Artist: Thin Lizzy
Label: Vertigo Records
Release: 1978
So much has already been said about the magic Thin Lizzy conjured up on stage in the second half of the seventies. Live And Dangerous is a gorgeous showcase of that devastating force. Recorded in 1976/77 on the Johnny The Fox and Bad Reputation tours, it catches the band at the peak of its creative powers.
Live And Dangerous kicks off in grand style, with the opening power chord of Jailbreak. Pure rock n roll sounds fresh and convincing from the get-go, as if a full thirty years hadn’t gone by since! Lynott, with his velvety patter, has total command of the proceedings while the crowd eats out of his hand. The energy is unreal, and with those cocky guitar harmonies it drags along every last soul in the room. No wonder, since all of Thin Lizzy’s greatness is reflected in this wicked magic. Lynott’s crew, who had boldly set out on the road to fame four years earlier, had by this point polished their musical identity down to the finest detail. That becomes clear in the guitar duels between Robertson and Gorham, mentioned countless times already, which live, unlike their studio efforts, come off that much more venomous. Still, the most important Lizzy ingredient live remains Phil Lynott. Thanks to his plain-spoken romanticizing, Southbound becomes yet another melancholy-soaked highlight of the bassist’s lyricism.
Just how long a road Thin Lizzy have traveled since their humble beginnings is shown by the energetic Rosalie, a Seger cover. Since the old Fighting days, the lady has grown into a seductive hellraiser, worth sinning for. Together with Dancing In The Moonlight, the track is a unique document of Lynott’s almost intimate relationship with the audience. To that, the one and only John Earl adds a pinch of excitement with the mellow sound of his saxophone, while Lynott and company lurk watchfully in the background. Fantastic!
Seeing the classic Thin Lizzy lineup on stage takes on a special, priceless value in songs like Still In Love With You. With this heart-wrenching blues, Robertson takes control of your emotions. Lynott’s mournful voice will toy with them too, completely dominating alongside the unobtrusive bass playing, right up until the gorgeous, selfless interplay between the two guitarists gently leads us to the end of the song.
When the melancholy gives way to punchier rhythms, the ever-present Johnny The Fox smacks us around the ears, spreading fear and trembling with its one-of-a-kind funky image. With it, the above-mentioned Lynott – audience relationship, which Phil enjoyed so much, comes back to the fore. You can spot it on Johnny right away. The same goes for Cowboy Song and Lynott’s unforgettable “It’s Okay Amigos, You Can Let Yourself Go..”, which the crowd answers every single time with euphoric approval, suddenly breaking into the delirium of The Boys Are Back In Town.
Don’t Believe A Word, Suicide and Warriors prove just as assured. All three of these swaggering, malice-packed tracks live their brightest moments in exactly this kind of concert setting, which shakes off any last trace of past caution. The previously unreleased Are You Ready fits right in with this “corrupt” company too, and the audience welcomes it with open arms. The peak of the madness is the old Night Life classic Sha La La, spiced up with a Brian Downey solo all its own! As the album nears its end, the temperature rises accordingly. The nonstop escalation is looked after by the energetic Baby Drives Me Crazy, with an old acquaintance, Huey Lewis, on harmonica. The moment for introducing all the band members, with another emotional dialogue between Phil and the crowd, passes in impatient anticipation of the eruption of dirty rock n roll that is The Rocker, which, with the chanting of Lizzy, Lizzy, also closes one of the best live albums of all time.
Line-up
Philip Lynott: vocals/bass
Brian Robertson: guitar
Scott Gorham: guitar
Brian Downey: drums
Production
Tony Visconti
Track list
1.Jailbreak
2.Emerald
3.Southbound
4.Rosalie
5.Dancing In The Moonlight
6.Massacre
7.Still In Love With You
8.Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed
9.Cowboy Song
10.The Boys Are Back In Town
11.Don’t Believe A Word
12.Warriors
13.Are You Ready
14.Suicide
15.Sha La La
16.Baby Drives Me Crazy
17.The Rocker
Running time: 76.34
