Thin Lizzy: Why Weren't They Huge?

Accurate. The best Lizzy book is still probably The Rocker by Mark Putterford, and there’s a line in that that has stuck with me for decades. It is : “a typical Lizzy disaster”. They had so much bad luck.

 

There’s an extended version of ‘Waiting For An Alibi’ on the UK/Euro ‘Dedication’ album (don’t know about the US version - I know it has a different track listing) just in case you didn’t know.

 

Thanks. Not sure if I have that or not, let me look.....hmmm....

First, from what I can tell the album version is about 3:30.

The Dedication CD I have has the "Waiting..." track listed as 4:13 so that must be what you're referencing! I'm pretty sure my CD is USA though.

Just noticed also something I 4got is that I have a UK CD single for Dedication which I guess came out b4 the full album did (because it says "from the forthcoming Greatest Hits collection Dedication" in regards to that song). It has Dedication & Cold Sweat on it along with live versions of Emerald and Still In Love With You. Doesn't say what/where those live tracks are from though - anyone know??

 

I agree I hardly ever play Black Rose.
Not a fan of Chinatown either.
For me it’s all about the Robbo-Gotham era.
I really like Fighting as an underrated album.

 

Maybe because they never made a truly great album, plenty of great songs but inconsistent album wise.

 

I have a Japanese manufactured "Dedication", "Alibi" is 4.13 on that one too.

 

At their peak they were a wonderful tuneful band like no other, and Phil has a storytelling spirit that makes me feel warm inside. They managed to find a distinctive style and keep up the quality over several albums. Although they get lumped in with hard rock and metal bands they had an emotional depth and melodic songwriting which stands out. Part of this was the fact that they had, for a time, two guitarists who had incredible chemistry and flair for improvisation, which, when combined with Phil's songwriting, created a rich harmonically diverse sound. The cracks really started to appear when Robbo left, as the succession of other guitarists just didn't have the same chemistry with Scott. Furthermore, Phil had gone from being a moderate drug user to an addict, which negatively affected his behaviour towards others (which is well documented). Some of the better songs in this period ended up as Phil solo tracks, most obviously "Old Town". Still, they continued to write many good songs, but the album filler is more blatant on the last 3 albums.

I'm re-reading the book "Are You Ready" by Alan Byrne at the moment and it's a good one to track down especially since a number of the rare tracks it mentions have since come out on the Rock Legends box.

 

Fighting is my fave Lizzy album!

 

Good for you! I have the deluxe 2CD version. I love it.

 

Yes, 4.13 is the extended version, an extra verse after the guitar solo.

Those two live tracks are from ‘Live And Dangerous’. Aren’t they? I always assumed they were?

 

Allman Brothers Band, Butterfield Blues Band.

 

I don't know. Maybe I knew at some point but I can't recall.

I just did some googling, didn't really get a definitive answer, but according to this user review on Amazon it sounds like they are not from L&D or any album etc:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dedication CD Single- Rare but worth it
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2011
This was released to promote the song "Dedication" which was completed 5 years after Phil Lynott's death in 1986. It is a great song that was welcomed by Lizzy fans. This CD single had the following tracks:
Dedication
Cold Sweat
Emerald (live)
Still In Love With You (live)

The 2 live tracks are rare and make this a very collectable piece of Lizzy history. Thanks for reading this short review which was to help people understand what is on the CD Single. ​

 

I have this single, and while there's no documentation in the liner notes to this effect (hence the lack of info online), I can assure you the live tracks are absolutely from Live and Dangerous.

 

They were huge in Maryland when I was a kid. Couldn't go far without seeing a Thin Lizzy t-shirt.

 

Interesting thanks. I probably looked into it many years ago when I got the single but I cannot remember what I figured out. I will take your word for it. If I have any extra time (I'll probably 4get all about this though) I will compare them to the album tracks.

 

Just read on the Allman Brothers Forum, thanks to member jszfunk, that Scott Gorham has quit Black Star Riders (BSR) to concentrate on Thin Lizzy.

I will be curious to see who is in Gorham's Lizzy touring band if and when they tour. If it is just Scott well then I have little interest but if they get Robbo and Brian Downey to tour with a decent vocalist that can do justice to the Lizzy material then I may check it out.

I am guessing this is a payday for Scott and don't begrudge him the right to carry on so what do others think of this announcement? You ok with it or is it sacrilege to resurrect the band without Lynott? I read Lynott's estate is ok with him touring as Lizzy but have concerns of new albums using this name. Anyone have any other thoughts on this, positive or negative?

One thing I hope this means is Gorham spends more time looking into the Archives and we get more old live concerts released.


SCOTT GORHAM Quits BLACK STAR RIDERS To Focus On THIN LIZZY

U.S.-based hard rock group BLACK STAR RIDERS has signed a multi-album worldwide recording deal with the long-running British independent label Earache Records.

BLACK STAR RIDERS was formed by members of legendary Irish rock group THIN LIZZY in 2013 and has released four albums on the Nuclear Blast label in their eight years in existence and toured the world as both headliners and special guests to some of the most prominent names in rock. The band has since become a pillar in the modern rock landscape in its own right, owing to their Herculean stage presence and meticulous attention to detail in carving out their own identity within the depths of their jagged-edged anthems, epic ballads and Celtic-infused rockers.

With their commitments to Nuclear Blast complete, BLACK STAR RIDERS have inked a deal with Earache, the label responsible for putting extreme metal on the map in the '80s and '90s, and in more recent times helping to build the careers of modern rock acts such as RIVAL SONS and THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT.

BLACK STAR RIDERS frontman Ricky Warwick comments: "We are extremely pleased to announce our new deal with Earache Records. We had an amazing eight years with Nuclear Blast and I want to thank everyone there for their commitment and dedication during this time but it was time to part ways and Earache have well and truly stepped up to the plate! We can't wait to start the new relationship with the great team there."

BLACK STAR RIDERS are due to enter the studio in Los Angeles on October 14 with longtime producer Jay Ruston (STONE SOUR, STEEL PANTHER, URIAH HEEP, ANTHRAX) to begin recording the follow-up to 2019's "Another State Of Grace". The band has a host of U.K. Top 30 albums, including the U.K. No. 6 album "Heavy Fire", which featured a BBC Radio 2 single of the week and also won "Best British Album" at Planet Rock's The Rocks awards.

The new album will feature a different lineup from the band's previous releases, due to founder and lead guitarist Scott Gorham's decision to step down from all recording and touring commitments with the band.

Warwick adds: "We are very sorry to see Scott go but we discussed a very heavy world touring commitment on the new record and Scott decided he wanted to concentrate just on THIN LIZZY — and being the legend he is, none of us can blame him. We all wish him the best and he will be looking to put THIN LIZZY back out on the road from 2022 onwards with a busy schedule, so he won't be missing me too much!"

Los Angeles drummer Zak St. John will join BLACK STAR RIDERS to record the new album.

BLACK STAR RIDERS bass player Robert Crane comments: "We have known Zak a while from the L.A. session scene and I know he will blow everyone away when you see and hear him."

BLACK STAR RIDERS are not looking to replace Gorham and will remain a four-piece going forwards, with Ricky handling a lot of the guitar parts alongside Christian Martucci, who joined the band after album number three in 2018.

BLACK STAR RIDERS are set to release their as-yet untitled fifth album in early 2023 and dates are booked to start within a couple of weeks of release.

Martucci comments: "We have decided to let the abundance of rescheduled shows in 2022 blow over so we can come back in full force in 2023 without any distractions. We can't wait to see all our fans and followers again after what seems like an eternity off the road and we appreciate no end their continued support and loyalty to BSR."

 

Thks for that latest news about Scott...

 

It's never too late! Thunder And Lightning is a corker. Kicking yourself for having ignored it all this time is only right.

And you'll kick yourself some more when you get Renegade and the first track beats you into grateful submission.

 

I'm more than okay with it. I've seen Gorham's Lizzy three times and they always delivered. Brian Downey is still a monster and I hope he's in the new line-up again because no one plays those songs like he does.

 

Lynott's "machismo on fumes" delivery on the Renegade album is magnificent to my ears - a latter day classic album that gets just as many spins as the Fighting-Bad Reputation run of classics for life.

 

and after Angel of Death beats you into submission, Phil bears his troubled heart and soul on the Title Track and The Pressure Will Blow ... only to out-Top ZZ themselves with an ass-kicking barroom brawler of a tune ("Leave This Town")

Renegade rules.

 

I like Renegade. It is for me a pretty good album. There are 5 or 6 good ones on it but there is a bit of a blurring at times over what is Lizzy and what is Phil’s solo material.
Angel of Death, Hollywood, Pressure and of course Renegade are all brilliant tracks.

 

Thx for that info.

I am kind of perplexed by it, since as I understood it "Thin Lizzy" as a bandname were just being used once in a while for some special shows & BSR was where the guys' (including Scott's) head was at.

I wonder what it actually means that he is going to "focus on Thin Lizzy".

Could it be for putting a band together now of who knows who to do more live shows of nothing but Lizzy sets (I have no problem with that, have seen him tour multiple times with different musicians after Phil's passing as Thin Lizzy and have enjoyed every show considerably, find them all to be a great way to celebrate Lizzy music as a tribute kind of thing)?

Could it be for putting a band together and creating a new "Thin Lizzy" album (I doubt very strongly this is in the works as it was something that they debated and nixed doing in favor of giving their band a totally new name of BSR)?

Could it be that it means he is going to spend more time diving through the Lizzy archives and work on projects releasing old stuff (I doubt that is it either, I thought they had others for that who then submitted stuff for him and others to approve)???

I'm confused but think most likely it is the live Lizzy touring thing. Maybe he is going to rekindle the Sykes' Lizzy that I saw a couple times back in the 90's (Johnny did a great job handling the vocals in Phil style). However what I saw of that was only a club level band, playing in ditch bars, making no money, and am afraid that won't be lucrative enough for him to deal with - esp. at his age, touring at that working level is the pits.

 

It's the same reunion that's been going on for the past decade, so it'll be Warwick (he said so in the statement), Darren Wharton, presumably Damon Johnson, and whichever drummer and bassist are available. Last time it was Scott Travis and Troy Sanders, but Mastodon is for sure touring next year, and I presume Priest is as well, so it'll almost certainly be other people in those roles.

They won't record. Downey and the estate made it very clear that they won't sign off on new Lizzy music, which is the reason why Black Star Riders exists in the first place.

 

Since the announcement says Scott is leaving BSR "to concentrate on Lizzy" yet the BSR guys are continuing without him, that suggests to me that whatever "Lizzy" means it won't involve Warwick or any of the current BSR guys, but instead be Scott & ????. I believe Johnson left both the Lizzy touring BSR and regular BSR "band" already so I don't know if he'd be working with Scott again in anything like a Lizzy unit (?????). I'm pretty confused by the whole thing though...