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Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy

Thin Lizzy - Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy Audio CD

A fair review of the Thin Lizzy "Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Thin Lizzy reviews here, or go back to the Thin Lizzy tabs.

Band: Thin Lizzy
Title: Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy
Rating:

Release Date: 1991-04-02
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Whiskey in the Jar 2: Rocker 3: She Knows 4: Still in Love with You 5: Showdown 6: Rosalie 7: Wild One 8: Fighting My Way Back 9: Jailbreak 10: Boys Are Back in Town 11: Cowboy Song 12: Don't Believe a Word 13: Bad Reputation 14: Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight) 15: Do Anything You Want To 16: Waiting for an Alibi 17: Chinatown 18: Dedication

A Decent Start For The Curious
You've heard the name before, probably many times. Thin Lizzy. You know they're a classic rock band and you know there's a dude with an afro singing and playing bass in the band, but do you know anything about the band's music? Not many do. Like most great bands, Thin Lizzy were popular in pretty much every country except for the U. S. In America, Lizzy plays second(or third) fiddle to classic rock bands like Aerosmith, AC/DC, Kiss, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. Sure, they scored a hit with "The Boys Are Back In Town", but if you ask me, that was never a very good representation of the talent of the band. Not to mention it's overplayed as hell. Then Metallica had to vomit out a dreadful cover of "Whiskey In The Jar"(most folks think this is an original Metallica song. . . . . they're WAY off).
I've always said that Thin Lizzy were the best kept secret in the classic rock world, or better yet, the rock and roll world period. Yet they hide right out in the open, wedged there on the racks at your local Best Buy somewhere between Therion and Third Eye Blind. It's a shame more people don't know about this band coz once you get into them there's no going back. To know them is to love them.
Essentially Thin Lizzy is hard rock. That's putting it in the most basic of terms. Lizzy had a soft side as well, and unlike many hard rock bands that do ballads, Lizzy's were great. They sound very natural and not corny at all. Lizzy were one of the first bands to really utilize the twin guitar sound that has become so prevalent in metal music(Iron Maiden are big Thin Lizzy fans). Phil Lynott has a wonderfully smooth and soulful voice, and a vocal style and delivery that you most likely have never heard before. And the man was one hell of a songwriter. I don't put an awful lot of stock in lyrics, especially when it's a hard rock band from the 70s, but man oh man, could Phil put words together.
This is a nice collection to get an idea of what this fantastic band was about. I'm not one for "Best Of" collections because you miss out on alot and people tend to think that if they buy a "Best Of" or "Greatest Hits" album that they have all the best songs they'll ever need from the band. But since Thin Lizzy's studio albums are rarely to be found on the shelves in American music stores(Jailbreak turns up now and again), this collection is easy to come by. The Thin Lizzy "Definitive Collection" is also easy to find, but I think this collection is a slightly better representation. It's a good collection, many great songs. But don't think this is the best Lizzy has done. No, sir!! These guys put out 12 studio albums-lots of music and practically none of it bad. In fact, a bunch of their albums aren't even featured here.
So the next time you're browsing those racks and this one catches your eye, take the plunge, dammit! You'll be glad you did, and you'll say to yourself, "Why the hell weren't these guys superstars?".

Concise and pretty complete
If your from the UK or Ireland your seeming obliged to love Lizzy with the utmost awe. A hard one to review. Everywhere else on the planet managed to escape such lack of perspective but basically anywhere in the Western world you'll still find their bands megahits on every jukebox. And the reasons are to be found on this well chosen cluster of tunes.

All the expected hits are here. From Whisky In The Jar to Jailbreak to The Boys Are Back In Town to . . . well don't you know all their names by now? And the X factor of raw wattage and low slung cool that permeates Don't Believe A Word and Bad Reputation as well as more heartfelt numbers like Rosalie makes this pretty much an obligatory purchase for hard rock fans of any age.

Of course there are some duds here but the collection steers clear of so much of the fok inflected early rubbish this band did in their earliest incarnations And the inclusion of a bunch of live tracks helps pacing and to give a good impression of what the band was all about. Phil Lynott was a giant of the genre and he was ably assisted by a varied bunch of musos who almost always seemed to give their best and brightest performances when they were doin' it with Phil as circus master, his charisma and deep, sonorous tones creating a perfect vehicle for both parties and highway cruising. Even your mates that don't like hard rock or metal will grin when you slap this on - and what more proof do you need?

A great collection of the more pertinent points of this bands sometimes inconsistent recorded works.
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Thin Lizzy - A Decent Collection But Several Albums Not Represented
The disc contains 18 tracks from the band's early Irish roots, through their second to last album "Chinatown". There are a number of good Thin Lizzy collections out there and this single disc set from the early 90's is a pretty good representation of what the band were all about. Unfortunately there are quite a few albums that are not represented here including their final most metallic album "Thunder And Lightning". This would probably be a good disc for someone just discovering the music of Lizzy. The few hits that they had in the U. S. are here (namely "Boys Are Back In Town" and "Cowboy Song"), and there are a lot of good album tracks. In fact if anything this collection shows how much versatility Thin Lizzy had. The music is literally all over the place with the boys pulling it all off with aplomb. Lizzy is another one of the bands that really were overlooked here in the US. They were the starting point for a veritable who's who of guitarists including Eric Bell, Brian Robertson, Gary Moore, Scott Gorham, Snowy White, and John Sykes. All of them were top of the line players. I only got to see them live once as an opening act, but looking back these guys were innovators in a lot of ways and they should have been bigger than they ever got.

If you can only get one Thin Lizzy cd, pick up this one
I love alot of music, Zeppelin, Free, Deep Purple on and on, but Thin Lizzy does it for me. IMO, the greatest band to ever grace a stage was Thin Lizzy. Tops. None higher than Phil Lynott. This cd has alot, Jailbreak, The Boys are back in Town, Chinatown, Bad Reputation, Still In Love with You, and 13 others. I personally like all of their albums, Johnny the Fox and Black Rose being the best, but if you are new to Lizzy try this. After you are mesmerized. . . and you will be, just go ahead and seek out (the 4 cd box) Vagabonds Kings Warriors Angels plus get Live and Dangerous. You will not regret it oneiotta.

FORGET U2... THIS IS THE BEST BAND TO EVER COME OUT OF IRELAND
However, this 'best of' album is an essential part of my collection and is one that I listen to on a regular basis. I currently own in the neighborhood of 400 carefully chosen Rock/Metal CD's, but own almost no 'best of' CD's. If you are a Rock enthusiast, and are old enough to appreciate Classic Rock, this is an album that should be part of your collection too. This 'best of' album is just that, a very good representation of Thin Lizzy/Philip Lynott at their/his best. When I write reviews I generally don't like to put down comparable bands of the same era to force my contention of excellence, so I am not going to do that here. I will just say that this album is very near the pinnacle of what true Classic Rock is, not Pop Rock, Hard Rock or Metal, but Rock. Do not hesitate to buy this album. Also, do yourself a big favor and buy 'Thunder and Lightning', an awesome album which is Thin Lizzy at their Hard Rockin' best. RIP Phil.

You can see a complete list of all Thin Lizzy discography, or go back to the Thin Lizzy tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.