Gary Moore
Wild Frontier

THE REVIEW

Gary Moore, Irish born in '52, is one of the most influential yet often underrated guitarists of his generation.

An artist of the six strings, genuine and fiery, he always preferred the song form over mere spectacle and guitar technique, despite having nothing to envy from more egocentric and prominent guitarists. His career is a continuous alternation between hard rock albums and blues records. Nearly forty years into his career, Moore began very young, lending his guitar skills in the '70s to bands like Skid Row (not the one with Sebastian Bach, of course), Colosseum, and Thin Lizzy (he played on 'Black Rose', one of the best albums by the Irish band).

The eighties opened with him again lending his services to the G-FORCE before starting his true solo career. 'Wild Frontier', his seventh solo album, was released in 1987, one year after the passing of his close friend PHIL LYNOTT, who died a year earlier, swallowed by drugs. The two had already collaborated on Moore's previous album, 'Run For Cover' (1985), and they were supposed to do so again on this new chapter which would instead be dedicated to the departed Lizzy leader.

'Wild Frontier' is an ambitious and experimental album for Moore, who tries to merge Hard Rock and Irish folk to create something new and fresh, if it weren’t all ruined by the prevailing trend of the '80s to use synths and electronic drums to fill every open space in the songs. In short, it would have been a rock masterpiece had it been released a decade earlier, instead, in some points, it is swallowed in a vortex of pompous sound that undermines its endurance over the years. It was Moore himself who regretted publicly not employing a real drummer. But if one overlooks this inconvenience, there are at least six or seven songs worth passing on to posterity.

The first two tracks clearly exemplify Moore's intent. OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY at the opening is an epic piece where rock and folk go hand in hand, thanks to the presence of traditional folk instruments played by the legendary THE CHIEFTAINS, true folk icons of Ireland, the country to which the entire album is dedicated. WILD FRONTIER is the ideal continuation of the splendid 'Military Man', sung by Lynott on the previous 'Run for Cover'. It too was supposed to be sung by the late vocalist. It still remains one of Moore's absolute best songs with lyrics highlighting the natural beauty and ugliness of war in Ireland.

TAKE A LITTLE TIME is an engaging hard rock with a catchy chorus like THUNDER RISING, fast and direct. The instrumental THE LONER is beautiful, showcasing Moore’s full guitar class. FRIDAY ON MY MIND is one of those songs ruined by the synths and keyboards I mentioned earlier, even reminding me of certain Billy Idol things of the time (just a personal feeling). STRANGERS IN THE DARKNESS is a semi-ballad reminiscent of U2 and SIMPLE MINDS from those years. The atmospheric CRYING IN THE SHADOWS closes, where Moore also shows off his excellent voice.

Finally, a mention for NEIL CARTER on keyboards and BOB DAISLEY on bass. On drums... ehm... why did Moore ruin such an album??