Customer Reviews

Bad Reputation

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Don't know what you got until it's taken from you.
What a band and what an album.
Again, you CAN'T go wrong purchasing this album.
From strength to strength.

1. Soldier Of Fortune- Typical loose and powerful Thin Lizzy. Love those guitars!

2. Bad Reputation - Listening to Scott Gorham play on Bad Reputation seals the deal.

3. Opium Trail - One of the few leads Brian Robertson plays. Solid.

4. South Bound - Incredible. One song I NEVER get tired of playing at loud levels

5. Dancing In The Moonlight - Surprisingly my least favorite track, and it's still great!

6. Killer Without A Cause - Powerful and pounding. Didn't Iron Maiden lift the riff on this one? Well, kinda : )

7. Downtown Sundown- Great tune, Slowing down the pace. Awesome bass work throughout.

8. That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart - A slight hiccup. Not bad but not great either.

9. Dear Lord- Phil exorcising his demons. Back to form again!

A solid chuck of 70's hard rock music.
Almost 30 yrs later this album shows the power and intensity these guys had.
Go get all of Thin Lizzy';s stuff and see what quality is all about.
Get hooked now!It's not too late!

Phil Lynott RIP. I wish we still had you with us. Your music has meant so much to so many people.

Just okay! I think not, go listen to your Springsteen albums will you. This is perhaps the best package Thin Lizzy ever released! Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson cook on guitars to start and Phil Lynott has penned some of his most memorable tunes. The playing on this is as masterful as any Thin Lizzy album, but here, as with JAILBREAK, every song clicks. There is magic everywhere. C'mon even Huey Lewis on harmonica, at the time Clover had been touring some with Thin Lizzy.

OK! To pick a favorite song I would have to go with "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart", which is a wonderful ballad. There's the almost bluesy "Dancing in the Moonlight" and "Southbound". Then there are great rockers like "Soldier of Fortune", "Bad Reputation", and "Killer Without a Cause". Then there is "Dear Lord", which strangely enough is stupendous even though it is full of doubt and concern. A listen to this disc should provide almost everyone with a song they could like, or, maybe like me you'd hock all your Springsteen to have something this good in your collection!

I can't think of another band that influenced me in my youth the way these guys did. I consider them the best rock band of all. I know Phil wrote the occasionally awful line, and at times the songs were just downright peculiar ("S & M" off "Black Rose" comes to mind), but the unique sound and look of the band set them apart, and gave them a unique, singular voice.

Here is Thin Lizzy again offering very diverse material, songs that kick you in your butt ("Bad Reputation", "Opium Trail", "Soldier of Fortune" and "Killer Without A Cause"), what could be considered religious songs ("Downtown Sundown" and "Dear Lord", songs I find incredibly heartfelt, beautiful, and at times, awkward. God bless you, Phil), and pop songs with great guitar licks ("Southbound", "That Women's Gonna Break Your Heart" and "Dancing in The Moonlight", my least favorite track on the album). Not what you would expect from what everyone was saying was a "hard rock" band.

When I consider that Thin Lizzy released the following 4 STUDIO albums consecutively...."Jailbreak" (1976), "Johnny the Fox" (1976), "Bad Reputation" (1977) and "Black Rose" (1979), and when I listen to them now, scratches and all, ....I think that Thin Lizzy is still my favorite rock band, and I wish to god I could play guitar like Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, and be as cool as Phil Lynott. These 4 albums are rock nirvana to me.

If push came to shove, I consider "Bad Reputation" their best album. It is more Scott Gorham than Brian Robertson, and for that,I give it up to Scott Gorham. But I wish the two would have stayed together, especially when you hear them together on "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart".

My biggest regret was not seeing them on November 1st, 1977 at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee WI, in support of this album. I was 14 at the time, and Thin Lizzy wasn't as popular as some of the other bands back then. Nobody really wanted to go to the show with me, and when your 14 you don't really feel comfortable going alone. As such, I never got the chance to see this band live, in person. But I hear that Scott Gorham and John Sykes have their version of Thin Lizzy touring this summer (with a date in my hometown, no less. Maybe I can fly there to see them).

The first thing that comes to mind is: Hell, they could sound "pop" and still be hard rockers. So why they never played on radio, with few exceptions like "boys are back in town".
Bad Reputation is an great effort to make Thin Lizzy a successful band without losing their style. It is clear that they mixed here on this record the rawness from Jailbreak, and the experimentations from Johnny the Fox". So, it's an album like "midway", but never half succeeded. No way, this is really a good piece of 70's hard rock, even better than most of the trash done during 80's and 90's when it comes to hard rock.
A sad mark to this album is the fact that it is the last time Robbo and Gorham put their guitar to fight together in a studio. But what a great way to say farewell to arms! I prefer Robbo a little bit, but Gorham is terrific, there ain't no such thing as a bad riff from the beginning to the end.
Some people may consider this album kinda laid-back stuff, but try to sse from another side, it's hard rock, with melodic phrases, without being glossy or fancy.
Really heavy tunes: Bad Reputation - opium trail - Killer without a cause
Other great tracks: That woman is gonna break your heart (the most beautiful Lizzy's ballad, along with Sarah)
Southbound- highway style song
Soldier of fortune - great opening track, beautiful guitar solo
Anyway the whole album is great, except maybe for Dear Lord, but, any song put after That Woman... is simply unfair.
In a four years space, those guys sent to the world such gems as Fighting, Jailbreak, Johnny the Fox, Bad Reputation, Live and Dangerous and Black Rose. Man, I mean, they were at least AWESOME!

i love all thin lizzy's stuff because the music is always top notch and the lyrics are always so sincere (even if they're almost corny sometimes!) in the mid 70's we used to swim in valley forge park everyday and listen to "jailbreak" and to this day whenever i hear anything off that record it reminds me of those days! i saw lizzy on this tour and they opened with soldier of fortune. they played opium trail and almost all of the "live and dangerous" album too! but everything here is classic, southbound, dear lord, bad reputation, it's all good! the greatest thing about thin lizzy is that they have an album to fit whatever mood you're in! get this one!

From strength to strength as a recording band, nevertheless Thin Lizzy were reduced to a three piece once more due to the temporary incapacitation of Brian Robertson. Unfortunately for Robbo this would ultimately lead to his exit from the band. For 'Bad Reputation' most of the guitar duites fell to Scott Gorham who was often looked at as a second banana in this celebrated partnership. However Gorham produced arguably his finest work as an axeman and 'Bad Rep' is a better album for it. Despite the hiatus of Robbo, 'BR' contains much of the trademark harmonies that defined the band's sound. The title track is an incredible piece of street metal which also includes another outrageous performance from Brian Downey. "Soldier of Fortune", "Southbound" and "Dear Lord" further demonstrate that sometimes less is more. Robertson does contribute killer leads in "Opuim Trail" and "Killer without a Cause" (another classic!) but Scott takes care of business quite well. And Philip? He's the same genius as always whether emulating one of his heroes in "Dancing in the Moonlight" (Van Morrison) or making one of his celebrated confessionals in "Dear Lord" (I believed your story now you believe mine!). "Dancing" proved to be a minor hit for Lizzy but their last real success in the States would have to wait til the live record. 'Bad Reputation' the album would prove to be the end of an era as far as the band's studio albums went, the last stand of troubled genuis Brian Robertson. For consistent, brillant hard rock in the mid to late seventies, there was none better than Thin Lizzy. Time is right to settle scores!

This is pure genius, pure melodic hard rock, pure fantastic songwriting by the late, great Lynott. The guitar work is just sublime: listen to the solo in "Dancing In The Moonlight", or to the gentle opening lick in the beatiful "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart". The album also has its rockers, like the drum-pounding title track, "Killer Without A Cause" and "Opium Trails" which both have a Brian Robertson (now here's a true rock n' roller) signature riff. Phil Lynott graces the album with sublime lyrics, real poetry, just listen to the great "Southbound". A real great rock album.

Next to Johnny The Fox and Thunder & Lightning this is one of my favorite Thin Lizzy albums. It contains gems like Soldier Of Fortune, Southbound, Dancing In The Moonlight, Dear Lord, and the title track (Downey's drums on fire!). Phil's songwriting is superb and the guitar playing of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson is excellent (I still think Another Perfect Day w/ Brian is Motorhead's best album). Thin Lizzy was a band that put out a string of great albums but unfortunately is only remembered for a couple songs (just like Blue Oyster Cult). Get this great album and enjoy some good music!

If you compare most rock bands of today with Thin Lizzy, it would be obvious that Lizzy were far more talented, creative and skilful. The lyrics by Phil Lynott are usually very good and it's not just empty words that sound cool or right to a particular song. Thin Lizzy had the ability to play anything from the hardest rock ("Bad reputation") to the most melodic and emotional pieces ("Dancing in the moonlight"). On this album, there's plenty of great songs that never gained the attention they deserve, "Southbound", "That woman's gonna break your heart", and "Dear Lord" are all in the line of the finest Thin Lizzy ever recorded.

After releasing two albums in one year, the band continued along to 1977 with another awesome album titled "Bad Reputation" but this time most of the recording sessions happened while the band was reduced to a trio due to Brian Robertson joining the recording process not long before completion. The nine songs that make up the LP were recorded between May/June 1977 in Toronto, Canada with Phil Lynott on vocals/bass, Scott Gorham on guitars, Brian Downey on drums, while Robertson contributed guitar to only three songs this time although on the album sleeve he received a credit for playing keyboards. This album marked the band's first collaboration with producer Tony Visconti who would produce their classic live album the following year as well as 1979's "Black Rose". Although the absence of Robertson is notable sonically speaking, the songwriting remained top notch throughout with the usual melodic lead guitar, style diversity, and memorable songs.

The album starts in epic fashion with "Soldier Of Fortune" which was written by Lynott on his own. It is the longest song of the bunch surpassing the five minute mark. Downey hits a gong and the melodic verse begins. The chord progression is catchy with G, D, and C all major for the intro but later played as fifths after the drums kick in. Lynott's lyrics are about war but the line about wondering what we are fighting for could be a reference to the aftermath of war from a soldier's perspective. The composition has a strong pop sensibility and actually it sounds like alternative rock! The chorus delivers as well with the three chords now played as fifths plus the addition of an E5 chord but what really elevates this song into something epic is the lead guitar work from Gorham who provided an extended melodic solo plus some nice harmonized motifs throughout using the G major scale. Downey also excels on the drums; listen to those military drum rolls during the main solo! However, there's a tenuous keyboard texture utilized on this song in addition to the guitars. It is possible that Robertson might have played it. Don't forget to check out the great live version of this song on the album "Still Dangerous" though.

The title track of the LP follows next with a straightforward songwriting approach after the more detailed arrangement of the opening number. However, this is still a highlight and musically it's an early speed metal song with a fast staccato rhythm guitar attack from Gorham. The guitars are now tuned down half a step down so the verse riff is in the key of E flat (Eb) while the chorus starts with an Ab5 chord. Downey shows us why he is one of the best drummers from that time here by delivering some killer drum fills while at the same time demonstrating his dual bass drum technique which no doubt influenced many later drummers of the heavy metal genre. It was written by the Lynott/Downey/Gorham team and lyrically, the song urges us to switch from our reckless/bad habits into something more positive perhaps with the ultimate end of becoming better persons hence the phrase turn yourself around in the chorus...better have a good reputation! After the vocal sections are done, a short instrumental bridge with a cool harmony lead shows up and afterwards it is pretty much Gorham's show since we are treated to an extended aggressive solo that lasts all the way until the fade out. Check out the recent cover of this tune that the alternative group Foo Fighters did. It's pretty good.

Next comes one of the album's early metal masterpieces titled "Opium Trail" written again by the the axis of Lynott/Downey/Gorham and clocking at about four minutes. The intro riff is based on the F minor scale plus the chord F7+9. This is the first of the three numbers on the album to feature in addition to Gorham's, the guitar of Robertson who gives the song an extra punch. It is a haunting tale about the dangers of drug addiction with Lynott's melodic singing being filtered through a special echo effect. Instrumentally speaking, the composition stands out too. Robertson plays a mean solo using his trademark tone with the wah wah pedal and the F minor key based harmonies and riffs are excellent. The arrangement left room for Robertson to deliver a second and final solo before its fade out. In my opinion, one of the band's most underrated tunes that seems to foreshadow the heavier direction the band took on their excellent final album "Thunder & Lightning"!

Look out for song number four "Southbound" which kicks off with yet another example of Gorham's ability to come up with memorable harmonized melodies which use the A major scale. Some of Lynott's best lyrics are right here in this song which can be considered as an immigrant's anthem! Very good fifth chord progression on the verse (A5, B5, C#5, D5, and E5) and the chorus adding a notable F# minor chord is among the band's best clearly displaying a strong pop sensibility that seems to anticipate the style of the 80's melodic metals bands like Bon Jovi and White Lion. The 'oooh' chant is definitely a nice touch that only enhances what was already an excellent chorus. But wait; in the middle you'll hear another one of Gorham's excellent solos. Try to pay attention to the backing track at this point though...there's some nice harmonica accompaniment giving the song a slight southern rock atmosphere! This harmonica part was played by Lynott himself.

The fifth song "Dancing In The Moonlight" marks a change of style. One of Lynott's idols was Van Morrison (remember the 'van is the man' line in "Black Rose's" title track) and this is a song he wrote on his own partly as a tribute to him! Lyrically, it celebrates the good times in life with an effective descending chord progression that repeats throughout featuring Em, D, C, and G while adding a Bm right before the chorus starts. You may find yourself tapping your feet or clapping your hands along to that great bass intro. Of course, Gorham delivers one of his usual melodic solos and there also some tasty saxophone lines played by session man John Helliwell. There's a version of this song by alternative band Smashing Pumpkins clearly showing that Lizzy's influence extends beyond the hard rock genres into the alternative scene was well! On the classic live album "Live & Dangerous" you can find an even better version of this tune!

The mood switches noticeably on "Killer Without A Cause", an early heavy metal classic written by Lynott with Gorham helping out. The introductory riff is one of the best ever written and a clear influence on the late 70's NWOBHM movement and the subsequent 80's metal...just check out the intro riff on Iron Maiden's "2 Minutes To Midnight"...very similar idea! Guitarist Brian Robertson makes his second appearance here, again providing some extra sonic kick and his usual wah wah soloing. About the lyrics, we find Lynott in a very aggressive mood: 'he's a killer without a cause/the time's right to settle scores' reads one line. That could be a reference to the merciless attitude of a serial killer. This type of lyric could only have sounded right over some mean riffing. However, the arrangement is more sophisticated...check out the quick change of mood from the heavy verse with the fifth chords into a noticeably more melodic acoustic guitar-based section starting with an A major chord and using F#m, D, and E which culminates with an excellent arpeggio figure underneath some tasty wah wah guitar lines played by Robertson. One of the band's masterworks!

Track number seven is the more laid back four minute composition "Downtown Sundown" that showcases Lynott's more R&B/soul side of his songwriting. The feel of the lyrics changes abruptly from the previous track too, in this case dealing with hope and the belief in God. Very positive message, terrific vocal melody, and there's also some nice drumming from Downey. The verse chords are F, C/E, and Dm while the chorus uses Dm, Am, Bb M7, Gm, and C. Gorham's guitar solo is one of my all time favorites (it doesn't get more melodic than that) but perhaps the most interesting aspect of the arrangement is the tasty clarinet (played by Helliwell) featured throughout the whole track. The intro chords are reprised for the ending until the fade out...it is here where Helliwell shines the most on the clarinet making the most out of the space after that Am7 chord rings out for a few seconds! Regarding this song, something happened to me while I was looking at an astronomy textbook I have at home...the chapter about the sun had a front page with an excellent photo of a New York City sunset...with the sun seemingly setting right on the street with the buildings on both sides so I thought...that's a great picture to go along with this song!

More classic material comes next as "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart" begins with the band's signature harmony guitar leads. The down tuned guitars are back and the intro/chorus section starts with a Gm chord and uses F, Cm, Bb, and Eb. The verses have a folk rock feel due to the fact that they are carried mostly by Phil's own rhythm acoustic guitar playing. This is Lynott warning us about that girl who could make ourselves feel down. The chorus is pure genius; superb combination of electric and acoustic guitars. The arrangement uses a nice songwriting trick of moving a certain chord section (in this case the intro/chorus) to a different key (now starting in Em) and this is exactly what happens during the first part of the solo which is shared by both guitarists! Gorham takes the first one with the key change but quickly they go into the verses part with Robertson playing an uncharacteristically melodic solo as opposed to the more aggressive nature of his playing on his two previous appearances on this album. 'lonesome gambler' sings Phil right before the rather unexpected ending.

The closing song happens to be "Dear Lord" (Lynott/Gorham) and it begins with an extended instrumental intro with a funk type of riff and a descending note progression beginning with A, then F and G. Before long a prominent synth string keyboard appears (likely played by Lynott) with Gorham delivering some jazzy lead guitar on top of the chords A, F+, F#m, A7, D, and E. Great intro! The main part of the song comes next fading in. I like how this song seems to have a bit of a 50's rock ballad feel. This is Lynott's cry of help to God...very good lyrics that a lot of people could relate! But wait till you hear Gorham's superb melodic solo...I think you'll agree with me that this is a masterpiece in every way! The string synth part is reprised at the end for a very good ending to this magnificent album!

In a few words, every fan of rock should check "Bad Reputation" out since it is one of the band's most influential albums. One aspect about Phil's songwriting I always admire is how good he was at writing about many different topics/emotions (from heartfelt to aggressive) without sounding forced. He always sounded right at home with a convincing vocal delivery! Of course that aspect of his songwriting is clearly displayed on this album so you can't go wrong here!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...