Thin Lizzy: Why Weren't They Huge?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Barnabas Collins, Mar 23, 2019.

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  1. Agerst1574

    Agerst1574 Forum Resident

    In North America, the answer is simple. They were never able to consistently do long tours here. If they were, they would have been able to headline arenas. I saw them twice. Once opening for Queen and the other time opening for Blue Oyster Cult.
     
  2. Sear

    Sear Dad rocker

    Location:
    Tarragona (Spain)
    Exactly. First news
     
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  3. Sear

    Sear Dad rocker

    Location:
    Tarragona (Spain)
    My favourite is Bad Reputation, despite its flat sound
     
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  4. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    Thin Lizzy has it all besides a Promoter and Manager that can sell.
     
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  5. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy - Touch the Face of God -

    Location:
    Northwest, USA
    That's another solid band in New Wave this time. Ultravox from John Foxx to Midge Ure has wrote so much timeless music. If they have a solid promoter that can really sell, it would have been a world wide smash.
     
  6. Dhreview16

    Dhreview16 Forum Resident

    Location:
    London UK
    It’s been said by others, but they were huge over here in the UK, especially as a live band (witness Live and Dangerous). The single Whisky in the Jar is still a cult classic and they made some very good studio albums. Phil Lynott was a charismatic lead singer. Of course in Ireland they were up there with U2 and Van Morrison.
     
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  7. dixiedixie69

    dixiedixie69 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Derry, Ireland
    This was a gig called 'Self Aid ' which took place in Dublin in 1986. The aim was to highlight+benefit unemployment in Eire,which was incredibly high at the time.
    This version of 'Lizzy ' was put together in honour of Phil+ were the last band on that night as Special Guests.
    This explains Moore's playing those tunes+Geldolf's involvement.
     
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  8. Anthrax

    Anthrax Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    The Robbo line-up was fantastic and they did some great albums, absolutely. But his exit resulted in Black Rose, so it wasn't a complete tragedy. :cheers:
     
  9. Anthrax

    Anthrax Forum Resident

    Location:
    Europe
    Brian Downey is one of the gods of rock drumming.
     
  10. Gus Tomato

    Gus Tomato Stop dreamin’ and start drivin’ Stevie!

    Location:
    Cork
    We also got the magnificent ‘Thunder And Lightning’ post classic-era lineup.
     
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  11. jmobrien68

    jmobrien68 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toms River, NJ
    If Geldof asked Phil to reunite Lizzy for Live Aid this really could have all happened... they could have had a Queen moment.
     
  12. ArpMoog

    ArpMoog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Detroit
    My favorites as well the Bell albums and Vagabonds is a magical record.
    I turned my daughter on to it and it blew her mind. She played that record so much for a while I got sick of it.
     
  13. Gus Tomato

    Gus Tomato Stop dreamin’ and start drivin’ Stevie!

    Location:
    Cork
    ‘Vagabonds’ and ‘Thunder And Lightning’ are my two favourites by this great band.
     
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  14. Slim Zooms

    Slim Zooms Senior Member

    This.
    It would have been great to see.
    Trouble is Scott was probably too messed up at this point or trying to get clean. Phil was a hopeless case by then.
     
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  15. FuturisticWorkshop

    FuturisticWorkshop Forum Resident

    Location:
    United State
    This has been mentioned by many fans of Lizzy and Phil, but Phil was in no condition to pull the band back together and “have a Queen moment”. I’m no fan of Geldoff, but thinking about it now many years later I can see them thinking that it would hurt Phil and Lizzy’s legacy by putting Phil on a world stage out of shape and out of sorts. In ‘83 he was far from even ‘79, which was the beginning of the end really. Gary Moore and Visconti did a great job of propping Phil and the album up to make it the classic it is. He was deep into heroin addiction and it only got worse over the next 7 years or so that he lived.
    I will say that Midge Ure seemed to owe a fair amount to Phil. He put him in the band to cover for Gary when he quit mid tour. It definitely gave him more edge than Ultravox. He was in charge of putting Live Aid together with Geldoff. He could’ve talked to Ohol and at least tried to make an attempt to talk Phil into getting clean and giving him the opportunity to redeem himself and Lizzy, but ultimately that was in Phil’s hands already. He’s given up hope of living. It wasn’t his friends job to help him find it again, but it would’ve been nice if some of them had tried that didn’t. Sad end to a wonderful career that could’ve been even bigger
     
  16. Anno

    Anno Forum Resident

    Location:
    Penketh
    In ‘83 they played the UK on the Thunder and Lightning Tour, I saw 2 of the gigs, Phil wasn’t a spent force, far from it, the Chinatown and Renegade tours weren’t shoddy either, I know because again I saw them several times and they were on fine form.
     
  17. Slim Zooms

    Slim Zooms Senior Member

    He was good on Renegade tour but saw him twice with Lizzy in ‘83 on T&L tour the second show of which he was clearly suffering but like the trouper he was still put on a great show.
    He was looking good with Gary Moore briefly in ‘85 when he was doing Out In The Fields but then soon after I saw Phil with Grand Slam in ‘85. He was struggling man.
     
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  18. When did 'Thunder & Lightning' come out? Was it 1982. Well whenever it was I have completely ignored it all this time. I grew up listening to Lizzy in the 70's and have every Thin Lizzy album up to 'Chinatown' but the last two I never bothered with, largely because I was under the misapprehension they were weak. Well, how wrong was I! I picked up a CD of 'Thunder and Lightning' last week and it's killer. I know 'Renegade' is not regarded as one of their top albums but I have to find a copy regardless.
     
  19. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    Renegade has a couple great songs on it amongst some disappointments. Definitely worth acquiring. I think I like it even more than T&L btw. Although I am a metal fan I did not think the metal "vibe" of T&L worked for their music, and songwise it only has a couple songs I really dig anyways....
     
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  20. Jerk The Handle

    Jerk The Handle Electrician

    Location:
    Moonbeam levels
    I hate it with a passion. High, thin and harsh.

    I thought you meant a pintglass sitting on the statue's base, as a libation.
     
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  21. Greenalishi

    Greenalishi Birds Aren’t Real

    Location:
    San Francisco
    Yeah he can clear a room. Not for most. I love his voice
     
  22. Jerk The Handle

    Jerk The Handle Electrician

    Location:
    Moonbeam levels
    Another one is Black Francis. He also possesses a more pleasing singing voice which is rarely used in the early Pixies albums. Not that this is the only problem I have with Pixies.
     
  23. Slim Zooms

    Slim Zooms Senior Member

    Renegade is much better than T&L in my opinion also. I’m not happy about the more metal feel of the latter either. I do like the track ‘The Sun Goes Down’ though.
     
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  24. slipkid

    slipkid Senior Member

    Sun Goes Down is incredible - one of my fave Lizzy songs! The album has a few others that I like but overall I consider it to be one of the weakest Lizzy albums. I think the same thing about Black Rose though so wadda I know? (Despite that album having my fave guitarist ever on it - Gary Moore - it really only has two songs that I really really love, the title track and Waiting for an Alibi; some others are OK but I felt, and still feel, that after Bad Reputation some of the songwriting wheels fell off of one of my fave band's wagon as it were).
     
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  25. healter skealter

    healter skealter Human animal

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