there, the smaller the guitar gets. The guitar has its own sound and it doesn’t
have to be embarrassed by adding more to it.
“Sometimes I work the solos out, but not in terms of scales. I work them out in terms of what fits the song. I pick up and down until it gets to a certain speed, and then I hit everything in sight. I don’t play, or think, modally when I play.”
There’s no doubt that Gary Moore’s reputation as a magnificent and highly influential and hugely inspirational solo artist was sealed right here. The style, definition and caliber of everything on the album is of the very best. The song craft was matched by the musicality, and despite the fact that you can hear two very different approaches,
they harmonize beautifully, thereby making this one of the truly great albums of the era. And those who worked with Moore have nothing but the fondest memories of the process and the outcome.
“It’s a great album with which to have been involved,” concludes Tsangarides.
MALCOLM DOME, London, September 2011
AUDIO CD
BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED
BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED
Universal Music
5341873
UPC | 600753418734
Made in Europe
1978, 2013
TRACK LISTING
01. Back On The Streets
02. Dont Believe A Word
03. Fanatical Fascists
04. Flight Of The Snow Moose
05. Hurricane
06. Song For Donna
07. What Would You Rather Bee Or A Wasp
08. Parisienne Walkways
BONUS TRACKS
09. Track Nine
10. Spanish Guitar (Phil Lynott vocals)
11. Spanish Guitar (Gary Moore Version)
12. Spanish Guitar (Instrumental)
“You can really hear everything that’s good about Gary on the album,” says co-producer Chris Tsangarides. “There’s blues, aggressive rock, jazz, technical ability...perhaps unlike any of his other albums, this does represent the whole of his greatness.
“Maybe it was because we were all a bit naive at the time. I’d never produced anyone before, and there was no template on which to base this album, because Gary had never done a solo album before. So, we didn’t have a precedent on which to base it. Therefore anything was possible.”
And so it proved, on an album now rightly acclaimed as true signpost of Moore’s diverse brilliance.
Tsangarides had first met Moore when he’d been the assistant engineer on the famed Colosseum II albums, on which Moore had played.
“It also helped a little that I was based at Morgan Studios in North-West London (which was then owned by Colosseum II’s management). So I got the nod for the engineer’s job on the album. And then Gary said to me, ‘Well, you might as well produce it with me'. I never thought he meant it, but of course he did. I suppose our relationship was that I was very much the studio technician and Gary was the artist. It was a case of, ‘You play it son, and I'll record it’.”
One of the first jobs Tsangarides was asked to do was recommend a drummer to Moore, and the man he chose was Simon Phillips.
“Like me, he was a young man trying to make his way in the music business, and I’d worked with him on sessions, so put his name forward." Phillips says of his selection:“I was called to play on the record. I can’t remember by whom, but possibly Chris Tsangerides - the engineer/producer. He was a staff engineer at Morgan Studios in Willesden Green, and I was always there recording for someone in those days.”. Keyboard player Don Airey has a vivid recollection of how Moore got his solo deal. “The Colosseum II management at the time got us a deal with MCA, and off the back of that they got Gary his own deal.
“Gary, myself and Colosseum II’s bassist John Mole did a lot of rehearsing together, just as a trio for this album. Then Gary brought in Simon Phillips. He was just 20 years old, but floored us with how good he was. Why wasn't Jon Hiseman (Colosseum II's drummer) involved? Well, that would have made it just another Colosseum II album with all four of us, wouldn’t it? As far as I recall, Jon was fine about it all. He even came down to the studio to listen to what we’d done.” The initial idea was for Moore to make a jazz- fusion record, not too dissimilar to the ones he had done with Colosseum II.
“It was supposed to be an instrumental album, in the same vein as Jeff Beck,” recalls Tsangarides. “And the whole thing was very much live off the floor, with my input very limited by the situation. But then after we’d done these sessions, Gary played me a song he had on cassette. It was ‘Parisienne Walkways’, and I knew then we had to record it.
“Gary had said he wanted to get Phil Lynott and Brian Downey on it from Thin Lizzy, and that’s when the second part of the album was born.” Phillips thought he’d actually played on what was to be the entire record.
“I played the whole album, as it was at that stage. He decided later to record a song or two with a different line-up. I had a blast doing the sessions. It was all live - 16-track recording. Gary was to the left of me with his full rig - two sets of Marshall 4 x 12s and Wem copycats (echo units) for each channel. John Mole to my right on bass, and Don Airy also to my right.”
‘Parisienne Walkways’ was originally a Colosseum II song, Airey says he was surprised that lyrics were added to this. “I wasn’t expecting that at all. But I knew Gary wanted to do something a bit more in the Lizzy vein with Phil and Brian, and that was after we’d done our sessions. Actually, I was disappointed not to be asked to play on this. And years later, Gary did tell me how remorseful he was about it.”
It was Phil Lynott who suggested adding lyrics to this song, as Tsangarides attests.
“He thought it would make it more commercial, and Phil already had some lyrics he felt would work. So, that’s where those verses came from. Of course he was right.”
‘Parisienne Walkways’ would reach number eight in the UK singles chart, ands also hit the Top Ten in France. Moreover, as Moore himself pointed out to Guitar Player magazine in 2007, it would also inspire one particular guitarist, namely Randy Rhoads.
"He loved ‘Parisienne Walkways. In fact, he liked that track so much he used the melody for the outro solo to ‘Mr. Crowley’ Randy definitely got that from me.” While he was together with Downey and Lynott, Moore also decided to do a new version of ‘Don’t Believe A Word’, which was originally on the Thin Lizzy album ‘Johnny The Fox’.
“Actually, the way the three of them did it was the manner in it was supposed to be done originally," offers Tsangarides. They also did a new, rather amusing song called 'Fanatical Fascists’, which was inspired by the punk movement, still very much a dominant force at the time the album was recorded (in the spring of 1978).
Airey also took advantage of state-of- the-art technology to add one or two extra flourishes.
“I’d just bought a CS-80 synthesizer, and I do recall using it for the intro to the song ‘Flight Of The Snow Moose’. I remember one of the music arrangers at Morgan, Stan Butcher, being amazed that you could get a string section sound just on a keyboard!”
The album was released in September 1978, and while it only reached number 70 in the UK charts, this became a major cornerstone of Gary Moore’s career. And everyone involved in the project has nothing but the fondest of memories of their involvement.
“I haven’t heard it in a while now, but I always thought it was a great organic album,” says Phillips.
Don Airey looks back at the sessions as being fun and going remarkably smoothly.
“I think the recording in which I was involved took six days altogether. Then there was another week with Gary, Phil and Brian working together. After that it was just a case of me adding a few overdubs and everything was done.
“The whole thing was just such great fun. As compared to the recording sessions we did with Coloseum II it went by so fast. It also helped that everyone had such a great time. Chris Tsangarides was a laugh a minute, and this rubbed off on everyone else. You know something special’s going on when things move as fast as they did here.”
“For me, this album made all the difference to my career,” admits Tsangaridis. “Being involved with something like ‘Back On The Streets’ was such a boost. I went into it as a unknown, but suddenly people wanted to work with me. And I also made contacts and friendships that would last.
“It was a great project to do, and I do have such fond memories. For instance, at one point we had to change studios because it was too loud in the one where we were, and I wanted to get more amps in to make it even louder!”
The album also showcased the way in which Moore himself liked to work in the studio, as he pointed out in 2011.
“In the studio it’s usually just one rhythm and one lead track. I keep it pretty basic because I don’t like to take away from the bigness of the sound. The more you put on there, the smaller the guitar gets. The guitar has its own sound and it doesn’t
have to be embarrassed by adding more to it.
“Sometimes I work the solos out, but not in terms of scales. I work them out in terms of what fits the song. I pick up and down until it gets to a certain speed, and then I hit everything in sight. I don’t play, or think, modally when I play.”
There’s no doubt that Gary Moore’s reputation as a magnificent and highly influential and hugely inspirational solo artist was sealed right here. The style, definition and caliber of everything on the album is of the very best. The song craft was matched by the musicality, and despite the fact that you can hear two very different approaches,
they harmonize beautifully, thereby making this one of the truly great albums of the era. And those who worked with Moore have nothing but the fondest memories of the process and the outcome.
“It’s a great album with which to have been involved,” concludes Tsangarides.
MALCOLM DOME, London, September 2011
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