Black Rose: A Rock Legend [VINYL]

Black Rose is a sensational album.It contains 4 maybe 5 all time/any era great Lizzy songs that comfortably stand side by side with Lizzy's finest.Regardless of boasting 3 major hit singles,the overall consistency in songwriting is of very high quality.Not only that,the swagger & aggression is to the fore.To this fan, whilst Toughest Street in Town,& Get Out of Here,are hardly essential listening,the only real album filler is S & M & even that contains a sensational guitar solo.This wasn't to be Gary's debut on record with Lizzy as he played on Nightlife, (& later on Life-Live),but it is Moore's only FULL Lizzy album. Gary Moore is all over this record,not only as lead guitarist but as an excellent foil in the vocal department,to Phillip's singing.Along with Still Got the Blues,this remains Gary's finest album.Some variety in the tunes; out & out rockers,slower tunes & longer tracks,& It's difficult to pick a highlight,I'll go for Waiting for an Alibi (just,over the title track).For me,this epitomises all of Lizzy's strength & qualities & in my view should be right up there with WITJ & TBABIT as one of the band's signature tunes.Along with Jailbreak,Live & Dangerous,& Bad Reputation this an essential purchase for any Lizzy fan. Alas,it wasn't to be,& this line-up imploded on an American tour,with Moore abruptly leaving the band. Bonus Disc.A lot of the deluxe 2nd discs in the Lizzy re-mastering are pretty lousy.This,thankfully contains some beautys.4, Nassau session versions of album tracks,alternate version of Toughest Street in Town.So far,so predictable;Cold Black Night is here,a track called Rockula which is pretty er,filler,& Just the two of us.Now the GEMS;STUDIO version of A night in the life of a Blues singer which is fabulous & then,a different,SLOW version of Don't Believe a Word which really is great, & IS NOT the same as the one on Gary Moore's solo album.Fabulous.Gary's time in Lizzy was only brief,but my word,was it great???Yes,it was!!!!

Want some upbeat good old hard rock that still stands up as a fun hard rocking listen? Then you definitely want to take a trip back in time and bathe in the glory of this amazingly uplifting album.`Sarah' is an incredibly laid back bass heavy track, absolutely drenched in pop sensibilities; it must have broken some charts back when it was released. These types of songs are perfectly contrasted with the guitar heavy `Do Anything You Want To' and `Got to Give it Up' which are two of the best tracks on the album.Philip Lynott has remarkable vocal skills, fitting tracks perfectly whether they are more groovy pop songs or the more straight ahead hard rock. Whatever the style; when needed his voice can soar.The perfect track for anyone new to Thin Lizzy or wishing to check out the album before buying it is the amazing closing track `Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend' which combines everything that is good about Thin Lizzy.I don't drive but I imagine that this album is what people mean by driving music. Sometimes listening to this I am transported to some infinitely long (and massively wide) American road in an open top huge car kind of like the one in the Red Hot Chilli Peppers video for `Scar Tissue'. It's an album packed full of melody which even today manages to sound quite firm and sort of heavy in a vague sort of way anyway, Still a must buy, that is sure to pick up anybody who suffers from SAD thanks to its links to dopamine production (probably).Track List:Do Anything You Want toToughest Street in TownS & MWaiting For an AlibiSarahGot to Give it UpGet Out of HereWith LoveRoisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend

I find that I don't normally agree with the general consensus regarding a band's greatest work, but in the case of Thin Lizzy's Black Rose I have to agree with the masses - this is their best album.Coming at the tail end of their peak period, which started with the underrated Fighting, Black Rose is the last truly great Thin Lizzy album, before the band began it's gradual, but notable, decline. The recruitment of Gary Moore on lead guitar palpably breathes new life into the band, and his effect on their material is obvious. His love for his Irish roots (and for writing songs about them) is clear and as a result many of the tracks have a distinct Celtic flavour, particularly the finale piece Róisín Dubh. The relationship between Phil Lynott and Gary Moore was always volatile (causing the latter to join and then quit the band on three separate occasions) but it is clear that musically the two made a brilliant team.After the mess that was made of the prvious three Thin Lizzy deluxe remasters, with incorrect tracklistings and false claims that the audio mixes used were new, Thin Lizzy have finally been given the treatment they deserve with Black Rose. The studio album has never sounded better, and the bonus second disc contains many unreleased and/or hard to find songs, including Thin Lizzy's recording of Don't Believe A Word in its slower form, as originally penned by Lynott. A comprehensive booklet with extensive notes on the recording period is also a great addition, and I admit I usually don't even look at that sort of thing, but found the insight very interesting (and quite candid).In summary, this is Lizzy's finest hour. If you only buy one Thin Lizzy album, make it A Rock Legend.

Finally got this album in Deluxe Edition - one of my favourite Lizzy albums and delighted it arrived in great condition - as good as new. The second disc contains some songs that I always thought were worthy of inclusion one an album - for example, just the two of us & rock your love. Getting plenty of airplay...