I am turning to another musical genre I love for this week's song: The Blues. I don’t recall how I got into the musical style, although as a 16-year-old, I did buy Clapton’s second solo album, released in 1974, 461 Ocean Boulevard, and while it is not what I regard as ‘Blues’, being more funk/rock, the song Let it grow did get under my skin. It also led me to the 1966 LP John Mayall's Blues Breakers with Clapton on Guitar, which aligned more with the blues I enjoy.
Then, further down the road, I encountered a guitarist in a band called Collesium II when I bought their 1977 album Electric Savage and the track Rivers got me hooked! So, you may already have sussed that I am heading to the work of Belfast-born Robert William Gary Moore, particularly his 1992 After Hours album, track 3 Story of the Blues.
This song epitomises the style of blues that ‘floats my boat’, the languid, slowly picked notes layered over a slow, rolling staccato drum and symbol filled out occasionally by the wonderful Hammond organ. Perhaps surprisingly, I usually don’t like harsh brass, but it does work on this track! I have also chosen a live version, as it also includes a video!
If this is a new song to you, I hope you enjoy the experience……oh, and by the way, I could have chosen any number of Gary’s solo tracks!
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