And here’s Moore guitar…

I have committed a grievous offense. A few days ago I posted a blog about some of the greatest guitarists I have come across but neglected to mention a legend, who after Peter Frampton, inspired me the most to start playing, err… air guitar.

I’m going to put that right now and I hope the atoms that once was Gary Moore will forgive my error of omission. Here’s a song which he co-wrote with Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy. There’s a point in the song where he appears to hold or sustain a note for around 26 seconds in some live versions and it has always fascinated me. Seems like a neat trick, but it’s explained quite simply here.

Incidentally, I would never have associated Parisienne Walkways with Figure Skating, but this bit of trivia might interest you. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan broke his own world record at the 2014 Sochi Olympics skating to Parisienne Walkways, with a world record score of 101.45.

Note: The video above is from 2013, the Fukuoka, Japan, ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final, not the Sochi Olympics.

Whisky in the Jar – Lynott, Moore & Metallica

There’s nothing quite like a catchy guitar riff. I suppose all lovers of rock music have their own personal favorites. Mine is Parisienne Walkways by the late great Gary Moore.

But this tribute is not about Parisienne Walkways, but about Whisky in the Jar, one of my all-time favorite rock songs, by Thin Lizzy. Phil Lynott, the frontman for Thin Lizzy would have been 62 this month, had his genius endured. Thankfully good music survives the ravages of time and the living can still drown in the ecstasy of sound.

My preferred version of Whisky in the Jar is by Phil Lynott & Thin Lizzy, but there are at least two other versions which I’m partial to. Here’s the Thin Lizzy version:

And the Metallica version:

Perhaps the Gary Moore version does it for you:

I’ll leave it up to you to decide which is your personal choice. Whatever it is though, you can’t be wrong…