Wild Frontier

Wild Frontier
Studio album by Gary Moore
Released	March 9, 1987
Genre	Hard rock
Length	56:09
Label	Virgin Records
Producer	Gary Moore, James "Jimbo" Barton, Pete Smith, Peter Collins
Gary Moore chronology
Run for Cover (1985) Wild Frontier (1987) After the War (1989)

Wild Frontier is the eighth studio album by Gary Moore, released in 1987. His first studio album after a trip back to his native Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1985, this album has several songs about Ireland and even the music itself is steeped in Celtic roots. The title track was intended to be sung by Phil Lynott, however Lynott's death in January 1986 prevented that. The album is dedicated to Lynott's memory, with the words "For Philip" on the rear cover.

Wild Frontier contains the hit "Over the Hills and Far Away", which reached #20 in the UK as well as a cover of the Australian band The Easybeats' hit of the middle of the 1960s, "Friday on My Mind". The Max Middleton-penned "The Loner" was originally recorded by Cozy Powell for his Over the Top album in 1979 (which Moore did perform on, albeit not on Powell's recording of "The Loner"), but was substantially altered by Moore for his own recording, thus he was credited as a co-writer.

All drums on Wild Frontier are sequenced with a drum machine but the programming is uncredited in the liner notes of the album. Former Black Sabbath drummer Eric Singer would join Moore's backing band on the Wild Frontier tour, before leaving shortly afterwards to form Badlands.

"Over the Hills and Far Away" was covered by the Finnish symphonic power metal band Nightwish on their 2001 EP of the same title, and Swedish viking metal band Thyrfing on their album Urkraft. The Spanish band Saurom also did a cover of this song with alternative lyrics called "La Disolución de la Comunidad".

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]

Track listing

Side one
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Over the Hills and Far Away"	Gary Moore	5:20
2.	"Wild Frontier"	Moore	4:14
3.	"Take a Little Time"	Moore	4:05
4.	"The Loner" (Instrumental; originally recorded by Cozy Powell)	Max Middleton, Moore	5:54

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Friday on My Mind" (Originally recorded by The Easybeats)	George Young, Harry Vanda	4:11
2.	"Strangers in the Darkness"	Moore, Neil Carter	4:38
3.	"Thunder Rising"	Moore, Carter	5:43
4.	"Johnny Boy"	Moore	3:15

CD release
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Over the Hills and Far Away"	Moore	5:20
2.	"Wild Frontier"	Moore	4:14
3.	"Take a Little Time"	Moore	4:05
4.	"The Loner" (Instrumental; originally recorded by Cozy Powell)	Middleton, Moore	5:54
5.	"Friday on My Mind"	Young, Vanda	4:11
6.	"Strangers in the Darkness"	Moore, Carter	4:38
7.	"Thunder Rising"	Moore, Carter	5:43
8.	"Johnny Boy"	Moore	3:15
9.	"Over the Hills and Far Away" (12” version)	Moore	7:26
10.	"Wild Frontier" (12” version)	Moore	6:38
11.	"Crying in the Shadows"	Moore	5:01

2002 remastered CD bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"The Loner" (Extended mix; originally recorded by Cozy Powell)	Middleton, Moore	7:16
13.	"Friday on My Mind" (12” version; originally recorded by The Easybeats)	Young, Vanda	6:15
14.	"Out in the Fields" (Live)	Moore	5:28

Singles

• "Take a Little Time" (November 1987)
• "The Loner"
• "Friday on My Mind"
• "Wild Frontier" (February 1987)
• "Over the Hills and Far Away" (December 1986)

Musicians

• Gary Moore - lead, Rhythm & Acoustic guitars, Lead & Backing vocals
• Neil Carter - Keyboards, Backing vocals
• Bob Daisley - Bass

References

1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. Wild Frontier at AllMusic