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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 15:24 - Oct 22 by LythamR
Adequate guitar player, i wouldnt say good certainly not in comparison
That's true compared to Moore and Robertson but I'd never have thought he could have a bash at their guitar parts.
I met Scott Gorham backstage at High Voltage in 2010 with Northolt. Nice chap, he posed for a pic too. Mel was chatting to him about Stan Bowles as I recall.
Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 15:45 - Oct 22 with 2639 views
I never really got Lizzy as a kid, but knew they were good at what they did. Lynott's Mum, Philomena, was a friend of a friend of my Mum and she used to spend two weeks in August every year in our Hotel in West Cork back in the 70's and 80's. Really lovely lady and down to earth. Everyone was mad about her and she'd give me a few bob for dropping her drinks down to her table.
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 15:45 - Oct 22 by BrianMcCarthy
Great article. Thanks to Sheen and NW5.
I never really got Lizzy as a kid, but knew they were good at what they did. Lynott's Mum, Philomena, was a friend of a friend of my Mum and she used to spend two weeks in August every year in our Hotel in West Cork back in the 70's and 80's. Really lovely lady and down to earth. Everyone was mad about her and she'd give me a few bob for dropping her drinks down to her table.
Nice story, Brian. They were my 2nd best band after Rory Gallagher. Saw them loads, including in a small venue when they were restarting after Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson replaced Gary Moore/Eric Bell in 75, I think. Great band got all their vinyl too.
Didn't Philomena (which incidentally was my mum's name although she hated it and was known as Phyl) run some sort of cafe in the Manchester area?
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 17:09 - Oct 22 with 2563 views
Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 16:28 - Oct 22 by francisbowles
Nice story, Brian. They were my 2nd best band after Rory Gallagher. Saw them loads, including in a small venue when they were restarting after Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson replaced Gary Moore/Eric Bell in 75, I think. Great band got all their vinyl too.
Didn't Philomena (which incidentally was my mum's name although she hated it and was known as Phyl) run some sort of cafe in the Manchester area?
I thought she was a hotelier, FB?
"The opposite of love, after all, is not hate, but indifference."
I'm a little too young to have seen them, and when I was a kid they weren't heavy enough for me. Later on, they started to hit some of my sweet spots, though. They just never got it right all the way through a studio record, though, did they? The run of Jailbreak to Black Rose is very strong, but none of them are near back-to-front perfect. I mean, we'd all take Live and Dangerous on its own over all four of those studio records put together, wouldn't we, honestly?
Lynott's such a complicated writer. Not least because he often hides in plain sight: Don't Believe a Word is an extraordinary lyric, in which he lays out the fact he is a serial liar and philanderer. It's not romantic in the least; it's brutal. But he manages to makes himself sympathetic, and it's that tension that makes it great. Because he's so complicated — creating all these different mytholgies, each of which are Lizzy archetypes (Celtic warrior, Western drifter, street gang leader, bruised romantic) — he's streets ahead of any of the other hard rock lyric writers of the era.
I teased Gorham, by claiming that Visconti had told me there was so much rerecording done for Live and Dangerous that those outtakes had formed much of Bad Reputation and Black Rose. He was genuinely on the brink of fury until he realised I was making it up. Perhaps went a bit far with that one. Oh well.
Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 17:23 - Oct 22 by NW5Hoop
Thanks for the kind words.
I'm a little too young to have seen them, and when I was a kid they weren't heavy enough for me. Later on, they started to hit some of my sweet spots, though. They just never got it right all the way through a studio record, though, did they? The run of Jailbreak to Black Rose is very strong, but none of them are near back-to-front perfect. I mean, we'd all take Live and Dangerous on its own over all four of those studio records put together, wouldn't we, honestly?
Lynott's such a complicated writer. Not least because he often hides in plain sight: Don't Believe a Word is an extraordinary lyric, in which he lays out the fact he is a serial liar and philanderer. It's not romantic in the least; it's brutal. But he manages to makes himself sympathetic, and it's that tension that makes it great. Because he's so complicated — creating all these different mytholgies, each of which are Lizzy archetypes (Celtic warrior, Western drifter, street gang leader, bruised romantic) — he's streets ahead of any of the other hard rock lyric writers of the era.
I teased Gorham, by claiming that Visconti had told me there was so much rerecording done for Live and Dangerous that those outtakes had formed much of Bad Reputation and Black Rose. He was genuinely on the brink of fury until he realised I was making it up. Perhaps went a bit far with that one. Oh well.
Fighting has grown on me over the years and there is some really good stuff on the earlier albums as well, its not hard rock but some of it is particularly soulful, beyond Black Rose its pretty much formulaic Hard Rock and unspectacular, going through the motions although even with Snowy White on guitar they still had their moments as a live band
Phil Lynott was essentially a poet who ended up in a rock band. he was a romantic and can as easily be associated with William Blake and Percy Shelley as closely as with Ozzy Osbourne or Lemmy,
He had a great chance to escape the cycle of drug abuse when he married but sadly he didnt achieve the required escape velocity which was an absolute tragedy
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 19:00 - Oct 22 with 2499 views
Phil is One of Irelands great icons. Brilliant band. Seen them live live at slane Castle in 1981. Awesome live band . One of the support bands was a little known band called U2. Seen them again a few years later at a festival in Castlebar, co Mayo. They were a shambles. Lynott died not long after.
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 19:59 - Oct 22 with 2447 views
Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 16:28 - Oct 22 by francisbowles
Nice story, Brian. They were my 2nd best band after Rory Gallagher. Saw them loads, including in a small venue when they were restarting after Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson replaced Gary Moore/Eric Bell in 75, I think. Great band got all their vinyl too.
Didn't Philomena (which incidentally was my mum's name although she hated it and was known as Phyl) run some sort of cafe in the Manchester area?
Eric Bell used to play a residency in the Archway tavern back in the eighties. We we're blessed and it was free. Mind you the amount of alcohol we drank more than covered Bells fee for the night!!
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 20:22 - Oct 22 with 2429 views
Fantastic article, was before my time to see them with Phil Lynott, but did see the current version of the band a few years back as support for Deep Purple, they was brilliant live.
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 20:23 - Oct 22 with 2428 views
Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 20:23 - Oct 22 by stevec
This’ll upset all the Guardian readers on here but, before an England game, I played snooker with Phil Lynott at the Wembley Conservative Club.
BOOM SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE THE ROOM .
Phil wouldn't have been overly bothered about politics. He did a brilliant interview with BP fallon a colourful Irish rock journalist many years ago. BP asked him how his career/life was panning out. He replied, "I'm a black, Irish b****d, its been all down hill since". Typical Lynott!!
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 21:06 - Oct 22 with 2393 views
Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 17:23 - Oct 22 by NW5Hoop
Thanks for the kind words.
I'm a little too young to have seen them, and when I was a kid they weren't heavy enough for me. Later on, they started to hit some of my sweet spots, though. They just never got it right all the way through a studio record, though, did they? The run of Jailbreak to Black Rose is very strong, but none of them are near back-to-front perfect. I mean, we'd all take Live and Dangerous on its own over all four of those studio records put together, wouldn't we, honestly?
Lynott's such a complicated writer. Not least because he often hides in plain sight: Don't Believe a Word is an extraordinary lyric, in which he lays out the fact he is a serial liar and philanderer. It's not romantic in the least; it's brutal. But he manages to makes himself sympathetic, and it's that tension that makes it great. Because he's so complicated — creating all these different mytholgies, each of which are Lizzy archetypes (Celtic warrior, Western drifter, street gang leader, bruised romantic) — he's streets ahead of any of the other hard rock lyric writers of the era.
I teased Gorham, by claiming that Visconti had told me there was so much rerecording done for Live and Dangerous that those outtakes had formed much of Bad Reputation and Black Rose. He was genuinely on the brink of fury until he realised I was making it up. Perhaps went a bit far with that one. Oh well.
Interesting points you make, and great article, but personally I think jailbreak is great from start to finish. One of my favourite albums. I see what you mean with some of the others, bad reputation is a bit patchy. But downtown sundown is a personal favourite. And how many groups do great albums all the way through? You normally end up listening to the songs you like more
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 12:14 - Oct 23 with 2228 views
Probably their period between 75 to when Brian Robertson left, they were the best sounding band out there. But they were too young and f*cked up to make the most of it. Robertson was around 17 when he joined and his skills with a guitar were truely unbelievable at that age, insanely talented. They developed that twin lead sound which inspired by Lynott's songwriting talents, produced some unbelievable albums. Johnny the Fox my personal favourite. If only they were better managed and stayed away from the parasites, they could have been the biggest band in the world for a time. Live & Dangerous captures it but its overly dubbed. Live 75 which is a later cleaned up release taken from gigs just as Goreham and Robertson were bedding in, is a really raw but wonderful album. The recording of Still in Love with you (greatest love song of all time) is really something to behold.
I was too young to have the opportunity to see them live, Limehouse Lizzy are the next best thing if you ever get the chance.
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 12:44 - Oct 23 with 2205 views
I used to see them and Gary Moore's first band Skid Row at the Marquee quite regularly. My best ever gig was when Gary Moore stepped in for an ill Eric Bell. Iv'e never seen the Marquee so packed.
Marvellous night. Got a grope off some girl next me who'd stripped down to her bra. Happy days.
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 18:09 - Oct 23 with 2143 views
Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 12:14 - Oct 23 by Toast_R
Probably their period between 75 to when Brian Robertson left, they were the best sounding band out there. But they were too young and f*cked up to make the most of it. Robertson was around 17 when he joined and his skills with a guitar were truely unbelievable at that age, insanely talented. They developed that twin lead sound which inspired by Lynott's songwriting talents, produced some unbelievable albums. Johnny the Fox my personal favourite. If only they were better managed and stayed away from the parasites, they could have been the biggest band in the world for a time. Live & Dangerous captures it but its overly dubbed. Live 75 which is a later cleaned up release taken from gigs just as Goreham and Robertson were bedding in, is a really raw but wonderful album. The recording of Still in Love with you (greatest love song of all time) is really something to behold.
I was too young to have the opportunity to see them live, Limehouse Lizzy are the next best thing if you ever get the chance.
They weren't specially badly managed. Their mishaps were all their own doing: no one forced Lynott and Gorham to have their appetite for drugs. The members of the band insist L&D is not massively overdubbed. And, to be fair, Visconti increases the amount of overdubbing every time he talks about it.
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 20:51 - Oct 23 with 2086 views
Good article, saw Lizzy a couple of times in 80 at the Odeon and 81 at MK Bowl. Just one of the classic hard rock bands. Met Scott Gorham with Metallica Hoop and Son of Northolt at High Voltage, a very nice guy to talk to about old Lizzy days. Studio version of Emerald on Jailbreak a total duel guitar fest, and a personal headbanding favourite is Don't Believe a Word from Johnny the Fox. Remember seeing Gary Moore doing a fantastic version of this at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2007.
[Post edited 23 Oct 2020 20:52]
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Great NW5 article on Thin Lizzy on 11:47 - Oct 24 with 2005 views
Excellent article NW5, with some interesting insights.
One of my all-time favourite bands, who were fantastic live at their peak. Lynott was a very charismatic front-man and a great songwriter. He was a rocker, who could turn his hand to touching love songs and even radio friendly pop - Dancing in the Moonlight is a fantastic pop song.
Its a real shame that he self-destructed at far too young an age - the classic case of 'Live fast, die young'. His legacy lives on and he certainly deserves his statue in Dublin, which as is customary in the area has acquired a nickname, 'The Ace with the bass'. It's also great to be reminded of him in articles such as this.
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