Phil Lies Not

8.9.

Ooops... Laundry day strikes yet again!

 

Forget U2. Thin Lizzy has to be the best band ever to emerge from Ireland (especially from my twisted metal perspective). Their double-axe attack harmonies changed heavy metal and hard rock (whether or not they actually invented it is debatable but they definitely helped to popularise it). And Lynott... Though he was perhaps more into good old time rock 'n' roll (if one deciphers from his solo stuff and weirdly soft experiments like "The Trouble Boys"), he definitely had a way with the simple, but striking puns within his often heart-crushing lyrics about unlucky Romeos who could not help themselves though they knew it would lead to no good. One of the all-time rockers, no questions about it. (And don't get me started on what a great live act they were!)

Thank God that crotch seem didn't split... or maybe the front row was all-female

So, as you can guess from the title of this blog, their early folk song stuff (and later Lynott's solo stuff) does not interest me too much. "Fighting" is the first complete solid album for me, though some of their early tracks (The Rocker, Black Boys in the Corner, Little Darling...) are great also, no doubt about that. But even Fighting is slightly on the soft side although the songs are excellent (even the haunting "When Spirit Slips Away"). So, Jailbreak ("Warriors" and "Emerald") and Johnny The Fox ("Rocky", "Don't Believe a Word" and "Massacre") are, for me like many others, the classic albums. Bad Reputation has way too many slow "ballads", but also includes "Opium Trail", one of their greatest tracks ever.

Thin Lizzy goes Marvel Comics.

 However, my favourite album has to be "Black Rose"... it's heavy, songs are stellar and that bass sound has never been able to be recreated on any album since! Even if you have just had the shittiest day in your life, you'll be reinvigorated after the fist-pumping "Do Anything You Want to". "S&M" is just a joke, but full of nasty attitude and even some black humor "He likes to beat the ladies... There's nothing wrong with it I suppose (and the female choir replies "Yes there is!"). "Waiting for An Alibi"... the harmonies go way over the top on this one... The ending section brings tears to my eyes and chills to my spine... And still the best is yet to come as b-side of the album includes both "Got to Give it Up", a very sobering and honest look at addiction and, to top it off, there's the title track aka "Roisin Dubh" which is simply amazing. I have never been into folk songs, but this track opened my mind to some of that stuff and taught me to appreciate the Irish roots they have.

I knew roses have thorns... But on the flower itself???

"Chinatown" is not that bad either. It does not include the brilliantly talented Gary Moore, but the song-writing is solid and the riffs flow nicely, especially on that title track. "Sugar Blues" is another high point. On Renegade the tracks seem a tad too long, my cut of choice would have to be "The Pressure Will Blow". Their final album (with Lynott at least) was "Thunder & Lightning" in 1983 some 12 years after their first full album release and that final album goes to show what makes Thin Lizzy so unique. Usually hard rock and heavy bands make their best albums quite early in their career (from 2. to 5. albums) and gradually they fall from grace. However, their best albums like Black Rose (Thin Lizzy's 9th ! studio album) and Thunder (12th !) defy this rule of thumb. Especially when you take that into account, tracks like "The Holy War", "This is the One" and the hit single "Cold Sweat" sound almost too good to be true! And, oh, how your heart breaks when you hear the desperate and yet so acceptingly calm "The Sun Goes Down"... or, live on that tour "A Night in the Life of a Blues Singer" where I swear, you can hear Lynott's voice almost breaking at one point. Like a good bottle of wine, it seems Thin Lizzy only got better with time... And there are not too many bands you can say that (Compare Priest's Nostradamus to Sad Wings or Maiden's Matter of Life to Piece of Mind, for instance... or St. Anger to Ride the Lightning...). So fatten the calf and thin your Lizzy! And "don't believe a word, cause there just might be another pretty city" metalhead I'm writing my blog to!

"ha... Now I know your dirty secret... Reading shitty metal blogs." Phil Lynott's on to you, sucker.