![]() ![]() While the album doesn't feature the enormodome anthems the band had still managed to birth on For Those About To Rock We Salute You - the album's title track and Let's Get It Up cracking international charts - the choice to part ways with Mutt Lange served the bluesier direction the band were returning to, feeling almost like a soft reset back to the Powerage days. While nothing could ever truly match the epic glory of Back In Black, AC/DC were still riding high by the time they got to Flick Of The Switch. Elsewhere, Sleep Alone feels like an 80s-sequel to Barracuda - particularly with its shimmering guitar tones - and Together Now touches on the glam-grunge that later defined fellow Seattleites Mother Love Bone, showing that the band were re-finding themselves and branching out after bringing together a new line-up. Opener How Can I Refuse? is a classic that still managed to claw its way to the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts in the US and set the tone for later hits like If Looks Could Kill and What About Love. Heart would make a massive comeback on their 1985 self-titled, but it was Passionwork that lay the groundwork, updating the band's sound and image to meet the glitz and glamour of 80s rock. 1982's Private Audition was their first to fail to reach even Gold status in the US, with the following year's Passionwork suffering a similar fate even with the band's label Epic trying to steer the band back to commercial glory. Ironically, the final song on Lizzy’s final album is Heart Attack.Heart had enjoyed massive success throughout the 70s, but by 1980's Bébé le Strange they were in a downward spiral. Scott Gorham left to go to rehab (he is currently in a reformed version of the band with drummer Brian Downey and Darren Wharton) while Phil Lynott went on to pass away from drug-relate heart failure at the beginning of 1986. So, a mixed bag from there two final Thin Lizzy albums. Here’s one occasion when the bonus tracks really do improve the album. And without all the studio trickery, they are much better. In addition to a handful of live tracks they include demo versions of every song on Thunder And Lightning. Also, Lynott’s vocals are buried too far in the mix.įortunately the bonus tracks solve part of the problem. This was the early 80s and the band’s sound is marred by the era’s heavy dependence on echo, synths and other digital distractions. The main problem with Thunder And Lightning is the production. ![]() His playing is similar to Randy Rhoads (apparently Sykes was considered to replace Rhoads in Ozzy’s band after Rhoads’ died). This time the youthful infusion proved to be a good thing and Sykes adds new energy into the band starting with the title track. The flipside, Memory Pain, written by Percy Mayfield is an agreeable sounding slice of moody blues.Ĭlick here to listen to Angel Of Death from Renegade:īy the time the band got around to recording Thunder And Lightning, White had had enough of the band’s drug culture and was replaced by former Tygers Of Pan Tang guitarist John Sykes. It’s OK, but the production is rather toothless. Lynott’s lyric writing lets him down on latter tracks like Mexican Blood and Fats, a jazz-tinged tip of the hat to Fats Waller where Wharton plays a little boogie woogie piano.īonus tracks include Trouble Boys, the Billy Bremner-penned 50s-flavoured tune released as a single. Hollywood (Down On Your Luck) is the other decent track on the album with a riff that is reminiscent of Jailbreak and a respectable set of lyrics. According to the liner notes Lynott was a fan, so I guess it’s cool. Leave This Town sounds like a tribute to ZZ Top with its faux- Tush riff. Much better is The Pressure Will Blow, a classic Thin Lizzy rocker, with just a taste of metal in the mix. The band tried to update itself with a heavier sound, but this track, with lyrics based on the writings of Nostradamus, sounds like a bad Spinal Tap outtake.Ĭo-lead guitarist Snowy White attempts to add some blues into the mix for the title track, but it too falls flat. Wharton’s influence in painfully obvious on the opening track, Angel Of Death. 19-year-old keyboard player Darren Wharton was brought in to inject some youthful energy into the veteran band, but his contributions only further alienated Lizzy from their core following…hard core rockers who wanted more Jailbreak and The Boys Are Back In Town. Renegade, originally released in 1981, found the band in pretty bad shape with singer/bassist Phil Lynott and guitarist Scott Gorham both supporting debilitating heroin habits. The final two studio albums (numbers 11 & 12 if you’re counting) by Irish rockers Thin Lizzy have been reissued with the usual bonus tracks and extensive liner notes. ![]()
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