PhilLynott and Thin Lizzy will hopefully continue to be seenfor the influential rock & roll it is. Popularalternative rock bands of the mid-'90sappropriated numerous musical messages from their '70s forebears, the work of Sadly,became a victim of hislongtime abuse of heroin, cocaine, and alcohol, dying in 1986 at age 35. Recordedsolo recordsthat more explicitly examined issues of class and race, published a now-out-of-print book of poetry, and Vigorously supported, but made Lizzy look too traditional and toomuch like tired old rock stars.īy the mid-'80s, resembling the dinosaur that punk rock wanted to annihilate, Thin Lizzy called it a career. Adding insult to injury was the rise of punk rock,which Lynott Into a smaller, yet still enthusiastic bunch of hardrockers. The large fan base the band had built as a result of'Boys' turned Wrapping them up in vaguely articulatedconcept albums. The records came fast andfurious, andĭespite attempts to repeatthe formula that worked like a charm with 'Boys,' Lynott began writing more ambitioussongs and Never the toast of critics (the majority writing in the '70s hated hard rock and heavy metal), Lizzy toured relentlessly,buildingĪnunassailable reputation as a terrific live band, despite the lead guitar spot becoming a revolving door (Eric Bell,Gary Moore,īrianRobertson, Snowy White, and John Sykes all stood next to Scott Gorham). 'Boys'became a huge hit, enough of a hit as to ensure record contracts and media attention for the nextdecade ('Boys' is With the support of radioand every frat boy in America, Withthe exception of the Who-like power chords in the chorus. Lizzy's big break came with their nextalbum, Jailbreak, and the record's first single, 'The Boys Areīack inTown.' A paean to the joys of working-class guys letting loose, thesong resembled similar odes by Bruce Springsteen, Robertsongenerally played lead lines in harmonictandem, while Downey (a great drummer who had equal amounts of powerĪnd style)drove the engine. Lynott's thick,soulful vocals were the perfect vehicle for his tightly written melodic lines. GuitaristsBrianRobertson and Scott Gorham, and drummer Brian Downey) had molded itself into a pretty tight recording and Limitlesscharismamade even the most misguided moments worth hearing.Īfter a few early records that hinted at the band's potential, Lizzy released Fighting in 1975, and the band (Lynott, His sweeping visionĪndwriterlyimpulses at times gave way to pretentious songs aspiring to clichéd notions of literary significance, but Lynott's Romanticguy from the other side of the tracks, a self-styled poet of the lovelorn and downtrodden. Nearly all-white world of hard rock, and as such imbued much of his work with a sense of alienation he was theoutsider, the

Also, as a black man,Lynott was an anomaly in the read moreĪndintelligent writer than many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-classdramas of love and hate influenced by Bobĭylan,Bruce Springsteen, and virtually all of the Irish literary tradition. Asthe band's creative force, Lynott was a more insightfulĪndintelligent writer than many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-classdramas of love and hate influenced by Bo.

Irishsinger/songwriter/bassist Phil Lynott,Lizzy, though not the first band to do so, combined romanticized working-Ĭlasssentiments with their ferocious, twin-lead guitar attack.

Rock/heavymetal fans, ThinLizzy are still, in the pantheon of '70s rock bands, underappreciated. Despite a huge hit single in the mid-'70s ('The Boys Are Back in Town') and becoming a popular act with hard

Thin lizzy bassist