DVDs

Thin Lizzy – The Boys Are Back in Town (Rhino/WEA) 2002 1. Opening (:36) 2. Jailbreak (4:33) 3. Bad Reputation (3:07) 4. Cowboy Song (5:14) 5. The Boys Are Back in Town (4:45) 6. Waiting for an Alibi (4:56) 7. Are You Ready (4:49) 8. Me and the Boys Were Wonderng How the Girls Are Getting Home Tonight (6:19) 9. Baby Drives Me Crazy (3:25) 10. Credits (2:49) An high energy performance from Thin Lizzy at the Sydney Opera House in Australia. One strange thing about this performane is that Brian Downey is not behind the drums, instead American drummer Mark Nauseef takes his place. Despite this, “Boys Are Back in Town” features a fabulous song selection complete with extended guitar solos, band introductions, and some Lynott crowd interaction.  Unfortunately the sound quality isn’t all that great, but then again, considering it was probably never intended for a proper release and was recorded in 1978, stellar sound shouldn’t be expected. Thankfully, the picture quality is terrific and the band were on. Of course this show features the guitar duo of Scott Gorham and Gary Moore. Moore’s stage presence is outstanding. He was obviously enjoying himself on stage at this show.

Thin Lizzy - Greatest Hits (Mercury) 2006

1. The Boys Are Back In Town
2. Don¹t Believe A Word (Live)
3. Dancing In The Moonlight (Live)
4. Rosalie (Live)
5. Waiting For An Alibi
6. Do Anything You Want To Do
7. Sarah
8. Chinatown
9. Killer On The Loose
10. Thunder and Lightning
11. Bad Reputation
12. King¹s Call
13. The Rocker
14. With Love
15. Dear Miss Lonely Hearts
16. That Woman
17. Johnny The Fox
18. Wild One (Live)
19. Whiskey In The Jar (Top Of The Pops - 1.2.73)

Awesome compilation of Thin Lizzy video clips, live cuts and TV performances spanning most of the eras of the band. It's odd seeing a bunch of teens dancing to Thin Lizzy as they crank out some heavy rock and roll.

Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous (Universal) 2007

Despite the somewhat misleading title and cover art, "Live and Dangerous" is not simply a concert video recording of the band's seminal, 1978, double live album of the same name. The Live & Dangerous LP was actually pieced together from various shows during Thin Lizzy's 1977 tour. This DVD's main feature is a show captured live at The Rainbow Theater, in London, on March 29, 1978. Being that the material was recorded in the 70's and not released until now, I expected the video quality to be very low. While this is not high definition footage like many modern bands, this is still a high quality video with plenty of camera angles. The video begins with a live version "Rosalie" playing, as the road crew are shown setting up the band's equipment at the venue. The show then kicks off with the band's best known song, "The Boys Are Back In Town" and blasts through of some of Thin Lizzy's best material from the classic Lynott/Gorham/Downey/Robertson line-up. Most consider this line-up to be the band's best, and there is no doubt the band were on a high here. The concert is a non-stop barrage of intense Thin Lizzy brand heavy metal, only easing up only for the stunning "Still In Love With You", which features an emotional performance from Philip Lynott. "Dancing In The Moonlight" features a guest sax solo from John Earle. "Sha La La" features a drum solo from the vastly underrated Brian Downey, who was one of the early masters of the double bass. They closed the show with a "Me And The Boys", a song which was not included on the "Live & Dangerous" album and never made any official Thin Lizzy studio recording. The sound quality isn't bad, but isn't superb either. The DVD looks and sounds like a concert filmed in 1978. However, there is a choice of sound with either Dolby or Digital Surround Sound 5.1. The DVD's default is DTS, so it doesn't work in most computers without going to the extras and setting up the sound to standard Dolby. The extras are highlighted by a Sight & Sound In Concert feature, which was filmed during Thin Lizzy's farewell tour of 1983, on the eve of the release of their final studio album, Thunder And Lightning. This 46-minute, 8-song set, featured current Lizzy guitarist John Sykes on guitar, instead of Brian Robertson, and is as good as the main feature. To be quite frank, it was the first thing I watched when the DVD arrived in the mail. Other extras include five Thin Lizzy performances from the British Top Of The Pops television show between 1973 and 1979, and a Live From Derby (1975) bonus CD that includes seven tracks. There is also a 45-minute interview from 2007 with Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham and Brian Downey. The interview includes in-depth discussions about the history of the band, the Live & Dangerous album, individual songs and the ultimate rocker, Philip Lynott. There is also a 12-page full color booklet with plenty of liner notes and photos to peruse. This is probably one of the best Thin Lizzy DVDs released thus far. For all the extras, it's certainly worth the price.

Thin Lizzy - Are You Ready?: Live At Rockpalast (Eagle Vision) 2009

Are You Ready
Genocide
Waiting For an Alibi
Jailbreak
Trouble Boys
Don't Believe a Word
Memory Pain
Got to Give it Up
Chinatown
Hollywood
Cowboy Song
Boys are Back in Town
Suicide
Black Rose
Sugar Blues
Baby Drives Me Crazy
Rosalie
Encore:
Angel of Death
Emerald

I stumbled across this DVD in a record store in Phoenix, AZ and snatched it up immediately. Recorded live in Loreley, Germany in 1981 for the Rockaplast series. It showcased Thin Lizzy during their Chinatown phase with Snowy White taking Brian Robertson's place. As such, it features quite a few songs that had not seen the light of day on an official DVD release yet. “Are You Ready?” features the complete performance, which has a nice mix of the band's catalog. Included is the brand new song “Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)”, plus “Chinatown”, “Sugar Blues”, and “Genocide” from “Chinatown”. Songs from “Fighting” (1975) include “Suicide” and “Rosalie”. “Memory Pain” sees the band even delves into the blues. “Got to Give It Up” always brings a lump to my throat, as it’s such a prophetic song about the live of Mr. Lynott. “Black Rose” is a grand showcase for the twin guitar harmonies of White and Gorham, and also features a drum solo by Brian Downey. For the encore, Lizzy return to the stage and perform fan favorite “Emerald” as well as showcasing another new song that would appear on their 1981 “Renegade” album called “Angel of Death”. Here it is labeled “Desaster”. “Trouble Boys” is a bit of a lackluster Thin Lizzy song that never actually made it to an official album.

The DVD does have some flaws in the sound and video. The guitars are less audible at the beginning of the show and there are a few minor flubs, but considering the source and the fact that it’s classic Thin Lizzy, these minor problems are easily overlooked by this Lizzy fanatic. Frankly, I prefer the warts and all live recordings. It’s rock and roll. It’s not suppose to be perfect. Really, Phil and his rag-tag band are in good form here, meaning they weren’t so destroyed by drugs on stage that they were performing well. Wharton adds a bit of texture as well on the keyboards, something that wasn’t present in earlier Thin Lizzy shows. This is a must have DVD release for any Lizzy fanatic.

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