Audio CD review:
Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous

Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous

Band: Thin Lizzy Title: Live and Dangerous Rating: Release Date: 1996-03-18 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Jailbreak 2: Emerald - Thin Lizzy, Gorham, Scott 3: Southbound 4: Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song - Thin Lizzy, Downey, Brian 5: Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight) 6: Massacre 7: Still in Love With You 8: Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed 9: Cowboy Song 10: The Boys Are Back in Town 11: Don't Believe a Word 12: Warrior 13: Are You Ready 14: Suicide 15: Sha La La 16: Baby Drives Me Crazy - Thin Lizzy, Downey, Brian 17: The Rocker

At a point below zero... And there was no record that best captured this day and age in more perfect form than Thin Lizzy's `Live and Dangerous' released in June 1978. From 1975 to 1979, hard rock was in its golden age as a result of an art form known as the double (or sometimes single) live album. Often cited as the premier live document of all time, this opus captured an in hindsight criminally underappreciated band in all of their ragged glory. These guys were untouchable and there was no cooler front man on the planet than Philip Parris Lynott! Behind him was Lizzy's greatest lineup in blood brother/rhythm genius Brian Downey and the ultra combustible duo of Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham. In America, where they were often delegated to support act status (how stupid were we?), headliners would shudder at the very mention of their name. At the time of `L&D''s release, a Sounds magazine critic called them the greatest hard rock band in the world, but today in 2008, the kids don't really know. As with any live document worth its salt, all the best (or most of the best) are here in peak performance form. To list my favorites would be listing most of the album but anyway - "Massacre", "Emerald" and "Rosalie" to name my top three. For pure six-string brilliance take Gorham on the first and Robbo and the last two, mind blowing! "Jailbreak" is the opener and man what a stunner (I love when he says, "I think it's safer" in that low almost throw away register!). The way "Cowboy Song" flows into "Boys" is just pure majestic alchemy! "Suicide" is gut wrenching, "The Rocker", pure delirium and "Don't Believe a Word" as macho tough a love song as one can get. You get the slow songs as well and Lizzy did them as well as anyone and two non-lpers which are fair but they don't make this record any more special than it already is (as if that were possible). As far as how "live" this album, if it bothers you that much - don't bother. This was Lizzy's REAL best of. . . . and it really could be the greatest live album of all time. Powerful live album from Thin Lizzy This album perfectly captures Thin Lizzy`s powerful live show during their heyday with the classic lineup of the late great Philip Lynott, Brian Downey, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorman, who absolutely delivers their unbelievably great brand of hard rock from start to finish on this album. Live and Dangerous is one of the best live albums ever made IMO at least. Top songs: Still In Love With You(greatest live Lizzy song ever), Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed, Dancing In The Moonlight, Jailbreak, Sha-La-La and Warrior. I highly recommend Live And Dangerous to everyone, especially fans of great classic rock from the 70`s. I guarantee that you most likely will be very addicted listening to this great album. The Show That Never Ends And this package highlights the band in all its glory, on stage and delivering high-octane music to an appreciative audience. Simply, Thin Lizzy remains a vastly underrated band & Live and Dangerous - when the title was originally issued on a double live album - is one of the best live sets from the 1970s, when such releases became very popular. The DVD portion features a 1978 concert from the Rainbow Theatre, which is not the venue where the double live album was recorded. Phil Lynott (vocals, bass) keeps the joint rocking by seemingly feeding off the crowd's energy from the opening note to the closing chord. There is also the highly-acclaimed 1983 "Farewell" concert from the Regal Theatre, selections from appearances on Top of the Pops and interviews with band members Scott Gorham (guitar), Brian Robertson (guitar), Brian Downey (drums and percussion). The bonus CD is a treat, a 1975 concert from Derby College. This is a fantastic collection of outstanding performances from a band that defined the golden era of arena rock. . This album is one of the top-ten albums of ALL TIME There are lots of "great" albums that pale in comparison to L&D. This album goes beyond being another great album. This album documents more than any other Thin Lizzy work the phenomonally great songwriting and musicianhship of Thin Lizzy. The guitar tandem here is arguably the best ever in recorded music. I am lucky enough to have seen them live on the Chinatown tour. I have seen multitudues of concerts and have not seen an audience slayed with such ferocity as Thin Lizzy on that night. No live recording can ever recreate the experience of being there. However, Live and Dangerous comes as close you can get. I have heard all of the other live Thin Lizzy albums available. Don't bother. They all pale badly in comparison to the original Live & Dangerous. Buy this album and revel in its innate "greatness". . Thin Lizzy - A Truly Great Live Album In both cases "Alive And Dangerous" came in at the top of the list. A few years ago Classic Rock magazine did a readers and critics poll to decide on the best live album of all time. I owned this album on vinyl back in the day, and after reading all of the praise about it decided to replace it on CD. Since the time of it's release a lot been made about the significant amount of overdubbing that was done on the album. To me that does take a bit away from the "live" aspect of this whole project, but it does remain a fine slice of music, from one of the more underrated bands of the 70's. This really is a fantastic album. Lizzy never really made that much of an impact in America after "Jailbreak" and it's bit hit "The Boys Are Back In Town" . It is really too bad because they were one of the best twin guitar rock bands of their era. Lizzy was the birthplace of a bevy of guitarists move through the band over the years and this album featured Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson. They are on top of their game throughout this disc. Phil Lynott was the consument front man and drummer Brian Downey held down the bottom end. All of Lizzy's classics are here and the band show a ton of versatility going from boogie rock, to metal, to songs that are almost progressive rock without even a blink. Lizzy is an underappreciated band and this album serves as a great introduction to what they were all about. . You can see a complete list of all Thin Lizzy discography, or go back to the Thin Lizzy tabs