Customer Reviews

Live & Dangerous

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Live and Dangerous arrived at my home via Air Mail today from Amazon UK, and I couldn't wait to get it into my DVD player. I was anxious about whether it was a Regionalized DVD (only Region 0 and Region 1 play in US DVD players), especially since the product description on the Amazon UK site suggested that it was Region 2...but it's not Region 2; it's Region 0 (worldwide).

This performance of the 1977 Live and Dangerous tour was captured at London's Rainbow Theatre. And this show should be held up not only as an example of the way a rock group should perform live, but also as an example for DVD music producers on how to deliver an excellent product.

The Live and Dangerous concert is all show. No indulgence by some videographer that thinks a viewer wants to see effects like cut to black and white, psyschedelic swirling pictures or other video effects. This was a very pleasant surprise considering that kind of video-malarkey was quite popular in the 70s.

The full screen picture has been completely restored and looks terrific. Most importantly, the video doesn't jump around every 4 seconds, so you really get to see the performance in a way that feels like you're back in '77 with a front row seat to the concert.

If you've got a surround system, you're in for a pounding Hard Rock experience. The sound has an amazing 5.1 DTS remix. If you've got an old DVD player or old surround system that doesn't decode DTS you're out of luck...there's no Dolby 5.1...Dolby Stereo is the only other choice besides DTS.

The Live and Dangerous line-up of Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson and Brian Downey define Thin Lizzy. And all of the guys are on for the Live and Dangerous show at The Rainbow. Lynott's high energy stage persona is incomparable. The guitarwork between Gorham and Robertson is legendary and it's played precisely at The Rainbow show. And Brian Downey's signature drumming is captured in all its glory.

For the classic Live and Dangerous Rainbow show you get the following set list:

1. "Rosalie"
2. "The Boys Are Back in Town"
3. "Emerald"
4. "Dancing in the Moonlight"
5. "Massacre"
6. "Still in Love With You" - The liner notes actually suggest that this song is "Call on Me", but The Boys describe each song track by track during the interview segment, and they confirm that it is, indeed, "Still in Love Wth You".
7. "Don't Believe a Word"
8. "Are You Ready"
9. "Sha La La"
10. "Baby Drives Me Crazy"
11. "Me and the Boys"

You also get Lizzy's 1983 "Farewell" concert (Robertson is out/John Sykes is in) from the UK's Regal Theatre; you get a selection of performances from the Top of the Pops television show from 1973 - 1979; and you get a 45 minute interview segment from the summer of 2007 with Robertson, Gorham and Downey.

All of the music on this DVD has been remastered in DTS; the interviews are stereo. Songs at The Regal overlap only with a few from Live and Dangerous as do some of the Top of the Pops selections. Between the two (aside from what's in the Live and Dangerous set), you get:

"Whiskey in the Jar"
"Jailbreak"
"Waiting for an Alibi"
"This is the One"
"Cold Sweat"
"The Sun Goes Down"
"Holy War"
"Baby Please Don't Go"
"Fighting My Way Back" (CD only)
"Wild One" (CD Only)
"Suicide" (CD Only)
(The liner notes of the booklet also suggest that "Cowboy Song" is included somewhere in the collection of tunes, but darned if I could find it.)

The packaging and accompanying booklet of the DVD are awesome. Plus you get a bonus CD of a 1975 concert recorded at Derby College in the UK. This is a pretty sweet package.

It's the Thin Lizzy DVD release we've all been waiting for. Any Lizzy fan will enjoy this disk immensely. There is no question here. Find a way to add this to your collection.

Not enough good things can be said about Thin Lizzy's LIVE AND DANGEROUS. Almost every song on the album blows away the studio version. The best thing about LIVE AND DANGEROUS is that the production is perfect. Polished enough in the studio during mixing that the sound quality is excellent, but still raw enough to capture the power and energy of Thin Lizzy live. Truly live, with virtually no studio overdubs. (UPDATE - As it turns out, that wasn't true. Most of the guitars and vocals were overdubbed in the studio. What's odd is that I've heard true live recordings from that era and they sound almost exactly like this album. That's why I initially thought that there weren't many overdubs in the studio. Apparantly, they just wanted to polish up the live recordings and went overboard.) As far as the songs go, there are so many great tracks on L.A.D. that it is almost impossible to single out the highlights - almost every track could be considered a highlight! The best way to put it is this; LIVE AND DANGEROUS is a Hard Rock masterpiece. Rock And Roll was (and never will be) better than this. Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson, and Brian Downey set the standard for live Rock albums that still has not been surpassed. If you like Hard Rock (like Led Zeppelin, UFO, KISS, and AC/DC) you MUST buy this one.

Most all of the best 70s albums were live. And this one, my friends, is the best of all the 70s live albums. I really enjoyed Thin Lizzy's studio albums...but I was totally blown away when I heard LIVE AND DANGEROUS.

That voice. Those guitars. Perfection. There are many excellent songs here, some that really rock like Jailbreak, Rosalie, Cowboy Song and The Rocker. Some are so delicate and moving that they will rip your heart out, like Dancing In The Moonlight and Still In Love With You.

Take a long drive one night. Put this in your CD player. Understand life. It's a simple as that.

Thanks, Thin Lizzy. You have brightened many a day for me since discovering this album in 1979. I plan on having a copy of this in my collection until the day I die.

Thin Lizzy released this album on the back of a string of magical releases from the band, and as such featured their most famous lineup. It featured Brian Downey on drums, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson on guitars, and of course the unmistakable Phil Lynott on bass and handling the vocals. It would be the last album to feature this particular lineup. The remaining Thin Lizzy albums would strive to capture the sound solidly established to this point. The album launches into Jailbreak and Emerald, both from their chartbreaking "jailbreak" album. Also featured are live classics like Massacre, The Boys are Back in Town, Warrior, Cowboy Song, and Don't believe a Word, all captured with the emmense energy that went into their live performances. Of particular note is a slower tune entitled "Still in Love With You". It was one of the bonified underground classics that I believe made the music of Thin Lizzy what it was. Although the band is most noted for their hard rocking tunes, it is through songs like this one that they displayed the diversity that made them a great band. I have seen the band live and can testify to the fact that this album captures the spirit of their live performances. This album can be complimented by a video release entitled "Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous at the Rainbow". Both are must for the Thin Lizzy fan.

Ah the memories come flooding back. As a teenager back in the seventies I was lucky enough to see Thin Lizzy on the breakthrough "Jailbreak" tour, and then again on the "Bad Reputation" tour, which makes up part of this incredible live set.

From the opening chord of "Jailbreak", through to the final chord of "The Rocker" this is perhaps one of the most awesome and unforgettable live albums of all time. Lizzy became great on two things, hard work and the late Philip Lynott's majestic songwriting. Powered by the twin-guitar attack of Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham, "Live And Dangerous" is a classic example of a band at the height of their powers.

Sad to think, then, that this was also the end of an era. By the time the next album was released, Robertson had gone, to be replaced by Gary Moore at what turned out to be the start of a very turbulent period in the career of the bad.

But what a way to end an era. From "Fighting" to "Bad Reputation", this was Thin Lizzy at their best, and this set could quite easily have been called "The Bext Of Thin Lizzy - Live". The majesty of "Emerald", the sheer power of "Massacre", the almost touching sentiment of "Still In love With You" (coupled with the devastatingly emotional solo from Robertson) to the sheer exuberance of "Sha-La-La" and "Baby Drives Me Crazy", this covers all the bases.

However, at a time when many bands are having their back catalogs remastered, enhanced and re-released, it is maybe fitting that this treatment should also be applied to Thin Lizzy. If the "Bad Reputation" tour was recorded, why not include "Soldier Of Fortune" (the opener on the British tour), or "Bad Reputation" itself (including Brian Downey's drum solo), and where oh where is that incredible live version of "Me And The Boys Are Wondering How You And The Girls Are Getting Home From Here Tonight" previously only available on the b-side of the "Rosalie" live single.

But these are minor quibbles. This album is simply a must for die-hard Thin Lizzy fans, and newcomers alike. By all means buy the compilations, but this is the one album which would give a true introduction to the work of Thin Lizzy, and is way more representative of the band at their best than the somewhat disappointing "Life" or the more recent tribute album "One Night Only".

THE BAND: Phil Lynott (vocals, bass... R.I.P.), Scott Gorham (guitars), Brian Robertson (guitars), Brian Downey (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1978) 17 tracks clocking in at approximately 77 minutes. Included with the disc is a 10-page booklet containing black & white concert related photos, song titles/times/credits, and thank you's. Songs recorded during the `Johnny The Fox' (1976) and `Bad Reputation' (1977) tours. A digitally remastered version (1996) is also available. All songs written by Thin Lizzy members except "Rosalie" (by Bob Seger - taken from his "Back in `72" album). Label - Warner Bros.

ALBUM REPRESENTATION: Vagabonds Of The Western World (1 song), Nightlife (2), Fighting (2), Jailbreak (5), Johnny The Fox (3), Bad Reputation (2), Unreleased (2).

COMMENTS: This is a great live album. I put it on the same lofty perch as some of those other live 70's classics - Deep Purple's "Made In Japan", Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive", The Who's "Live At Leeds", Kiss' "Alive!" and UFO's "Strangers In The Night". With that being said, there is some controversy - technical issues brought the band back into the studio to overdub and re-record some guitars and vocals - how much of this is true (?)... we listeners and fans may never really know. As for the sound - the album rocks. Lynott sounds great (as does his bass). The dueling guitars of Gorham and Robertson are in blazing form. And Brian Downey is steady on drums (and getting a chance to really cut loose on the "Sha-La-La" drum solo). The track listing here is superb (hits and deep album tracks included). So many great Thin Lizzy songs - classics rockers include "Jailbreak", "Massacre", "The Boys Are Back In Town", "Sha-La-la", "Warrior", "Emerald", "The Rocker", "Suicide", etc. And for every two bone crunching songs there's a melodic masterpiece - "Southbound", "Dancing In The Moonlight", "Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed", "Cowboy Song", and "Still In Love With You". For me, standouts on this album were always the heavy "Emerald", Lynott's storytelling on "Johnny The Fox...", the opener "Jailbreak", and the beautifully crafted "Still In Love With You" - which I actually like 10x better than the studio version from "Nightlife" (1974). Only thing missing from this classic live album are a few songs - "Whiskey In The jar", "She Knows", "Wild One" and "Bad Reputation". I don't care about any 'controversy' - this album rocks and still sounds fantastic decades later. If you want one live album from Thin Lizzy, this is the one. "Live & Dangerous" is a great album from a truly legendary band (5 stars).

This is a great live album - perhaps the best ever. The band sounds at its tightest, as it should since the shows were from the band's peak period in late 77 and early 78. The live versions of the songs outshine their studio originals and several are just perfect! What really makes the band special is that all 4 were good musicians - particularly Brian Downey on drums. Also for those who like wah in their guitars, Brian Robertson was one of the best in this regard.

Now to address the dubbing issue - you need not worry about it lacking a true live feeling. The audience sounds are all original, as are the drums and most of the guitars (a few touchups on the solos - exactly how much is disputed). Really, only the vocals and bass were significantly redone. I have several Lizzy live performances from this era and there is very little difference other than clarity in the sound (KBFH in Philly 77 is a good example). You don't want to miss "Johnny The Fox", "Still in Love With You", "Don't Believe A Word", "Warrior" and the rest!!

Simply, Thin Lizzy remains a vastly underrated band & Live and Dangerous - when the title was originally issued on a double live album - is one of the best live sets from the 1970s, when such releases became very popular.

And this package highlights the band in all its glory, on stage and delivering high-octane music to an appreciative audience. The DVD portion features a 1978 concert from the Rainbow Theatre, which is not the venue where the double live album was recorded. Phil Lynott (vocals, bass) keeps the joint rocking by seemingly feeding off the crowd's energy from the opening note to the closing chord.

There is also the highly-acclaimed 1983 "Farewell" concert from the Regal Theatre, selections from appearances on Top of the Pops and interviews with band members Scott Gorham (guitar), Brian Robertson (guitar), Brian Downey (drums and percussion). The bonus CD is a treat, a 1975 concert from Derby College.

This is a fantastic collection of outstanding performances from a band that defined the golden era of arena rock.

Damn fine seventeen track live Thin Lizzy lp,from two different shows (I'm assuming) during their 1976-77 tours. Only regret I have is that of all the numerous concerts I've attended, I've never seen these guys. Most memorable tracks were "Jailbreak", "Massacre", "Johnny The Fox Meets Johnny The Weed", "Cowboy Song", "Boys Are Back In Town" and "Are You Ready". Line-up: Phil Lynott-bass&vocals, Scott Gorham-guitar, Brian Downey-drums, John Earl-sax and Tony Visconti-piano&producer. Good album rock,well worth checking out.

This is the best live CD of the 70's; not Frampton Comes Alive. Thin Lizzy sounds better live than they do in the studio. This album covers all their best tunes from the 70's. The sound quality makes you feel like your right there in the third row. Phil Lynott plays a wicked bass and sings great on every song. Brian Robertson's guitar playing is awesome. Brian Downey lays down a solid beat on drums. Huey Lewis even makes an appearance on Baby Drives Me Crazy playing the harmonica.