As he wrote in “Cowboy Song” – “I am just a cowboy, lonesome on the trail.” Advertisements That’s how much his influence mattered.Īnd although he could never truly shake the demons that made him who he was and inspired so many of his songs, there is a tragic beauty in his life story. In 2005 a statue of him was unveiled in the city of Dublin. And his legacy has only grown since his passing. He epitomized rock n’ roll on stage and off. He always saw himself as a star long before it would come to be true. Thin Lizzy called it quits in 1983 and frontman Phil Lynott would pass away just three years later. Their twin guitar harmonies influenced many hard rock and metal acts that would gain popularity into the 80s like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Metallica. While Thin Lizzy’s heavier contemporaries were crafting arena-sized, fist-pumping anthems they were focusing the groovy, bluesy, swagger that brought them to where they were. It’s an eclectic album with a spectrum of song styles – especially for hard rock.
Like a fine Irish whiskey, Jailbreak’s appeal has only gotten stronger with age. But certain critics praised the group for continuing to develop themselves. Some publications labelled it derivative of acts like Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison (who the band was a huge fan of). It originally garnered mixed reviews, which is hard to believe considering it’s now pretty much unanimously regarded as a supremely solid listen from front to back. But in the modern digital streaming world, their albums and singles have hundreds of millions of streams.
The album’s third track “Running Back” was originally selected, as some of the decision makers felt that “The Boys are Back in Town” would be too aggressive for mid-70s FM radio.Ĭonsidering how popular some of the singles from Jailbreak have become it’s hard to believe the album only achieved Gold status in the UK, US, and Canada. Thin Lizzy’s most recognizable song almost didn’t even become a single. Advertisementsīut they experienced yet another setback when Lynott came down with hepatitis. They embarked on bigger tours and their songs started creeping up the charts. Released on March 26, 1976, Jailbreak was the culmination of everything Thin Lizzy had been working toward for half a decade. The band’s now famous twin guitar sound had evolved by the time they recorded 1975’s Fighting. The new guitarists had pretty drastically different styles and personalities, but this is part of what made their twin guitar assault so powerful. A funny anecdote is the reason that Lynott decided to have two guitar players is, in his words “The next time one of those c**** walk out, there will be another one there!”Īfter California guitarist, Scott Gorham and Scotsman Brian Robertson joined the group the band embarked on their first US tour in 1975 as support for Bob Seger and Bachman Turner Overdrive. In 1974 Lynott expanded the lineup to feature two guitarists after a revolving door that even included Gary Moore for a short stint.
Keyboardist Tim Hinkley played keyboard on “Running Back”, resulting in a significantly more pop-oriented sound. He took a unique approach…he hired session musicians on some of the tracks to give the record a more commercial vibe in order to snag a “hit” single. Ever familiar with the studio they had chosen for the production, they selected John Alcock as producer. Jailbreak began life as a last-chance effort to prove to their label that they could produce a hit album. The album proved to be their commercial breakthrough in the United States and would produce their two most well-known singles and staples of classic rock radio to this day – “The Boys are Back in Town” and “Jailbreak”. Perhaps the album title is a veiled reference to them breaking out of the “jail” of moderate obscurity. They were no strangers to the recording studio and were known to be total “road dogs” when it came to the stage. At this point, they had a number of tours under their belt – some with some fairly popular artists.
0 kommentar(er)
