Customer Reviews

Black Rose a Rock Legend

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3 star:		(1)
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This album has everything a music lover needs and wants in a rock album!Heavy songs,funky songs,slow songs, and complicated riffs in songs!Phil can just get all of his ideas out better when someone is pushing him or is just as talented as a writer and musician as he was!Gary Moore was that man on this album, what a great combo just wish Phil could of got him to join and stay with him all through his career and maybe he would still be gracing us with his music today!If you like music(classic rock)this album gives you everything and more!I love this album and recomend it to every music fan!

This album has a different feel than the other 70's album but
really hits a homerun. from the irish feel of the title track to the catchy rockers it's another lizzy classic and a must have! it also features the amazing guitar work of Gary Moore as well as Scott Gorham who plays great as well. the lead harmonies are
awesome and of course Brian Downey is the best drummer in rock!
Black Rose is one of the best songs ever written!

Absolutely the BEST record by one of the most under-rated rock bands of all time.You must own this CD...This has some of the best rockers they ever recorded,like "Got to Give it up",Phil Lynott's confessional Drug & Drink number,and "Get Out of Here", a blazing number co-written with Midge Ure from Ultravox. Gary Moore is all over this recording,but this is Phil(RIP)'s shining moment as a songwriter.What a shame they didn't make it bigger in the U S. Hey,I love "The Boys are Back in Town" too,but this is the quintessential TL CD.

Thin Lizzy was a hit-or-miss band, but when they hit, they REALLY hit. I would probably call this their best album, mainly because more often than not here, Phil Lynott's songs kick in as consistantly as he gutsy singing and that great twin-guitar sound that the band developed over time. You may get turned off by the subject matter of "S&M," but it's one of Lynott's best set of lyrics and the jangly funk of the rhythm cooks! The title cut not only works well as a song but gives guitarists Gary Moore and Scott Gorham an opportunity to showboat, to great effect. Lynott's ode to his then-baby daughter, "Sarah," has a nice Latin-ish swing to it and doesn't cloy with it's sweetness. Altogether a great album, maybe this band's best.

PHIL'S BEST COLLECTION OF SONGS. GREAT RIFFS & SOLOS BY MOORE. THE FACT THAT THIS WAS NEVER PLAYED ON THE RADIO IS CRIMINAL. CRUNCHY YET MELODIC ROCK AT ITS BEST.

Anybody who considers themself a hard rock fan should go out and buy any Thin Lizzy CD that is not entitled "Jail Break" (there is so much more to the band than the single "The Boys Are Back In Town"....they recorded 13 studio albums, 2 "best of" compilations, and one live album). After having listened to all of the band's albums for years, I can say with all sincerity that this is their very best...every song is so good that it's really hard to pick a favorite. If I ABSOLUTELY HAD TO PICK A FAVORITE, however, it would be a toss up between "Do Anything You Want To" and "Roisin Dubh".

This is one of the greatest rock bands that ever existed teamed with one of the best guitar players that ever lived. I only wish they would have recorded more together but this is it which makes it a must have for your collection.

The year 1979 marked the release of "Black Rose" and for the first time in the band's career, guitarist Gary Moore left his previous group Colosseum II and stayed with Thin Lizzy long enough to record a full album; one that clearly shows the band firing on all cylinders! Moore first joined the group (January-April '74) to replace Eric Bell when the band still functioned as a trio, and then joined the group for the second time (January-March '77) to do a US tour replacing Brian Robertson due to the latter's hand injury. After that tour, Lynott asked Moore to stay but at that time he chose to return to Colosseum II. When he joined the group in July 1978, it was his third time already. Meanwhile, the rest of the line-up remained the same with band leader Phil Lynott on vocals/bass/occasional acoustic guitar, Brian Downey on drums, and of course Scott Gorham on guitar. By the end of 1978 in December, the band was ready to record and after sessions in Paris, France and London, England, the album was completed in February 1979 with Tony Visconti producing and the nine songs selected for release are all magnificent showing Lynott on top form creatively speaking plus the usual instrumental prowess. In my opinion, the guitar duo of Gorham/Moore opened a fantastic new phase for the group that unfortunately lasted for only a year but what a great line-up this one was! In addition to bringing some songwriting ideas, Moore brought with him a notable presence in the songs' arrangements as well. This album also became their most successful one in the UK hitting #2 on the album charts.

The starting point is a tune written by Lynott on his own titled "Do Anything You Want To" and lasts for about four minutes. This is a great pop infused hard rock song featuring their trademark harmony leads and begins with Downey's common shuffle beat and bass. The introductory bass note that Lynott is hitting is an Eb because the guitars were tuned half a step down. The chorus is catchy and the three chords are Ab, C#, Eb, all major. There's no proper solo but those melodic harmony leads more than make up for it. The lyrics are also nice with a positive message in the vein of better do what you feel is best and don't let anyone put you down with critiques. Great melodies occur throughout the verse/chorus plus there's a nice vocal bridge as well - 'hey you you're not their puppet on a string' - love that part!

If the first song wasn't good enough already, wait till you hear the second one as more greatness follows with "Toughest Street In Town", one of my personal favorites. It was written by Lynott/Moore/Gorham and the arrangement is quite complex in the sense that the whole song (verse/pre-chorus/chorus) structure is moved to a higher key towards the latter half! All the song's parts are perfect, especially the intro/chorus pattern of chords using C, G, F, Am, and Dm. In case you're wondering, after the key change, the chords are D, A, G, Bm, and Em. Lynott's great story telling lyrics about the city's nigh life in that desperate part of town also strike home but there's also an incredibly aggressive solo from Moore that will knock your socks off! It is executed in a jazz fusion manner showcasing the soloing style he perfected during his time with band Colosseum II. But wait, if that solo wasn't enough, right after its conclusion listeners are treated to a memorable vocal bridge with Lynott singing - 'it's just another black spot' - I could have never guessed that was coming up! This song really has everything one can ask for, and all in just four minutes. Simply put, it is a hard rock masterpiece in every aspect!

Track number three titled "S&M" marks a change of style while the down tuned guitars return. This is a nice four minute fusion of pop and funk serving as background for Lynott's tale of abusive behavior while effectively warning us not to indulge in such practices. Instrumentally speaking, there's a lot to admire here too like Downey's excellent drumming throughout, and who can forget that awesome melodic solo from Gorham? Not me! This one also has a memorable vocal bridge too - 'he just liked the violence' - sings Lynott on top of that Ab5 chord. There is an interesting fact about this song: the band first attempted it live sometime in June '78 while Robertson was still in the band and the live arrangement was a little different! Right after Gorham's solo, then instead of staying on that F# major chord (the one where Lynott says the song's title in between), a few extra chords are present and right afterwards...Robbo takes a solo with his usual wah wah tone! This song was simply amazing in concert and should have been performed more often!

After its conclusion we find the album's hit called "Waiting For An Alibi" written by Lynott. It begins with a bass/drum pattern before another one of the band's ear catching harmony leads shows up and it is based on the B minor pentatonic scale. The stop/start rhythm guitar on the verse is effective but the chorus is superb coming complete with Moore's back up vocals. Lynott's lyrics tell the story of the protagonist Valentino, somebody who seems to be destined to mess up in life. The pre-chorus has a nice chord progression that seems to recall the earlier song "Philomena". Gorham takes the main solo but Moore joins him in time to play a cluster of notes before its conclusion. Towards the end, a new harmonized motif shows up on top of the chorus section before concluding with a descending chord pattern (B5, A5, F#5, E5, and D5) making for a very satisfactory coda. What a finish! This is the other song from this LP that the band first played live while Robertson was still in the band shortly before his departure.

An unexpected turn follows with song number five named after Lynott's newly born daughter "Sarah" with Moore helping out on the songwriting and plus Huey Lewis playing the harmonica. The emphasis is put on acoustic guitars on this fast-paced pop composition with a jazzy feel. The lyrics find Lynott celebrating the birth of his daughter and the atmosphere is friendly, bright, and uplifting. Note Lynott's great back up vocals starting from the second verse. The song's memorable chorus is based on the Ab major scale. However, Moore plays an exquisite melodic solo with the electric guitar during an unexpected instrumental middle bridge that serves as an announcement that it is time to change to a higher key for the last part of the song until the fade out! This is a pop masterpiece!

The mood becomes noticeably darken on the next song down line called "Got To Give It Up". The intro shows a great sense of songwriting dynamics starting with the song's chorus but played in a spacey ballad-like manner hitting those Dm and Gm chords. Just when you think it is going to be a slow number, then bam!...that rocking riff comes in without warning! The lyrics can be considered as autobiographical and give the impression that Lynott already knew that he was going to die early - 'but in the end I lost my battle' - sings Lynott during the second verse. Gorham takes the middle solo while Moore does the one on the outro right before the fade-out.

Now it's time to move on to "Get Out Of Here", a killer rocker (guitars tuned down half a step down again) that features a songwriting collaboration between Lynott and guitarist/keyboard player Midge Ure, who after joining the group on a temporary basis (July '79-April '80) moved on to play with new-wave/synth-pop group Ultravox. Musically, the song sounds almost like punk rock with a strong pop sensibility while the lyrics deal with feeling pissed off about a failed relationship. The intro is good with that palm muted style of rhythm guitar but the thing I like the most here is the detailed arrangement which takes the tune's chords through multiple key changes! This song would definitely serve as a blue print for something I would like to do if I was in a group. I really like that idea of moving a song section to a different key! For example the first verse/chorus starts on Ab major but then they start on B major, and finally and the song ends with the chorus starting on D major!

Track number eight "With Love" (Lynott) is definitely a band standout and Huey Lewis again plays the harmonica. It is a melodic hard rock song with a somewhat heavy intro using the notes D, Bm, Am (also heard in the Gary Moore song "Fanatical Fascists") and a somewhat dark atmosphere thanks to that descending lead guitar riff. The lyrics seem to convey feelings of despair and sadness over a relationship. Lynott's vocal delivery is simply brilliant and the chords used definitely go well with the theme of the lyrics. The tension seems to increase during that last chorus which culminates with a solo lasting all they way until the fade-out. Guest musician Jimmy Bain (Rainbow, Wild Horses) played the bass here.

Last but not least, the epic "Róisín Dubh: A Rock Legend" closes the album in great fashion. This tune is the longest of the bunch clocking at just a little over seven minutes and it's magnificent. The band was kind enough to provide some information about the lyrics on the album's sleeve! The intro riff is based on the F# major scale and the verses use the chords F#, B, Ebm, and C#. This song is really a fantastic medley of traditional Irish compositions: "Shenandoah", "Danny Boy", "The Mason's Apron", plus a tune written by William McPeake called "Will You Go Lassie Go". The guitar duo of Moore/Gorham truly shines here delivering one incredibly melodic line after another. From a lyrical point of view, the song provides the chance for Lynott to make references to "Dark Rosaleen", a Gaelic poem, and at the end, Lynott mentions a list of notable Irish culture persons such as singer Van Morrison; writers James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, John Millington Synge, and Oscar Wilde; soccer player George Best; cricketer Brendan O'Brien, and of course he mentions the traditional tune "Whiskey In The Jar"! The 'starvation once again' line is a reference to the repeated periods of famine in the history of Ireland, notably the period 1842-1845, which is referred to as the 'Great Famine'. Phil had already explored this subject before on the earlier composition "Fools Gold"! In my opinion, this is one of the best songs of all time!

In a nutshell, this album is a must buy for fans of melodic hard rock. Not only the playing throughout is superb but also Lynott's lyrical content is varied and creative, so I cannot imagine a fan of hard rock being disappointed with this masterpiece! Don't miss out!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

You can listen the difference, Gary is one of the best guitar player of the story, this album is great becouse you can hear the real irish rock in the song BLACK ROSE, the italians says "capolavoro", people from Portugal will say: OBRA PRIMA!
You must have this cd!

Irish folk was always in Philip Lynott's heart and likewise songs dedicated to his homeland littered the Thin Lizzy catalog over the band's roughly seventeen year career. "Roisin Dubh" would be his ultimate statement of love for all things Irish and his name checking of names from Irish mythology and literature fitted seamlessly with the folksy guitar adaptations that both Phil and fellow countryman Gary Moore applied to the music. The result is a masterpiece of Celtic rock and probably the true artistic pinnacle of Thin Lizzy's career. `Black Rose' the album was also a commercial success in Britain and on the continent if not America. Gary Moore had rejoined Lizzy as a semi-permanent replacement for Brian Robertson and his playing proved to mesh perfectly with Scott Gorham as the traditional Thin Lizzy harmonies rang true once more. Once you hear the album opener "Do Anything You Want to" and the guitars it is unmistakably Thin Lizzy even before Philip begins his lead vocal. "Waiting for an Alibi", the first single, also became one of the band's most successful and was a perfect embodiment of the archetypal Lizzy sound. "Got to Give it Up" was an ominous self-confessional that unfortunately was paid little heed by the song's composer but it remains a highpoint on a LP full of highlights. "Toughest Street in Town" was macho, street Lynott while "Sarah" was sentimental and sweet. "S&M" was as nasty and funky as its title suggests. There really are no bum notes or false turns on `Black Rose' which ended the seventies on a triumphant note. Unfortunately the new decade would see the slow decline of the band's fortunes as its leader would slowly succumb to the effects of .....that stuff. Drinking whiskey in the jarooooh......