Gary Moore - Run for Cover
- FaceOff - עימות חזיתי
- 45 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Written By: Moti Kupfer
Release date - 02.09.1985
I could not find a reliable source confirming the three Gary Moore quotations word-for-word, so I’ve followed your rule and converted them into narration rather than presenting them as direct quotes. The factual details about "Run for Cover", Lynott’s participation and the album chronology are consistent with available sources.
Gary Moore later recalled that he was on holiday in Tenerife when his wife, reading the Sunday newspaper, suddenly began gasping in shock. He immediately understood what had happened. His close friend, musician Phil Lynott, had died.
Moore described the news as devastating. It took him several days before he was able to cry, and several more months before he truly accepted that Lynott was not coming back. Even years later, he would sometimes dream that Phil was still alive and talking to him.
The shock was enormous. Moore knew that Lynott had become dependent on painkillers and was drinking heavily, but only a few months earlier the two friends had collaborated on "Run for Cover", Moore's fifth solo album, released on September 2, 1985.
Moore would later remember one of the things he valued most about Phil: even when they were not working together, he could always turn to him. Whenever Moore felt confused about what was happening in the music scene, Lynott had a way of putting everything into perspective and calming him down. It was that kind of guidance and friendship that Moore continued to miss after his death.
In many ways, on January 4, 1986, Gary Moore lost his musical big brother, his former colleague in "Thin Lizzy", and a true friend who had always been there when he needed advice.
In 1984, Gary Moore released "Victims of the Future", an album that successfully connected him with a younger heavy metal audience. He appeared at the "Castle Donington" festival and became an increasingly prominent name outside Britain as well. "Empty Rooms" demonstrated his ability to move naturally between tender balladry and powerful, heavy guitars.
As mentioned, the final chord of the collaboration between these two musical giants was recorded on Moore's next album, "Run for Cover". They were joined there by two other musicians who had previously crossed paths with Moore: bassist Glenn Hughes, formerly of "Deep Purple", who had also worked with Moore in "G-Force", and former "Roxy Music" drummer Paul Thompson.
Just before making his major transition to the blues and becoming a worldwide legend, Gary Moore recorded one of the less-discussed albums of his extensive career. Yet in many ways, it was actually one of its most important crossroads, and a rare opportunity to hear Moore at his best as a hard rock virtuoso.
Moore, already known as an experienced and highly respected guitarist, proves here that his songwriting abilities were every bit as impressive, while delivering pure, commercial hard rock.
Some of the material on "Run for Cover" recalls the "Thin Lizzy" period and the heavy metal sound of the early and mid-1970s. Other songs point more clearly toward the softer and more delicate material Gary Moore would record following this album. In that sense, "Run for Cover" stands at the junction of two possible directions his career could have taken at the time. Add the thunderous bass, the smooth vocals and the unmistakable presence of Phil Lynott, and you get an album that remains somewhat underrated.
The two tracks featuring Phil Lynott sharing vocals with Gary Moore, "Out in the Fields" and "Military Man", are without doubt among the album's highlights.
"Out in the Fields" is a powerful hard rock song based on the conflict in Northern Ireland known as "The Troubles". This ethno-nationalist conflict lasted for roughly 30 years, from the late 1960s until 1998, with its conclusion generally associated with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement that year.
Although the conflict took place mainly in Northern Ireland, the violence occasionally spilled over into parts of the Republic of Ireland, England and mainland Europe.
Alongside it, another anti-war song, "Military Man", fits perfectly into the album's atmosphere. Written from the perspective of a disillusioned soldier addressing his mother, it reinforces the darker themes running through this part of "Run for Cover".
Gary Moore first recorded "Empty Rooms" for "Victims of the Future", released in December 1983. It became one of Moore's greatest solo successes and remains one of his finest love ballads.
The song was re-recorded for "Run for Cover". Moore described it as "very personal. It wasn't written because I felt sorry for myself", explaining that it grew out of something he had personally experienced and something he believed everyone goes through at one stage or another.
Those who worked closely with Moore often spoke about the extraordinary intensity of his talent. Don Airey, who had known and worked with him since their days in "Colosseum II", later said: "Gary was so talented I think it actually haunted him." Airey explained that once Moore picked up a guitar, he seemed to connect with something he could not entirely control. He regarded Moore as a true genius, but also believed that such genius inevitably came at a price.
Moore's career was defined by dramatic stylistic changes, moving from jazz-rock to hard rock, tender ballads and, eventually, pure blues. Each transition represented more than simply a musical change. It also seemed like another attempt to find an inner peace that he never completely achieved.
Although his earlier albums did not always enjoy major commercial success, they revealed the wild, daring and creative side of Gary Moore. For many fans, "Run for Cover" represents the peak of his hard rock period, the moment just before he turned toward the blues and found an entirely new and devoted audience.
For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music
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