Thin Lizzy

Thin Lizzy were formed in 1969 in Dublin (Ireland) by black vocalist Phil Lynott. In the year of Led Zeppelin, they represented a less intellectual and juvenile brand of hard-rock, closer to the spirit of the working-class and of the lumperproletariat. Coherently, their early albums, Thin Lizzy (Decca, april 1971), Shades Of A Blue Orphanage (Decca, march 1972) and Vagabonds Of The Western World (Decca, september 1973), tried to fuse Irish folk music and rock and roll (Rocker, 1973; Whiskey In The Jar, 1973).

Guitarist Gary Moore of Skid Row, who had released Skid (1970) and 34 Hours (1971), the latter featuring the guitar solo of Love Story, joined Thin Lizzy but was expelled after only four months. Then Thin Lizzy adopted the dual guitar line-up (Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson) a` la Wishbone Ash that debuted on Night Life (Mercury, 1974) and that would become classic. Still In Love With You was the first demonstration of the firepower of their guitars. Thanks to more cohesive playing by the guitarists and forceful performances by drummer Brian Downey, Fighting (Mercury, 1975) presented a completely different band, tight and soulful, aggressive and romantic, defiant and melancholy, relying on a sonic tapestry of boogie, jazz, funk and soul. The similarities with latter-day Who and Bruce Springsteen were obvious.

Johnny the Fox (Mercury, 1976) contains Don't Believe A Word. Jailbreak (Mercury, 1976) contains their only international hit, The Boys Are Back In Town (with the twin guitar solo by the two guitarists), but also Cowboy Song. Bad Reputation (Mercury, 1977) includes another batch of hard-hitting songs (minus the dreamy Dancin' In The Moonlight, with one of Gorham's best guitar solos).

Rosalie (1978) and Waiting for an Alibi (1979) were the singles that signaled a new change in direction. Live and Dangerous was a legendary live album. Moore replaced Robertson on Black Rose (1979), a lame return to their folk-rock roots (Do Anything you Want to) but also with the four-movement suite Roisin Dubh that contains some of their best guitar interplay. Again, Moore lasted only a few months. After Chinatown (1980), a blues album (Killer on the Loose), keyboardist Darren Wharton joined for Renegade (1981). Then the band recruited John Sykes for Thunder and Lightning (1983), their heavy-metal album. The live album Life (Vertigo, 1983) was their swan-song and a self-tribute of sort, as every past member of the band played on it.

Lynott, after recording the single Out In The Fields (1985) with Gary Moore, died in 1986 from pneumonia and heart failure induced by years of alcohol and drug abuse.

Gary Moore, after scoring the hit Parisienne Walkways (1979), established himself as one of Britain's leading white bluesman with the albums G Force (Mirage, 1979), Corridors Of Power (Mirage, 1983), Victims Of The Future (Mirage, 1984), Run for Cover (Mirage, 1986), Wild Frontier (Mirage, 1987), After the War (Mirage, 1989), Still Got The Blues (1990), with one of his best solos (Still Got The Blues).

Wild Frontier (1985) and the blues ballad That Kind Of Woman are typical of his MOR style.

Gary Moore died in 2011.