Artist bio:
Progenitors of the double-guitar action attack coupled with the complex wordplay of the late Phil Lynott (1949-1986), Thin Lizzy, born in 1969 Dublin, Ireland, has been emulated, imitated and revered by every generation since. They’ve influenced legions of bands with their blue-collar everyman aesthetic, recording one of the top rock albums of the mid-‘70s, Jailbreak (1976), which featured “The Boys Are Back In Town.” Two years later, the band—singer/songwriter/bassist Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Scott Gorham and guitarist Brian Robertson—released Live And Dangerous.
What nobody realized, or perhaps simply forgot about, were the mounds of original tapes gathering dust in a London warehouse. Guitarist Gorham knew! He always wanted to get at them to see just what gold could be mined. “We knew we were going to have to bake those tapes because at some point, they were just going to oxidize and disappear forever.” But even he had to be shocked and awed by the discovery of one particular tape, which has now been remixed and remastered by the legendary multi-platinum producer Glyn Johns (Rolling Stones/Led Zeppelin). Still Dangerous documents a long-lost 1977 Philadelphia concert at The Tower Theater. Thin Lizzy, well-muscled, prone to flights of experimentation, feeling that sense of indomitable power that only bands poised at the brink of conquering the world can feel, had the kind of night most bands only dream of.
“We were warmed-up, ready-to-go, ready-to-hit-the-road, and this was the concert of the tour that we were absolutely convinced would break us in America,” remembers Gorham.
Thin Lizzy earned its bad reputation by doing the Brit pub crawl, a debilitating series of gigs where they worked out a very special live craft that became their calling card. The band’s use of twin guitar leads presaged hard rock itself, 1970s-style. “We were like the street-punk guys, and while we never caught the art of the studio as well as we’d have liked to, we caught the live art very well,” Gorham told journalist Paul Gargano in 2007.
So Thin Lizzy, a band at the peak of its power, is presented on Still Dangerous not only captivating its audience…not only satisfying themselves with that impromptu chemistry that invites improvisation and incites the kind of in-band telepathic communication that only the truly inspired can engender…but finely-tuned by one of rock’s most cherished producers, to boot!
“After Phil died,” continues Gorham, “I didn’t even open my guitar case for a good five years. But you heal up after awhile. You start to open up the guitar case. You start to play again. It’s probably one of the main reasons why I did want to get out again and play these songs again. The last time Phil and I actually got together, he was saying, “y’know, we really should start writing some songs together again, and get out and start playing.” And I said, “yeah yeah we absolutely should,” but to look at him at that point with him being so ill, and so absolutely strung out on drugs, I knew it was never going to work. To do that at any sort of level, you have to have your shit together. And he just wasn’t, y’know, mentally, and especially physically, together. At all. So, for me, to get out and play the songs again in 1994, in my own weird sappy way, was fulfilling that promise to him. That was my main motivation. I’ve never told anybody that before.”
Still Dangerous represents the absolute onstage zenith of a band that had so much more to give, cut down tragically in its prime, but preserved forever by one Glyn Johns, with versions of songs unheard on Live And Dangerous like “Soldier Of Fortune,” “Opium Trail” and “Dancing In The Moonlight.” And, even more importantly, when comparing the songs that the two live albums share, Gorham emphatically says, “although there are no fucking overdubs on Live And Dangerous as has been rumored, Still Dangerous is still a much better album. Period. I really believe that.”
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Thin Lizzy
- Are You Ready?
Click here to download this press release as a PDF
Eagle Rock Entertainment Releases Two Incredible Rockpalast DVDs
THIN LIZZY: ARE YOU READY
UB40: FOOD FOR THOUGHT
~November 10, 2009~
New York, NY (November 2, 2009)—Like American Bandstand or Top Of The Pops, German Television’s Rockpalast series has played a pivotal role in showcasing many classic bands. On November 10, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release phenomenal performances from Thin Lizzy and UB40 on DVD. [MSRP $11.98]
Paving the way for countless hard rock bands, Thin Lizzy is one of Ireland’s most legendary exports. Led by the late Phil Lynott, and rounded out by guitarists Scott Gorham and Snowy White, keyboardist Darren Wharton, and drummer Brian Downey, this collective’s use of heavy guitar licks and catchy sing-a-longs were a perfect fit for Rockpalast. They hit the stage in 1981, rousing the crowds with barroom anthems such as “Don’t Believe A Word,” “Jailbreak,” and “The Boys Are Back In Town.” This DVD, Are You Ready, follows another 2009 Thin Lizzy release, as VH1 Classic Records released the live CD Still Dangerous in March.
Getting their big break after being discovered by Chrissie Hynde, UB40 rose to become one of Britain’s biggest bands. A blend of reggae and pop, Ub40 were a unique collective, composed of vocalists/guitarists Ali and Robin Campbell, bassist Earl Falconer, keyboardist Mickey Virtue, saxophonist Brian Travers, percussionist/vocalist/trumpet player Astro, and vocalist /percussionist/trombonist Norman Hassan. Following the release of their successful second album Present Arms (which received a #2 chart position), they performed on Rockpalast in July 1981 – the perfect time for their summertime jams. Food For Thought captures this performance, and is an ideal snapshot of the bands earlier years.
These two releases continue Eagle’s growing collection of Rockpalast Concert DVDs, which includes recent releases Little Feat’s Skin It Back: Live In Germany (released September 22, 2009), ZZ Top’s Double Down Live (released October 20, 2009), and the upcoming Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell: The Original Tour DVD, to be released November 10 as well.
Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international media production and distribution company operating across audiovisual entertainment programming. Eagle Rock Entertainment works directly alongside talent to produce the highest quality programming output covering film, general entertainment and musical performance. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices based in London, New York, Germany, France & Toronto.
For more information regarding this and other Eagle Rock Entertainment releases, contact Carol Kaye at Carol@Kayosproductions.com.
YouTube Links to Clips Of Performances:
Thin Lizzy :
Waiting For An Alibi - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oayeRmQPQTU
UB4o:
Food For Thought - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXoRrfLKiYM
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Artist Biography >>>View Ecard >>> Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment
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