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Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation Audio CD

A fair review of the Thin Lizzy "Bad Reputation" 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.

Thin Lizzy Band: Thin Lizzy
Title: Bad Reputation
Rating:
Release Date: 1996-03-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Soldier of Fortune 2: Bad Reputation 3: Opium Trail 4: Southbound 5: Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight) 6: Killer Without a Cause 7: Downtown Sundown 8: That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart 9: Dear Lord

classic
every song on this cd is good, no filler. not JAILBREAK but one of LIZZY'S best. DANCING IN THE MOONLIGHT has always been my favorite LIZZY song.


Thin Lizzy Come Up With A Winner Despite The Absence Of One Guitarist
Scott Gorham responded fantastically to the pressure, coming through with some of his most aggressive playing ever in order to cover for Robertson's absence. On BAD REPUTATION, Thin Lizzy, in spite of the fact that guitarist Brian Robertson was out of the picture on all but three songs, managed to put together one of their finest albums ever. Bassist-vocalist-songwriter Phil Lynott also let his jazz and folk influences shine through in spots, resulting in one of the band's most musically diverse albums ever. Overall, BAD REPUTATION is essential for anyone even remotely interested in 70s heavy metal.


not a bad reputation, but not really a good one either
For one thing, people tend to ignore it, and it doesn't deserve to be ignored. Bad Reputation is a bit of a strange album. But the other thing that makes the album weird is how much of it rocks very hard, maybe even heavier than the Johnny the Fox album, and yet, the songwriting is either a LOT better than the Johnny the Fox album, or a LOT worse. Very strange.

They weren't able to combine the heavy guitar tone with solid songwriting for this one, so you're left with the feeling the band members weren't on top of their game for this release.

To be fair, a weak Thin Lizzy song isn't necessarily bad- just forgettable, and this album has a couple of those. This is the first Thin Lizzy album they made that has some filler IMO.

But, ignoring the filler, 70% of the album is still really good, such as the opener, with an anthem rock guitar riff taking place for the entire 5 minutes, and pretty good vocals (even though there's not a lot of vocals on this track, for some reason- guess the band members wanted to jam a bit).

The title song also cooks. Love that mean sounding chorus and convincing lyrics. What a great lead singer this band had.

"Opium Trial" is a song I really don't care for. The vocals do nothing for me, and there's nothing appealing about this track. I'm a bit surprised by this. "Dancing in the Moonlight" is groovy and AWESOME! I love that chorus and the entire atmosphere of this song. Thin Lizzy was experimenting here, and it works great.

"Killer Without a Cause" has a great guitar riff and more enjoyable vocals. A great song. "Downtown Sundown" kind of smells funny, haha. I don't really like the way the verse melody is sung, for whatever reason.

But, the album gets better again with "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart", which has a mighty fine chorus.

Overall, yeah, Thin Lizzy must have been going through a dry spell with this one. .


One of their best
Phil Lynott's continued growth as a songwriter is apparent throughout and the band continue to further their horizons musically. Thin Lizzy's 1977 release, Bad Reputation, is another strong album from the underrated Irish band. The album is best known for the wicked title track (certainly one of their heaviest songs) and a juicy slice of R&B called "Dancing in the Moonlight. " One of the band's best tracks, "Dancing. . . " works on every level from Phil's great vocals and his funky bass line to the snappy horn lines and its catchy chorus. Like their previous album (Johnny the Fox), Bad Reputation works best on the more melodic tracks as "Southbound" and "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart" are great songs led by the band's dual guitar sound while the mellower "Downtown Sundown" and "Dear Lord" are just as good. As for the harder rockers, they're all very good with "Soldier of Fortune" and the title track being on the level of the best ones on Jailbreak or Johnny the Fox. All told, Bad Reputation is another strong album from Thin Lizzy and is worth checking out. .


You better turn yourself around...
Unfortunately for Robbo this would ultimately lead to his exit from the band. From strength to strength as a recording band, nevertheless Thin Lizzy were reduced to a three piece once more due to the temporary incapacitation of Brian Robertson. For 'Bad Reputation' most of the guitar duites fell to Scott Gorham who was often looked at as a second banana in this celebrated partnership. However Gorham produced arguably his finest work as an axeman and 'Bad Rep' is a better album for it. Despite the hiatus of Robbo, 'BR' contains much of the trademark harmonies that defined the band's sound. The title track is an incredible piece of street metal which also includes another outrageous performance from Brian Downey. "Soldier of Fortune", "Southbound" and "Dear Lord" further demonstrate that sometimes less is more. Robertson does contribute killer leads in "Opuim Trail" and "Killer without a Cause" (another classic!) but Scott takes care of business quite well. And Philip? He's the same genius as always whether emulating one of his heroes in "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Van Morrison) or making one of his celebrated confessionals in "Dear Lord" (I believed your story now you believe mine!). "Dancing" proved to be a minor hit for Lizzy but their last real success in the States would have to wait til the live record. 'Bad Reputation' the album would prove to be the end of an era as far as the band's studio albums went, the last stand of troubled genuis Brian Robertson. For consistent, brillant hard rock in the mid to late seventies, there was none better than Thin Lizzy. Time is right to settle scores!.


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.

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