CD Odyssey Disc 834: Thin Lizzy

It’s been a pleasant Saturday so far. It started with lunch with Sheila at our favourite diner (which has all new menu items!), followed by a nap with the cat, and a solid writing session working on my latest book. I’m feeling fulfilled, and I can’t think of a better way to round out the day than with a music review.

Disc 834 is….Bad Reputation

Artist: Thin Lizzy

Year of Release: 1977

What’s up with the Cover? This cover makes me imagine a conversation like this. Studio: “do you have any good photos for the next album cover?” Thin Lizzy: “How about these?” Studio: “Do you have any other pictures?” Thin Lizzy “No, that’s it.” Studio: “OK, I guess we can convert it to black and white and make the best of it.”

How I Came To Know It: I came to know Thin Lizzy’s larger catalogue through my buddy Spence, but this particular album was introduced to me by the awesome local record store “The Turntable” who put it on one day on vinyl. As soon as I heard it, I knew I had to have it – although I ended up buying it on CD.

How It Stacks Up:  I have five Thin Lizzy albums, with plans to get a couple more before I am through. All the albums are good and competition is tough. Despite how much I like “Bad Reputation” I can’t put it above 4^th.

Ratings: 4 stars

“Bad Reputation” shows the softer side of Thin Lizzy, and when I first listened to it I wanted it to rock a little harder. After listened to it a few times over the last few days the album has won me over just as it is.

As ever, Thin Lizzy begins and ends with vocalist Phil Lynott, whose smooth vocals and uncanny ability with phrasing infuses every song with a coolness factor few bands can match.  Lynott is one of rock’s great vocalists, and his like will not be seen again.

The record’s opening track, “Soldier of Fortune” was the one that instantly won me over at Turntable Records years ago. This is a classic rock song that hits on every note. It has one of rock and roll’s greatest (and most unappreciated) guitar hooks, it has Lynott’s voice infusing the story of the soldier with all the import of a modern day Homer. The song even starts with a frickin’ gong.

The title track has a funky groove that almost feels like it is going to incorporate early disco, but when the chunky guitar chords launch that notion is quickly dispelled. “Bad Reputation” combines creative drum breaks and restrained guitar solos to really showcase how tight the band plays.

The album has a lot of range, such as “Dancing in the Moonlight” which feels like it was lifted from a Broadway musical. The inclusion of saxophone licks adds a playful quality. If only eighties songs had learned how to use a saxophone like this. The song also features a lot of walking home after the last bus has gone. Given it was 1977 it always makes me think that could be relatively early. Maybe eleven? Midnight? Whenever it was I bet it was early enough to be damned inconvenient after a night on the town. Then again, it just gives you an excuse to dance in the moonlight on the walk home.

But I digress…

Back to the album, which has a few songs with religious overtones, including “Downtown Sundown” and “Dear Lord.” These songs have a lounge feel around the edges which works beautifully with Phil’s voice, and the band feels relaxed and easy playing them. “Downtown Sundown” is particularly pretty, with a hopeful message that lets a lover go without acrimony, knowing that love will come again:

“If you want to fly

Then fly away

All the cloudy skies

Belong to yesterday

“Please believe in love

I believe there is a God above

For love

And He's coming.”

The song also features a sweet guitar solo from new guitarist Scott Gorham. The whimsical clarinet in “Downtown Sundown” strays close to saccharine a.m. radio pop, but stays respectfully on the right side of that line.

My main complaint with “Bad Reputation” is the production volume, which feels a little low and overly compressed. I’m not sure if this is just the remastering of the album or an original fault, but I had to turn it up a lot louder to get the full range of sound, even on headphones.

If you want Thin Lizzy to rock out, and only rock out, then “Bad Reputation” might feel a bit too smooth and polished for you. I admire this band’s ability to straddle the worlds of soul, rock, blues and jazz, and “Bad Reputation” is a good example of all the ways they use these forms.

Best tracks:  Soldier of Fortune, Bad Reputation, Opium Trail, Downtown Sundown