Every now and then, I will be doing classic album reviews, just so newcomers to this wonderful scene that is Rock and Metal, can understand about the music we grew up with, and possibly check out the albums, and broaden their own horizons.

Now, what is a classic album? Is it one that has stood the test of time, like Led Zeppelin IV? With the classic songs like Stairway to Heaven, Rock and Roll, Black Dog, et al. Or is it something more recent like Pearl Jam 10, with iconic tracks, Jeremy and Alive? You decide.

I’m going to kick off this section with an album, that as a long time listener to Rock and Metal, I would define as “Classic”. Thin Lizzy, Live and Dangerous.

Thin Lizzy, Live and Dangerous. Dangerous, yes, Live, well almost, but more about that later. Recorded during the 78 Bad Reputation tour, Live and Dangerous was the album the fans had been begging for. It captures the raw energy of a Lizzy show, right in yoyur living room, a four pronged assualt on the ears, that encapsulates what Lizzy were all about live.

From the opening chants of LIZZY, LIZZY, the journey bigins with long standing opener, Jailbreak. You are then on the rollercoaster of your life, Emerald, with Lizzy’s trademark Celtic and twin lead sound. The moody Dancing in the Moonlight, the haunting ballad, Still in Love With You, which in my opinion, has one of the best heart grabbing solos, courtesy of Brian Robertson, which you will ever hear. The legendary Boys are Back in Town, which you will find on every jukebox in every bar in the world, follows. And so it goes on, every track on this album is a classic in its own right, which shows how under rated the writing talents of the late great Phil Lynott was, and shows how sadly missed he he is today.

Just two niggling things about the album. Firstly, Southbound, the weakest track on the album, was not even recorded in front of the crowd, it was recorded during their soundcheck, and secondly, harking back to myearlier comment about almost live, Phil did admit to overlaying additional guitar adrums in the studio on bits he thought did not pick up well during the shows. So it’s not entirely “Live”. Apart from that, it is a must for any true Rock fan, as it has been voted many times the best live album.

Pitbull   8/10

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 13:43 and is filed under CD Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.