It’s been about 12 hours and I have fully recovered from seeing Thin Lizzy tribute band Limehouse Lizzy at the Guildhall in Gloucester last night. Maybe it was down to the fact that I’ve only been to one live gig in the last four years, thanks Covid, but the night was absolutely phenomenal. One other good aspect was that I was able to get my metal gear out of the drawer it’s been sitting in for nearly four years and put it on. Sadly however, the studded fingerless glove for the left hand has been worn to the point where it was unwearable, so I had to be a heavy metal Michael Jackson and wear just the one glove.
I’ve put on my armour
Still have the one glove
The decision to go to the gig was last minute. My step daughter, Lorretta, was visiting from Edinburgh and Mrs.80smetalman made plans with Lorretta, her other daughter, Dale and granddaughter Cadance to go to Bingo. That left me alone in the house. So, I thought to myself, do I sit home? Then I remembered all the online advertising I had seen for this particular gig. Therefore, it was a no brainer, I decided to go to see Limehouse Lizzy.
Driving to the gig was nothing out of the ordinary and Cycle Sluts From Hell provided the in flight entertainment. Much to my delight, there were plenty of parking spaces in the Gloucester Docks parking lot, which is great because it’s only £2 after six o’clock for overnight. After parking, I walked to the Guildhall, purchased my ticket and went straight for the bar where I purchased my one and only drink. While having my pint, the bar quickly filled up with other rockers, many of them my age and quite a few older, although there were a few youngsters as well.
Various websites had different start times so thinking the show would start at 7:30, I found a place near the stage and waited and waited. The gig actually started at eight. Limehouse Lizzy came out to a great fanfare and it was clear I wasn’t the only one who had been starved of live music over the past few years. They opened the show with my all time favourite Thin Lizzy song, “Jailbreak” but I wasn’t the only one who went nuts over it and like all the songs they played on the night, they did the song absolute justice. Right after, they went straight into “Waiting for an Alibi” and the electricity circulated all around the venue.
Here’s where my Swiss cheese memory comes to haunt me, I can’t remember every song or when they played it but I can say that every song they played would have been given the thumbs up from Phil and Gary up in Rock Heaven. About three songs in, Wayne Ellis, in the part of Phil Lynott, addressed the audience. He stated that they mainly play the hits because that’s what most fans want to hear but he asked for requests nonetheless. Someone shouted “Warrior,” to which Wayne said that they hadn’t played that one in years. Someone else shouted “Rosalee” and Wayne responded that they would play that one, in forty minutes time.
While Wayne was the main focus on the part of Phil, it was the two guitarists, James Roberts and Greg Alcock, who were absolutely brilliant. They way they traded off guitar solos and at times played the solo together, which was something to hear. My only question was which one was supposed to be Gary Moore and who was Scott Gorham. In any case, they treated us to such greats as “Killer on the Loose” and “Suicide” before taking a break.
For a tribute band, they had a pretty good light show.
One major advantage of having a break was that during it, I was able to reposition myself around the tall guy who was in the way of some of my photos and was now able to get some great shots. Limehouse Lizzy returned with the same fire and enthusiasm for the second set as they had in the first. Wayne gave the audience a choice of them playing either “Still In Love With You” or “Parisienne Walkway,” the response for both was about equal, Therefore, they played both songs. It was on “Parisienne Walkway” where James astounded the audience with his guitar solo on it. Trust me, calling it mind blowing was an understatement.
There was no decline in intensity in the second set as the band were treated to more great Thin Lizzy classics. They totally nailed “Emerald” and even though, everyone knew they would seemingly end with “The Boys Are Back in Town,” it was received with no less enthusiasm. When they left the stage, I immediately started a “One more song” chant although no one seemed to jump on the bandwagon. Still, they came out and played three more songs. The first one gave drummer, Rich Kirk, his time in the spotlight as he played a magnificent drum solo. Wayne explained that Rich was one of the few drummers he worked with who could do that. Again, the choice to the crowd was given, either they played “Rosalee” or “Whiskey in a Jar.” I was on the side of “Whiskey” but again, they played both but for me, “Whiskey in a Jar” was the best way to end the night. But it wasn’t the end in one sense. As we were leaving, Wayne was there to shake everyone’s hands and thank them for coming and I got to tell him what a great show it was.
Enough of me rambling on, here’s the pictures:
One day, I’ll upgrade my WordPress so I can upload videos here because I did take some. If you follow me on Facebook, they are there. Believe me, Limehouse Lizzy is the real deal. It’s the closest I’ll ever come to seeing Thin Lizzy live and if this tribute band was any indication, then I missed another great band in my lifetime. After nearly two years of no live music and only once in the past four, it was great to go to a gig and see a great band and listen to some great music. Then again, Hell’s Bells are coming to town in September.
FFI about Limehouse Lizzy: https://www.limehouselizzy.co.uk/
Next post, which won’t be for over a week as I’m going on a client holiday: Joe Satriani- Surfing With the Alien
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson a knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false
Unfortunately, I am not ready to post the intended next post which was Paul Di’Anno’s Battlezone “Best of” album. Owing to a busy week and the fact that the album is seventeen songs long, I wasn’t able to give the number of listens I give an album before I go to post. Instead, I thought I would treat you to an Original vs. Cover post but I am adding an extra cover. The song in question is the Thin Lizzy classic, “The Boys are Back in Town.” Will either cover be better than the original? And which of the two covers is the better one? Have a listen and judge for yourself.
Thin Lizzy
I can still remember back in 1977 this song blasting through my AM radio. I rocked to it then and more than 45 years later, it still rocks. There’s not much more about this classic which hasn’t already been said.
Bon Jovi’s cover of the song was known to me via the “Make A Difference” compilation album. For those not in the know, the album featured artists covering songs from ones who left the mortal plain. I did find Ozzy’s rendition of “Purple Haze” quite interesting. Anyway, Bon Jovi covered the Thin Lizzy classic.
Briar
While they never became a household name like Thin Lizzy or Bon Jovi, English metal band, Briar, covered the song on their 1988 “Crown of Thorns” album.
My Verdict:
The original wins this one hands down. For a song to be so well known after so many years says a lot about the band which recorded it. This song was a crowning achievement for Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy. As for the covers, my opinion on that score hasn’t changed. Briar wins out easily. Their hunger to make it big is reflecting in the way they record the song and I do like the echoing guitars as the song makes its exit. It was also good to give Phil a shout out at the beginning.
Have a listen to all three and let me know your thoughts. Remember dissent is always welcome on 80smetalman.
Next post: Paul DiAnno’s Battlezone- Warchild, The Best of
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
To sign the petition to have Bruce Dickinson knighted, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false
On another note, the petition to have Ozzy knighted as reached 35,000 signatures.
With heavy metal bands being a dime a dozen in the late 1980s, it was very easy for bands to come and go unnoticed. In some cases, it was whether you were in the right place at the right time to catch a particular band. That was the case for me with UK metal band, Briar. I discovered them when I saw them open for Styper in London in 1987. Another reason why they might have not gotten true recognition is that while they were pretty good that evening, I wasn’t wowed by them either. Still, it was enough for me to check out their previous album “Take On the World” and their 1988 offering, “Crown of Thorns.”
Here’s another take from the evening, the song I remember the most from their set was “One Foot Back in the Door.” When I got “Take on the World,” I assumed the song was going to be on that album but it wasn’t. However, it does appear on this album. Here’s another idea, because they played that song, I assumed that it was going to be released as a single and it might have been. There was a vague air of familiarity when Briar played the song in London but I don’t remember it as a single. On the other hand, the song that made its way onto MTV in the US was “Frankie.” Both songs were worthy of being released as a single, they have that vibe to it but it’s the deeper cuts which interest me more.
When Briar stick with the melodic metal, which they do for most of the album, things sound really good. The opening title cut and tracks like “Back and Wild,” (my vote for hidden gem) and “Another Day in the Life of a Fool” bear witness to this. All three tracks are straight forward, let’s get down to business songs which are really good. Furthermore, one of their two covers, the one of Thin Lizzy’s classic, “The Boys Are Back in Town,” is done quite well. In fact, I’m going to step into the ring of controversy and declare that I prefer this cover to Bon Jovi’s cover of the same song on the “Make a Difference” compilation album. As for the other cover, Los Lobos’s “La Bamba,” well let’s just say that it’s pretty amusing though metalled out fairly well. I do like the guitar solo on it and Dean Cook has a nice drum fill at the end.
Again, they’re not bad tracks but “Spirit of the Wood” attempts to go a bit progressive at the beginning before going back to Briar basics. Perhaps they realized they shouldn’t veer to far away from their bread and butter. Saying that, the guitar at the intro and between the verses is quite alluring. “Empty Words” is a decent but unspectacular power ballad. Normally, I would say that the album ends with a cool closer and “Everyone’s Going Crazy” is just that. However, officially, it’s not the closer because that is the two second long track, “Fart.” Yes, it’s literally that!
One thing I can say for sure from listening to “Crown of Thorns” is that Briar were a good tight band. Kevin Griffiths has double duties on vocals and bass, just like Lemmy. His vocals are good and I can’t fault his bass playing. The guitar duo of Dave Fletcher and Darren Underwood make a great combination. I like the way they complement each other on the Thin Lizzy cover. Maybe they should have done more, even one guitar solo trade off. Drummer Dean has already been mentioned and what he does on “La Bamba” he does throughout the album. Together, they did make a good band.
Track Listing:
Briar
Kevin Griffiths- lead vocals, bass
Dave Fletcher- guitars, backing vocals
Darren Underwood- guitars, backing vocals
Dean Cook- drums
There are probably many reasons why Briar , like so many other bands, never made the big time. It’s basically down to the fact that they were competing in a very saturated market at the time. As “Crown of Thorns” shows, they had the tools. Oh yes, I’ve decided that in the not too distant future, I will write a Cover vs. Cover or even an Original vs. Cover vs. Cover post in reference to “The Boys are Back in Town.”
Next post: Stryper- In God We Trust
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I hope everyone had a good Christmas! As you can see, Santa was good to me this year. Not only did I get the new AC/DC album, I got a few albums I wasn’t expecting. The Metallica, Ozzy and Thin Lizzy, which for some reason isn’t in the photo, were upgrades as I had all of these on either cassette or vinyl. FTR, the Thin Lizzy was “Live and Dangerous.” Anyway, I hope all of you had good hauls as well.
Repeating what many other people have said, 2020 was a bust. Fortunately, I had my music and a lot of music which many of you have shared on your blogs. We all seemed to pull together and help each other get through, which was good to see and although there is still more shit ahead, the end might be insight. This past year was the first year since 2014 where I didn’t go to any live gigs. The lockdown meant that Hells Bells couldn’t come to town and my plan to go to Bloodstock for the Sunday was also put on hiatus. However, the good news about Bloodstock is that most of the line up planned for 2020 will be there for 2021. That means Judas Priest will still headline on the Sunday with Saxon on right before them! Additionally, and this has me considering coming out of retirement and going to Bloodstock for the full three days, Mercyful Fate is now headlining on the Saturday. Devin Townsend headlining the Friday makes it even more tempting.
Since, I will be working over the New Year’s period, I would like now to wish all of you an Happy New Year and may your 2021 be a joyous one.
Next post: Vyper- Afraid of the Dark
To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com
UK Album Cover
North American Album Cover
Gary Moore as a solo artist didn’t enter my radar until 1986 when I went over to England. Before that and I am ashamed of my naivety at the time, I only knew Gary as the guitarist who used to be in Thin Lizzy. Fortunately, I got a full course in the music of Gary Moore when I did get there thanks to a friend who was a big fan. As a result I got to hear lots of his albums including this one, “Victims of the Future” and I can say that my education in this subject has been top notch. Thirty years on, I have to say a special thanks to Kieran Devlin for being my teacher.
My first impressions of “Victims of the Future” as with many Gary Moore albums, now as it was then, was “He can really play a guitar.” His trademark solos permeate this album and now I am tempted to go into a rant as to how underrated he has been. That might be true in North American terms but he has always been considered one of the greats here in Britain and of course his native Ireland. Just listen to “Shapes of Things” because that is in my opinion, his best guitar work on the album.
Many of the songs here are straight forward rock anthems. My personal favourite is “Teenage Idol” because that one comes out and hits me in the face the most. “Murder in the Skies” has a very cool guitar intro where he rips up the chords before the meat of the song comes pounding through. A look at history reveals that Gary wrote the song in protest of the Soviets shooting down Korean airline 007 in 1983. The same can be said for “The Devil in Her Heart” which is only on the US release. This is a good rocking song so I don’t know why it’s omitted from the UK version. “Law of the Jungle” is another exemplary rocker and the way it fades out makes it a great closer but he does go a little mellow with “Empty Rooms.” You can call it a ballad but he lays down some good guitar work on it.
Not only does Gary shine on “Victims of the Future,” he enlists some great musicians. Ian Paice of Deep Purple fame plays drums on half the tracks and Bob Daisley who played with Ozzy provides the bass work on two. Noddy Holder of Slade steps in to provide backing vocals on one song. The others who support may not be as recognized but they still do a magnificent job. Therefore, the album has all one needs to be great, good vocals, a steady rhythm section and of course, Gary’s guitar solos.
Track Listing (UK)
Track Listing (US)
Gary Moore
Gary Moore- guitars, vocals
Neil Murray- bass on tracks 1,3,7 & 8
Mo Foster- bass on tracks 4 & 6
Bob Daisley- bas on tracks 2 & 5
Ian Paice- drums on tracks 1,3,4 & 8
Bobby ‘Prime Time’ Chouinard- drums on tracks 2,5,6 & 7
Neil Carter- keyboards
Noddy Holder- backing vocals on “Shapes of Things”
So thirty-one years on, I have to say “thank you Kieran” for introducing me to Gary Moore and playing his albums for me, “Victims of the Future” included among them.
Other news: A band I have been promoting on 80smetalman, Black Emerald, has invited me to their album launch party in Reading, UK on February 10. Needless to say, I am excited and you will get a full report of the night’s festivities.
Next Post: Since I’m in a Gary Moore mood, it will be his 1984 live album, “We Want Moore.”
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“Thunder and Lightning” might have been the final studio album for Thin Lizzy but that didn’t mean they were in any way finished. Further along in the year, 1983, the band released the live album, “Life.” The album was recorded over a series of concerts played in September and October, predominantly taking place at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.
The closest I got to ever seeing Thin Lizzy live was seeing the tribute band, Limehouse Lizzy, in Stroud over ten years ago. It’s a shame they never came back, but I digress. Both the tribute band and this album make me regret the fact that I have never seen the actual band in concert. What I have heard in both camps here give me the impression that they would have been sensational, but no use crying over something I have no control over.
It wouldn’t have taken a computer to deduce the fact that any live album late in Thin Lizzy’s career would have been a glorified greatest hits album. Having owned their greatest hits album, (I have it on cassette), I can attest to this. Still there are some great surprises on here, starting with the fact that “Thunder and Lightning” would be the best track to open the live album or any concert. They play it just as loud and proud live, maybe more. In fact, the songs from “Thunder and Lightning” are all played rather well, “Cold Sweat” definitely gets an honourable mention here. In addition, in my mind, they pick the right songs from that album to play on this one. Saying that, I like the live version of “The Sun Goes Down.” To me it seems more sinister though it does go on even longer than on the studio version.
Of course, all the great Lizzy classics are on here and most of them are played very well live. I only have to wait to the third song to hear my all time favourite Thin Lizzy ditty and they definitely do it justice. Other notable efforts are “Emerald,” “Black Rose,” “Waiting for an Alibi,” “Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)” and if they genuinely closed their shows, with “The Rocker” like they do on the album, then it was a very wise choice indeed. A great song to go out on.
Additionally, Phil Lynott got the former Thin Lizzy guitarists to play on different numbers on the album. Gary Moore, Snowy White, Eric Bell and Brian Robertson all play on the album. I now know why “The Rocker” was such a great closer. That’s because all the guitarists mentioned as well as Sykes and Goram of course play on the final song in what Phil calls ‘The All Star Jam.” That was great to hear, it must have been mind blowing to see.
Track Listing:
Thin Lizzy
Phil Lynott- bass, lead vocals
John Sykes- guitar, backing vocals
Scott Goram- guitar, backing vocals
Darren Wharton- keyboards, backing vocals
Brian Downey- drums, percussion
Guest Musicians
Gary Moore- guitar on Black Rose and The Rocker
Eric Bell- guitar on The Rocker
Brian Robertson- guitar on Emerald and The Rocker
Snowy White- guitar on Renegade, Killer on the Loose, Hollywood and The Rocker
In November of 1983, I met up with a friend who was on leave from the army after spending two years stationed in Germany. Before he left the country, he got to see Thin Lizzy’s last ever gig in Nuremberg. I don’t remember many of the details but it sounded like an amazing event. They played many of their classics more than once and “The Boys are Back in Town” three times! Boy I was jealous, still am. I have to settle for the next best thing, this live album.
Next post: Zebra
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London
Before I launch into the final studio album from one of the greatest rock bands from the 1970s, I feel I must bring to everyone’s attention the boo-boo I made on my last post. Having looked at it, I realise that I never posted the photos I took of the headline band, Twister, that night. I have since rectified this mistake and the photos are there for your viewing enjoyment. I’ve listened to a couple of Twister songs on Youtube and they’re quite good.
Yes, “Thunder and Lightning” would be the final studio album from Thin Lizzy. My first experience of this album came in 1986, when partying in my college dorm room, my new British friends and I were making a tape for my sister. A Thin Lizzy song was suggested and “Thunder and Lightning” was further suggested. Upon hearing that suggestion, the Thin Lizzy officianado in the room stated that it was the worst Thin Lizzy song you could play. Having to decide things like that for myself, I listened to the album and I never agreed with my friend’s opinion.
Whether it was the addition of John Sykes on guitar or Thin Lizzy trying to jump on the new wave of British heavy metal, (NWOBHM), “Thunder and Lightning” is the heaviest Thin Lizzy album I have experienced. The title cut opens the album and from the first notes, you know that this is a much heavier brand of Thin Lizzy. That heaviness carries on through the second song as well. However, things slow right down with “The Sun Goes Down.” This one is much slower, a rock against the tide of the rest of the album. Still, there is some good keyboard work on it and I have always been a sucker for a great slow blues guitar solo. However, the song does drag in some places.
“The Holy War” returns things to its natural pace. While not quite as hard as the first two tracks, it does deliver through the melodic hard rock avenue and it’s possibly my favourite track on the album. It’s melody is quite catchy. That track sets up the rest of the album. From then on it’s one hard tune after the other, sort of a one, two, three, four, five punch. The opening riffs of “Cold Sweat” give that away. Even then, I can still hear the what some would say as traditional Thin Lizzy coming through and there is some good soloing from both Goram and Sykes.
One song that really intrigued me on “Thunder and Lightning” is “Someday She’s Going to Hit Back.” The title suggests this is an anti- domestic abuse song and having a read of the lyrics, it seems to support that theory. Here’s the paradox. This music to this rocker is really cool with another great guitar solo. However, I fear that on account of that, the message of the lyrics gets lost in the song. Just an observation here. Then comes “Baby Please Don’t Go,” another cool hard rock song but I am left to wonder if the last song sets up this one. However, both songs lead the way out for the album which ends on a terrific closer in “Heart Attack.” Not to take anything away from the penultimate song as that’s a good one too.
Track Listing:
Thin Lizzy
Phil Lynott- bass, lead vocals
Scott Goram- guitar, backing vocals
John Sykes- guitar, backing vocals
Darren Wharton- keyboards, backing vocals
Brian Downey- drums, percussion
Usually in the case of final albums, they are a lackluster offering from a band whose attitude is to get it done and go. This isn’t the case here with “Thunder and Lightning.” There was some good thought put into it. Some say that the lyrics aren’t up to much but that’s a technicality. The music more than makes up for it. Definitely the rockingest album from Thin Lizzy.
Next post: Thin Lizzy- Life
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London
Jimmy Bain
What is going on with 2016? January isn’t over and another great rocker is taken from us. This time it is Rainbow/Dio bassist Jimmy Bain. Details of his death haven’t been released but he was 68. Jimmy played with Rainbow from 1975-77 but he was best known for his time with Dio, especially on their first five albums. Less known is that he co-wrote with Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy on some of his solo albums.
Dio
Okay, some may say that Jimmy Bain wasn’t the legend that some of the others who have recently passed but for me, he was a part of the band that made my 1980s. Therefore, I too will be listening to some Dio and early Rainbow over the next few days and it’s probably a given which album I’ll be posting about next.
R.I.P. Jimmy Bain
It’s only right that I go out of sync a bit and write about Motorhead’s contribution to metal in 1983. I like to think that I am paying my small tribute to Lemmy and the contribution he made to music over the past four decades. I figure since I am exploring all the great albums of 1983, that I would post about Motorhead’s “Another Perfect Day” album, which came out in this year. It’s the least I could do in honouring the memory of this great man, who sadly left us this past week.
If you are looking for a big single like “Ace of Spades” on this album, there are none. There doesn’t need to be as I find that every song on “Another Perfect Day” just completely kicks ass. Things begin in true Motorhead fashion with the first two songs, loud, brash and in your face. Just how I like it with these guys. Then the third track, “Dancing on Your Grave,” has an intro that sounds like it was that of a song by Ratt or Twisted Sister. I listened with interest as this intro was nicely played but it lasts for a few seconds, then the song kicks in in true Motorhead style.
While I can’t say that there is one song that really stands out enough to be my favourite on the album as there is something to like on most of them, I do think the first half slightly outshines the second half of the album. I must stress the ‘slightly’ here because there’s not that much in it. “Another Perfect Day” is a great album!
My mistake here was to read the history behind the album. To quote Lemmy, he said “He fuckin’ hated it.” From what I read, this is down to the acquisition of Brian ‘Robbo’ Robertson on guitar who replaced Fast Eddie Clark. Robertson joined the band from Thin Lizzy and listening to “Another Perfect Day,” I would agree with the many comments that Robertson is a great technical guitarist. However, Lemmy claimed that Robertson would take seventeen hours to record one guitar track, thus making the recording of the album take much longer than normal. Then there his choice of clothing while on tour, which was not the standard denim and leather worn by Motorhead. Consequently, this led to Robertson and Taylor both leaving the band after the tour. For me, putting the behind the scenes stuff to one side, I can say that Robertson does lay down some really great guitar solos on here making me really love this album.
Track Listing:
Motorhead
Lemmy Kilmister- bass, vocals
Brian ‘Robbo’ Robertson- guitar
Phil ‘Philthy Animal’ Taylor- drums
Lemmy might have hated “Another Perfect Day” at the time but I love it. Saying that, he did include a few of the songs when he played live some ten years later. So my advice here is to listen to the album and completely enjoy it and don’t read about the history behind it. “Another Perfect Day” is yet another great Motorhead album.
Next post: Todd Rundgren- The Ever Popular Tortured Artists Effect
To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/RockAndRollChildren.html
Also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Froogle and on sale at Foyles Book Shop in London
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