Grinding Stone (album)
| Grinding Stone | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1973 | |||
| Genre | Blues-rock, hard rock, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 48:31 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Producer | Martin Birch | |||
| The Gary Moore Band chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Classic Rock | [2] |
Grinding Stone is the only album by The Gary Moore Band, released in 1973. It was recorded between Moore leaving Skid Row and joining Thin Lizzy, and contains a mixture of styles that are a departure from his later solo work.
Background
Moore put the band together after leaving the group Skid Row, signing to CBS Records. At the time, Moore was unsure about which direction he wanted to take his music in, and consequently the album features a variety of different styles.[2] These included the title track's blues shuffle, double-tracked lead guitars on "Time To Heal" and "Spirit", Latin rhythms reminiscent of Santana, and slide guitar on "Boogie My Way Back Home".[2][3] Keyboardist Jan Schelhaas guested on the album, as did Irish guitarist Philip Donnelly.[1]
Moore split the band up to replace Eric Bell in Thin Lizzy. Drummer Pearse Kelly briefly covered for Thin Lizzy's Brian Downey while he was ill.[4][5] He would revisit some of the jazz fusion styles explored on the album with the group Colosseum II.[1]
Reception
The album was favourably reviewed by Billboard, who thought "Sail Across the Mountain" was the best track.[6] It was not a commercial success, and did not chart. Moore would not release another album under his own name until Back on the Streets five years later, after several years in Colosseum II and another stint in Thin Lizzy.[2]
A retrospective review in AllMusic was mixed, saying that while the eclectic and varied styles were interesting, it was definitely not Moore's best album. However, it felt the album explained Moore's jump in styles from Skid Row to Colosseum II, and that it was an overlooked album in his solo career.[1]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Gary Moore
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Grinding Stone" (instrumental) | 9:42 |
| 2. | "Time to Heal" | 6:22 |
| 3. | "Sail Across the Mountain" | 6:59 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 4. | "The Energy Dance" (instrumental) | 2:29 |
| 5. | "Spirit" | 17:16 |
| 6. | "Boogie My Way Back Home" | 5:38 |
Personnel
- The Gary Moore Band
- Gary Moore – lead guitar, vocals
- John Curtis – bass guitar
- Pearse Kelly – drums, percussion
- Additional musicians
- Frank Boylan – bass guitar
- Philip Donnelly – rhythm guitar
- Jan Schelhaas – keyboards
- Production
- Martin Birch – producer, engineer
References
- ^ a b c d Lovén, Lars. Grinding Stone at AllMusic
- ^ a b c d Fielder, Hugh (October 2017). "The Gary Moore Band - Grinding Stone". Classic Rock. No. 241. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
- ^ "The Gary Moore Band - Grinding Stone". Record Collector. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ "Irish rock guitarist Gary Moore: an obituary". BBC News. 7 February 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ Bryne, Alan (2006). Thin Lizzy. SAF Publishing Ltd. pp. 60–61. ISBN 978-0-946-71981-5.
- ^ "Billboard's Recommends LPs". Billboard. 14 December 1974. p. 30. Retrieved 31 August 2020.