The more catchy The Holy War ramps up the pace again soon enough with its arrogant lyrics and thumping skins supporting the choppy riffs well. Again the lead work goes some way to performing a rescue job but it is glitter on a turd at the end of the day. To follow this with a slow-paced ballad seems to throw lacklustre after poor in all honesty, not that The Sun Goes Down is a sterling piece of songwriting with its over-brooding bass line quickly becoming overbearing, particularly alongside the underwhelming chorus. The excellent guitar work of Gorham and Sykes makes up for this to some degree though but overall it's a poor track very early on in the track listing. Unfortunately the album takes a sharp dip after this with the clumsy This Is the One stumbling along with a slight off-kilter rhythm seemingly a stretch too far for Phil to pace with and at times the track almost feels like the lyrics are somehow a word or two short forcing other words to be stretched out uncomfortably. Lynott's gruff vocal delivery complimenting the fast-paced track well. The album does open strongly with the title track stomping its authority early on with its stomping keys teeing things up nicely. You have to sit through some nonsense also unfortunately. Overall it is a patchy affair with the odd snippet of catchy brilliance and well played hard rock music to give the listener some flashes of what once was. Lynott's last album is not a high point by any means. Things have gone off the boil a tad with Chinatown and Renegade and so we are on a downward spiral now, right? Actually, half right. There are still several B-sides from this period that are not currently available, such as “Angel of Death”, “Still in Love With You”, and “Don’t Believe a Word” live, and a remix of “The Sun Goes Down”.1983 and album number twelve for Lizzy and by this point we have already had the likes of Nightlife, Fighting, Jailbreak, Johnny The Fox and the superb Black Rose. If that’s the case I will pre-order it as soon as I hear about it. I’ve heard that 2013 will see the release of more Lizzy deluxe editions, including Thunder and Lightning. It also has a gatefold sleeve with lyrics inside. The four songs are “Emerald”, “Killer on the Loose”, “The Boys are Back in Town”, and “Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)”. Thankfully, the current Back on Black 180 gram vinyl release restores the rare 12″ bonus EP. They are actually from the Renegade tour and feature Snowy White on guitar instead of his replacement John Sykes. Some vinyl and cassette versions of Thunder and Lightning came with four bonus live tracks. Thunder and Lightning is pretty evolved in sound from a classic like Jailbreak, and that may or may not be to your taste. I mean, it’s still Thin Lizzy, one of the classiest sounding bands ever. If I had any complaints it would probably be the mix/production which at times comes across as a bit too bombastic and 80’s. “Holy War” is another relentless pounder with a message to be heard. It reminds me of the similarly titled “Night Comes Down” by Judas Priest. “The Sun Goes Down” is a slower one with a keyboard solo, very atmospheric. “This Is The One” has some relentless pounding drums courtesy of Brian Downey (one of the true greats). Really, there’s not a bad song on this album. Sung by Lynott, those lines tell a whole story. “I got a whole month’s wages, I haven’t seen that much in ages, I might spend it in stages, and move out to Las Vegas.” Love it. “Cold Sweat” is the one that Sykes co-wrote, and it is very metal, featuring his trademark guitar squeals and yet more great lyrics from Lynott. In “Bad Habits” he sounds like he’s jonesing as bad as the title implies. Phil’s voice is noticeably a lot more raw, worn, but he works within his limitations as always. It’s just a rock and roller of a song with killer lyrics. If there was one track that sounded like old Lizzy circa Johnny The Fox, it’s “Bad Habits”. Wharton’s keys are not obtrusive.īest track: Gorham and Lynott’s “Bad Habits”. Wharton and Sykes both scored songwriting credits, which may be why this album sounds so much more “metal”. It is produced by Chris Tsangarides (Anvil, Judas Priest). This is the only album from the Lynott/Gorham/Downey/Wharton/Sykes lineup. There are times it reminds me of Judas Priest. You know how certain albums just click with you and you don’t know why? That’s Thunder and Lightning for me, but I think it reminds me of that general vibe of heavy metal music in 1983. It’s definitely the most metal, but it’s not the best sounding one (gimme Black Rose for that honour). Thunder and Lightning is the final Lizzy studio album. I’ve always loved John Sykes from his work in Whitesnake and Blue Murder. I love this album, it was actually the first Lizzy studio album I bought, on vinyl, from Tom’s store way back in the late 1990’s. THIN LIZZY – Thunder and Lightning (1983, 180 gram Back on Black reissue)
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