Thin Lizzy is one of those bands I turn up every time I hear a song of theirs
on the radio. I never gave them much thought beyond that. Recently, however,
I learned what I’ve been missing when I heard Still Dangerous:
Live at the Tower Theater Philadelphia 1977. Out the gate with that
famous double-lead guitar punch, Thin Lizzy pounds through “Soldier of
Fortune” and a sizzling “Jailbreak” before easing, ever so
slightly, into “Cowboy Song.” Guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian
Robertson play fast and loud, causing certain studio nuances of “Cowboy
Song” to get a bit lost, but the drive is all here from what is unquestionably
a classic line-up of this hard rocking quartet.
Of course, “Boys Are Back In Town” gets the crowd going with Phil
Lynott in great wry voice, roaring in front of Gorham and Robertson’s
distorted guitar wail. The backing vocals ain’t too bad either —
which surprised me. You can hear why this still stands as one of the best 70s
anthems ever.
“Dancing In The Moonlight” offers a respite from the full-frontal
guitar attack. It’s a slower blues work-out with a sax lead, of all things.
“Massacre” and “Opium Trail” have that chunky heavy
groove, while “Baby Drives Me Crazy” is more or less the center
piece with an call-and-response with the audience, outstanding fret work throughout
and the obligatory band member intros (though anytime Lynott addresses a crowd,
it is anything but obligatory). This is the most moving, grooving tune on Still
Dangerous and probably the best one of the 10 on this CD. The set ends with
the rousing, crowd-participating, faux 50s romp “Me And The Boys.”
One complain is that Phil Lynott’s bass is simply buried too far down
in the mix while Brian Downey’s snare drum is a bit too high. Still, with
an unearthed treasure like this, beggars can’t be choosers. It’s
a shame Lynott died so young. You can only imagine that his songwriting might
have matured and transformed Thin Lizzy into a powerhouse of the 80s and beyond.
Guess, we’ll never know. At least we have Still Dangerous: Live
At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977, a raw yet powerful document
of a band I miss just a bit more after each listen.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
