Gary Moore Still Has The Blues!

British blues-rock guitarist Gary Moore recently lost a German court case that claims that the underrated bluesman stole the guitar solo for his 1990 hit "Still Got The Blues" from a 1974 song by the German band Jud's Gallery. The court ordered Moore and his record label to pay unspecified damages to band leader Juergen Winter, who initiated the lawsuit.

This Reuters news report outlines the story, but it doesn't answer all the questions. For instance, it doesn't explain how Moore might have plagiarized a portion of a song that he claims to have never heard and, in fact, wasn't even available on record at the time that Moore released his breakthrough Still Got The Blues album.

Winter's song had been performed live in Germany and it's possible that Moore might have seen Jud's Gallery perform the song, but those are questions that could be answered in the event that Moore decides to appeal the court's decision.

Here is a link to the original 1974 version of the song "Nordrach" by Jud's Gallery, on YouTube Germany. The song is kind of lengthy, but the section in question kicks in around the six minute mark.

Now listen to Moore's song "Still Got The Blues" from 1990, especially the opening licks. Are they the same? They're similar to these ears, but the songs are completely different animals…the 1974 tune sounds like a typical period prog-rock jam with a few vaguely bluesy notes thrown in, while Moore's song is moodier and more atmospheric. Listen to both and decide for yourself!

(Thanks to the Mystery Lyrics blog for the head's up on this story.)

Photo courtesy Price Grabber