Vyan

Thursday, August 6

Videos from Purgatory #40: Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak

A Mid '70's Irish Rock featuring Phil Lynott on vocals and twin guitar work from Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham - Thin Lizzy remains a Legend among Rock Bands, influential to everyone from AC/DC to Bruce Springsteen and Metallica.

Jailbreak



Just to make the point yet again, being Black in Rock did make a difference as AllMusic.com points out.

Also, as a black man, Lynott was an anomaly in the nearly all-white world of hard rock, and as such imbued much of his work with a sense of alienation; he was the outsider, the romantic guy from the other side of the tracks, a self-styled poet of the lovelorn and downtrodden. His sweeping vision and writerly impulses at times gave way to pretentious songs aspiring to clichéd notions of literary significance, but Lynott's limitless charisma made even the most misguided moments worth hearing.


Feeling "alone and isolated", isn't that what Sonia Sotomayor said about Princeton? Didn't Michelle Obame echo that statement? Yeah, I know exactly what they mean.

Consider how just saying this caused some people to Freak Out, it seems not that much has changed on that front in 30 years.

The likelihood that this band would have ever been noticed if they had been from America, with a Black Guy as lead singer, is somewhere between Slim and Nil IMO - fortunately for them they weren't and they did break through which is something that should be celebrated and respected.

The Boys are Back in Town.



Whiskey in a Jar - (No, Metallica didn't write this song!)



Eventually some of the greatest guitarist of the era found their way into and out of Thin Lizzy ranks including Gary Moore and John Sykes (Whitesnake), Lynott was the centerpiece of the band until the Punk Devolution of the early 80's. They were never able to reform with the original iineup as Lynott tragically died of his addiction to Heroine a few years later - but various members have kept the band alive and touring through the years - largely in remembrance of Phil.

Vyan

No comments: