It’s only 41 minutes long, the editing and filming are execrable, and the sound quality is the very definition of piss-poor. well, then you’re really not going to want this DVD. And if you don’t think that all the bullshit mythologizing and cheesiness of “The Cowboy Song” (“The coyote calls / And the howlin’ winds will wail / So I ride out to the old sundown”) are redeemed by Lynott’s impassioned vocal and the stunning guitar work. If you think that maybe “The Rocker” and “Wild One” are just retreads of songs that other bands did better, but you’re not quite sure, then maybe there’s hope for you yet. tears the first time I saw it.īut what it comes down to with Thin Lizzy is: Do you like the songs? If you’ve ever caught yourself rocking out to “Jailbreak” or “Dancing in the Moonlight” or “Whiskey in the Jar,” then you’re in the club. VH-1’s Behind the Music episode on the band made me weep bitter 2 a.m. And then you have the facts that Lynott was biracial, which is interesting if probably a moot point when it comes to their music, and that he died young, victim of his addictions to heroin and alcohol and insular self-pity. People have come to understand that Thin Lizzy had at least three great guitar players rotating in and out of the two spots reserved for them: Gary Moore was the blues expert, Brian Robertson was the mercurial fiery yobbo, and Scott Gorham the American rhythm guy who could also solo some (and great hair! and really white teeth!). (Ever heard Grandmaster Flash scratch the break from “Johnny the Fox?”)Ĭritics hated them back then, mostly, but Lynott gets a lot of posthumous props for his poetic writing, which veered wildly between his romantic and Yeatsian side and his working-class aggressive side. They also had a bit of the ol’ funk to their metal crunch: Brian Downey’s nimble drumbeats have been sampled and celebrated by hip-hoppers for 20 years. They were one of the only hard rock groups to embrace new wave music and punk - they pulled Midge Ure out of a Visage recording session to become part of the touring band - although they didn’t get any punk respect at the time. They were Ireland’s first huge rock band (Bono has said that U2 never would have happened without Thin Lizzy), which counts for something. Sure, there are many “critical” reasons to appreciate Thin Lizzy now. And that’s high praise, you cynical bastards. Don’t front on the Lizz: they were as great in their prime as Cheap Trick. No discussion of “The Best Band Ever” ever happened on my watch (in my hard-rock-lovin’ adolescence) without me bringing up Thin Lizzy - although usually The Who ended up winning the day. I’ve loved them ever since I first heard “The Boys Are Back in Town” on my pink plastic clock radio back in 1976 Phil Lynott sounded like he was authentically both tough and sensitive, and those haunting minor chords on the verses burned themselves into my heart forever. I have a demo of it, so we’ll play that at my funeral.What can I say about Thin Lizzy? I love this band, love them in spite of their many flaws, love them because of their many flaws. “I think I’m going to go with ‘Sow a Little Kindness,’ which … hasn’t even been recorded yet: ' Sow a little kindness, reap a little love.' I love it, but we somehow never got it right, and then I lost my hearing. He also said the hearing failure he suffered four years ago left him “basing all of this on memory because I can’t hear music.” That meant he wasn’t able to finish a song that he’d like to have played at his funeral. You gotta go after them.”Įlsewhere in the new interview, Lewis said the most recent album by Huey Lewis and the News, 2020’s Weather, was the best record he's made. “Phil was standing there, and he said, Let me help you. In 2020 Lewis recalled how the pair became friends after Clover suffered a difficult opening slot ahead of a Lizzy performance, which was witnessed by Lynott. He was a mentor to me, and I think about him still. He taught me what popularity was going to be like, how to be a bandleader, how to deal with press, fans, record companies, the whole bit. “The reason I say that is because I miss my pal Phil Lynott, and that’s what makes me cry," he said. Asked by Classic Rock to identify the song that reduces him to tears, Lewis made the unexpected selection because of the memories it evoked.
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