Phil Lynott would have reached the grand old age of 65 yesterday...

Highlander · August 21, 2014, 12:25:28 AM

Kind of makes me feel older for a moment or two, but...

I'll raise a dram to the old b*st*rd in his honour... rip, Phil... towards the end, you didn't get it here...

gearHed289 · August 21, 2014, 08:45:33 AM

RIP Phil.

TBird1958 · August 21, 2014, 01:02:50 PM

I always like him a lot, no standing in the shadows staring at his shoes - Up front and in the audience' face.

RIP Phil - and cheers.

uwe · August 21, 2014, 03:30:22 PM

That slightly mocking smile was already there ...

My favorite song of his ...

Hörnisse · August 21, 2014, 05:57:15 PM

I remember the first time I heard the opening chords to "Jailbreak". Summer of 1976 and I was hooked after that. It was cool buying the new records when they came out. Bad Reputation is still one of my favorites.

ack1961 · August 21, 2014, 11:22:58 PM

I'm proud to say that Lizzy is a staple here, and my kids now love 'em, too.

"Killer on the Loose" is a repeat offender in the Jam Room.

gearHed289 · August 22, 2014, 08:42:39 AM

Quote from: Hörnisse on August 21, 2014, 05:57:15 PM
I remember the first time I heard the opening chords to "Jailbreak". Summer of 1976 and I was hooked after that.

That was one of the two first singles I ever bought. However, I had bought it for the Boys are Back. When I flipped it over, I was like "WHOA! What's THIS?!?!" I was still a couple of months away from actually knowing what a bass guitar was...

uwe · August 22, 2014, 09:22:38 AM

You've got to grant it to The Boys Are Back In Town that it has one of the most unusual (and elaborate) chord sequences for a hard rock song ever, especially in the verse. Kind of 30ies jazzy, I'm sure he nicked it from some old standard! It stands out that way in the canon of Lizzy's work, they don't really have anything similar. Most of their other stuff is a lot less chord-happy.

nofi · August 22, 2014, 04:19:33 PM

that chord sequence was impressive alright. not a tin lizzy fan.

Basvarken · August 23, 2014, 01:57:31 PM

Phil was inspired by Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen when he wrote Boys Are Back In Town.

And of course there are plenty of Thin Lizzy songs that are not straightforward three chord rockers.

gweimer · August 23, 2014, 04:35:54 PM

I was always partial to "The Cowboy Song".

His solo material was always just as good.

godofthunder · August 23, 2014, 04:56:10 PM

Yeah love the Cowboy song ! RIP Phil. You'll live forever through your music.

gearHed289 · August 25, 2014, 08:47:53 AM

Quote from: uwe on August 22, 2014, 09:22:38 AM
You've got to grant it to The Boys Are Back In Town that it has one of the most unusual (and elaborate) chord sequences for a hard rock song ever, especially in the verse. Kind of 30ies jazzy, I'm sure he nicked it from some old standard! It stands out that way in the canon of Lizzy's work, they don't really have anything similar. Most of their other stuff is a lot less chord-happy.

Yeah, definitely different. All of a sudden there's a F natural in there...

uwe · August 25, 2014, 12:16:07 PM

Quote from: Basvarken on August 23, 2014, 01:57:31 PM
Phil was inspired by Bob Seger and Bruce Springsteen when he wrote Boys Are Back In Town.

And of course there are plenty of Thin Lizzy songs that are not straightforward three chord rockers.

A decent hard rock song generally needs four or five different chords! Less is dumbed-down AC/DC, more is in danger of trespassing PROG territory.

For a hard rock band, Thin Lizzy were relatively major chord happy, that and Phil's baritone vocals really set them apart from many others in a similar field. His vocal style has grown on me over the decades, I didn't much like it first, back in the seventies I had a penchant for high-pitched screamers such as Ian Gillan, David Byron, Dan McCafferty, Ozzy or Rob Halford, I just thought that their vocals towered more "above" the music. Thin Lizzy did not have that, but to their credit they knew how to arrange their music so that Phil's lower register singing wasn't drowned out.

gweimer · August 25, 2014, 03:08:08 PM

Quote from: uwe on August 25, 2014, 12:16:07 PM
A decent hard rock song generally needs four or five different chords! Less is dumbed-down AC/DC, more is in danger of trespassing PROG territory.

For a hard rock band, Thin Lizzy were relatively major chord happy, that and Phil's baritone vocals really set them apart from many others in a similar field. His vocal style has grown on me over the decades, I didn't much like it first, back in the seventies I had a penchant for high-pitched screamers such as Ian Gillan, David Byron, Dan McCafferty, Ozzy or Rob Halford, I just thought that their vocals towered more "above" the music. Thin Lizzy did not have that, but to their credit they knew how to arrange their music so that Phil's lower register singing wasn't drowned out.