Gary Moore Live From London 180g 2LP (Blue Vinyl)

Some shows are so momentous that they pass into rock 'n' roll folklore. When Gary Moore stepped onto the stage of London's Islington Academy on December 2nd, 2009, it was a true one-off, showcasing one of blues-rock's biggest names in an intimate club setting. Nobody in the sell-out crowd that night suspected the great Irish bluesman was close to the end. But when Moore passed away fourteen months later the show took on added poignancy, cherished as one of his last stands, kept alive in the memories of those who attended. Now, a decade later, the release of Live From London resurrects the much-missed Irishman, bringing his blazing talents back into the spotlight, capturing the sparks of that night and bottling a performance that stands amongst Moore's very best.

The prolific Irishman barely paused for a breath during four decades of music. In early years, he earned a guitar-hero reputation from the heavy rock of albums like 1978's Back On The Streets and 1985's Run For Cover (respectively featuring the classic "Parisienne Walkways" and "Out In The Fields", both co-written by Moore and Lynott). But in 1990, Moore returned to his first love with Still Got The Blues, a global hit whose A-list contributors included Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison. Moore was never a one-band man, and he tore through the '70s like a train. Whether igniting his own solo career with 1973's Grinding Stone, or making on/off appearances in Lynott's Thin Lizzy, with whom he recorded classic songs "Still In Love With You", "Waiting For An Alibi", and "Do Anything You Want To". It was testament to the guitarist's versatile talent that during that same decade, he was able to join jazz-fusioneers Colosseum II - and even collaborate with West End composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

The Live From London concert ups the ante, meanwhile, with a home straight of classics, which include the bittersweet melody of "Still Got The Blues" and the seismic stabs of Jimmy Rogers' "Walking By Myself", the crowd roaring back the call-and-response vocal. Finally, for the kiss-off, Moore's mastery of mood lets him shift gears to the poignant "Parisienne Walkways", the UK#8 hit still retaining its love-gone-bad magic, three decades later. It was a never-to-be-repeated night, spoken of in a reverential whisper amongst blues-rock aficionados. But now, with Live From London, you can be there too, thanks to a live album so immersive that listeners can practically feel the crush of the crowd and the heat from the valve amps.