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Post by jefflynnenut on Apr 12, 2015 8:21:37 GMT
Nightlife is the fourth studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1974. It was produced by Ron Nevison and Phil Lynott, and was the first album to feature guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson.
Some reissue CDs, and occasionally other sources, spell the album title as Night Life, the same as the song title. However the original album title is Nightlife.[1]
The song "Philomena" was written for Lynott's mother. "It's Only Money" was re-recorded 35 years later by Robertson on his 2011 solo album Diamonds and Dirt.
A deluxe edition of Nightlife was released on 12 March 2012.
All songs composed by Phil Lynott, except where stated.
"She Knows" (Scott Gorham, Lynott) – 5:13
"Night Life" – 3:57
"It's Only Money" – 2:47
"Still in Love with You" – 5:40
"Frankie Carroll" – 2:02
"Showdown" – 4:32
"Banshee" – 1:27
"Philomena" – 3:41
"Sha La La" (Brian Downey, Lynott) – 3:27
"Dear Heart" – 4:35
On the cassette version, the positions of "She Knows" and "Showdown" were reversed.
Phil Lynott – bass guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar
Scott Gorham – guitar
Brian Robertson – guitar, backing vocals
Brian Downey – drums, percussion
Additional personnel[edit]
Frankie Miller – joint lead vocals on "Still in Love with You"
Gary Moore – lead guitar on "Still in Love with You"
Jean Roussel – keyboards
Nice lil gentle rocker to introduce those of you who do not know Phil and the boys!
Sweet little string section at the end of this nice bluesy little number.
Shtomper of a rocker! This makes me groove, if it doesn't move ya?, ye must be dead!
This is the original version which I love, But for an alternative version that has more blues check out the Live and Dangerous version from '78 with Robbo on guitar. This is Gary Moore ripping up the axe on this track!
And this is why Lizzy were not just your average brain dead rockers....sweet track!
Sleazy dirty blues number that shares a namesake with another band we all adore...
A real taste of early Lizzy...I always think this should be in a western? It's like a intermission...
I met Philips Mammy a couple of times, and I can understand his love for her. She's a really sweet lady and looks after his grave here in Sutton just outside Dublin everyday. In Ireland a slang name for your parents is "Yer oul wan (Your Old one) and oul fella (Old fella)" In case you're wondering what he's singing about!
And then there was this......."Take my jelly roll"!!!!
This is the live version from '78...a much better version...DRUM SOLO!!!!!!!UNBELIEVABLE!
Simply the icing on the cake!!! In my opinion one of the best tracks on the album with the sweetest string section! Not too unlike ELO this one! Hope you have enjoyed it!
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 12, 2015 8:51:26 GMT
Looks like a cool album, JLN, will check it out when I can this week and provide you my feedback! Looking forward to expanding my knowledge of Thin Lizzy beyond the songs "Jailbreak" and "The Boys are Back in Town"!
Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Apr 12, 2015 19:41:21 GMT
Looking forward to this! I've never spent much time with Thin Lizzy. I always think that they should have more famous songs than they do.
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Post by unomusette on Apr 12, 2015 21:04:51 GMT
Excellent choice, I'm pleased to review anything by Thin Lizzy. Saw them loads of times live right up until they split, they were properly good
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 15, 2015 4:04:30 GMT
Hopin' to have some time to put it on the headphones at work tomorrow/today, and will send the feedback soon enough!
Jim
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 16, 2015 17:38:06 GMT
OK JLN, here is my review of Thin Lizzy's "Nightlife" album. 01. "She Knows" – Instantly like-able, really enjoy the chords and rhythm on this one 02. "Night Life" – Really enjoy the laid-back blues feel of this title track! Good stuff. 03. "It's Only Money" – Very nice funky rocker, reminiscent of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion". Definietly a very old-time soul rock feel to it. Nice. 04. "Still in Love with You" – Very good feel to this one, kind of reminds me of "Miss You" by The Stones, for some reason. I certainly agree, very great guitar soloing by Gary Moore. 05. "Frankie Carroll" – Really enjoy the beautiful piano progression, orchestral arrangement, and how it addresses domestic abuse. 06. "Showdown" – Like the nice funky arrangement. 07. "Banshee" – Very nice instrumental, sounds like it would sound good with words, but nice that they let is shine instrumentally! Allman Bros. Lite, like it a lot. 08. "Philomena" – Pretty decent rocker, with some interesting lyrics of someone far from home. The riff is good, for sure. 09. "Sha La La" – Not a big fan of the song itself; but I do like the great drums and mesmerizing dual guitar lines. Not bad. Really like the funky drum breakdowns. Live take great too! Seems like the drums and cool dual guitar lines needed a slightly better song to shine in, but not too bad, enjoyed it overall. 10. "Dear Heart" – Refreshing ballad and use of keyboards, and I agree that the string arrangement is perfect! An apt ending to a fairly strong CD! Definitely a prime cut! Star Rating: 4.1 out of 5 stars. Prime Cuts: "She Knows", "Frankie Carroll", "Still in Love with You", "Dear Heart" Bottom Line: Much easier on the ears than I was expecting, very good blend of 70s easygoing rock. Almost makes "Boys are Back in Town" seems like a novelty song for them, rather than their main sound. But I can see where the fruit of their cool riffing would be crystallized in a hit like that. Just like how the fruit of all Charlie Daniels' 70s work, got crystallized in the song "Devil Went Down to Georgia", though I like all his previous stuff better, sounds like the same deal with Thin Lizzy. Kind of similar on the sound and double-guitar riffing like how Charlie Daniels and Tom Crain would do with the stratocasters. Thanks for sharing it JLN, I really enjoyed it and it definitely gives me a new respect for Thin Lizzy and makes me want to check out their other stuff sometime. What is some other good stuff by them that you can recommend for us, that you like the best? Thanks again, have you marked down for a couple months from now for another CD of the Week, so be on alert! Jim
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Post by Chippa on Apr 18, 2015 6:50:07 GMT
Okay, listening now. First impressions....
"She Knows" - Sort of an early Chicago vibe. Phil Lynott's voice is instantly recognizable. Pure 70's pop/rock.
"Night Life" – Sounds almost EXACTLY like the Willie Nelson song of the same name. Wonder why Willie didn't sue?
"It's Only Money" – Funky hard rock. Some sweet guitar riffs, here, and great drumming.
"Still in Love with You" – Cool, soulful balladry. Almost reminds me of The Doobie Bros., in parts. Very "late-night" feel, which is appropriate since I'm listening to this at 2:40 AM.
"Frankie Carroll" – Very different song, which is a good thing. I could hear Rod Stewart covering this one, back in his heyday.
"Showdown" – More late-night R&B flavored rock. I hear some definite Santana influence, here.
"Banshee" – Nice, strummy , almost folk-like feel.
"Philomena" – To me, this sounds like a Steely Dan cover song. Not bad.
"Sha La La" - Love the driving rhythm, and some great percussion going on.
"Dear Heart" – Very nice. Laid back, with nice use of the Fender Rhodes synth and the strings.
This album surprised me , since all I knew of Thin Lizzy was "Boys Are Back In Town", "Jailbreak" and "Whiskey In The Jar". I give it a strong 7/10.
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Post by unomusette on Apr 19, 2015 10:21:54 GMT
She Knows – As it kicks off it reminds me of something America might come up with, the easy acoustic sound that makes you think of sunny California (well, it does me). But as soon as Phil's voice comes in you're left in no doubt who you're dealing with, proper classy. Night Life – I'm not a huge blues fan but can't fault the great vocal on here and the nifty guitar work. The strings place it firmly in the '70s. It moves along at a good pace, but it's a bit too long for me. It's Only Money – This is more up my street, sounding more like the kind of song they came up with later in their career than the first two songs. Liking the unusual rhythm. This one is over too quickly, best so far. Still in Love with You – Great weepy song where Phil can let loose with the vocals. Quite surprised at how the original moves along at a smarter pace than when I used to hear it live. But then you did need to get your breath back. Frankie Carroll – I really like how every song so far is a different style to the last. Maybe they all had a turn at songwriting? It reminds me of Cowboy Song when it starts off. Nice strings and piano, it almost sounds like a victorian music hall ditty. Showdown – Sounds like something from a '70's film like Shaft, great percussion and atmosphere. Sudden ending, was it the intro to something else? Banshee – Nice guitar sound on this, very pretty. Again seems to be the intro to something else. Philomena - Lots of classic Irish folk touches here, not sure he needs to ham the accent up so much though. The lady herself always seems really lovely in documentaries, I'm glad to see a song dedicated to her this early in their career. I could have listened to it for longer, good one. Sha La La – Stalwart of the live shows, with lots of the best things about Lizzy on offer (great vocals, twin guitars, epic drumming, folky nods). One of the best, I think they played it at every gig I ever saw and it was always very welcome. Apart from the drum solo - regardless of however much I love a drummer, solos are a pet hate of mine. Mr Downey's skills are very evident in all their songs anyway, even to a non-musician like me, although I suppose it does give the rest of the band a chance to mop their faces and down a half pint. Or three in Robbo's case Dear Heart – This one leaves me cold unfortunately. If it weren't for Phil's voice I wouldn't even think it was Lizzy. It does have a typical '70's sound though - for some reason the strings remind me of the theme tune to Charlie's Angels What an epic band they were, all of them very accomplished musicians and with a fantastic catalogue of songs. Brian Downey is one of the few drummers whose skills stand out for me when listening to their stuff, he is much underrated and hardly ever seems to come up when top tens are discussed. So I'm pleased to have a chance to come here and wave a flag for him. And nobody can fault the vocal skills of Mr Lynott, he brings a song to life in a way few other singers have mastered. I'd give this a solid 8 out of 10, been good to hear an early work because mostly I knew them from about 1979 onwards. You can definitely see where some of their later songs had their roots. Thanks for sharing, jefflynnenut!
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Post by jrmugz on Apr 19, 2015 11:27:05 GMT
Gotta admit I really like "She Knows" a lot, really like the chords and picking, the type of song that is fun for someone like me to play on the guitar. It's a really great song to kick off an album with. Will definitely have to download that one to play in my van.
Jim
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Post by queenofthehours on Apr 27, 2015 20:11:07 GMT
1. She Knows – I love the opening of this track. Nice guitar and rhythm. Clear and unfussy. 2. Night Life – A good song to listen to on summer nights, maybe with a cocktail (not that I know what a cocktail is). A lot more mellow than you’d think Lizzy was. I don’t know, but the strings here give it a pre-‘77 ELO quality.
3. It's Only Money – This album has great production, the drums and guitar are very clear here and on all the tracks.
4. Still in Love with You – Not my favourite, perhaps a little too laid back for me but some nice bass all the same.
5. Frankie Carroll – Great track, I really love the strings and piano.
6. Showdown – Again, maybe a bit too laid back for me but I love the guitar.
7. Banshee – Lovely, calming instrumental. Lovely melody.
8. Philomena – The drum entry here is my favourite. Some very good bass too. With bass you always have to listen carefully for it, it's worth listening for here.
9. Sha La La – The guitar here is my favourite on the album.
10. Dear Heart – Again, another ELO-esque track; it’s the strings that do it. Lovely, great end to the LP.
I really liked this album, I've never heard a Lizzy album before and it's put a new perspective on the band for me.
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