Customer Reviews

Solo in Soho

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Just read the song credits: at least fifty percent of this album features Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Gary Moore and Snowy White - the core of Thin Lizzy. Elsewhere we find Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits (on the glorious King's Call single), Midge Ure of Ultravox (on Yellow Pearl, which became the theme tune to the UK's Top of the Pops for many years), and Huey Lewis (who would later release his own version of one of the songs here, Tattoo, and who incidentally is one mean harmonica player). A solo album was the ideal place for Phil Lynott to try out styles unsuitable for Thin Lizzy, and though the results were patchy, certain gems were immediately apparent. The title track, with its reggae beat, must surely be one of Lynott's finest recordings. Ode To A Black Man thrills with it's chunky bass and sharp lyrics. Talk In 79 allows Lynott to deliver a spoken monologue set against a tight bass & drum line, showcasing just what a superb bass player he really was. Elsewhere we have Dear Miss Lonely Hearts which wouldn't have been out of place on Lizzy albums such as Renegade or Chinatown. Although Phil Lynott's solo work never seriously challenged his band's output, Solo in Soho (and to a much lesser degree his second solo album) exhibit instances of the pure talent that marked him out as one of rock music's true innovators, and Solo in Soho remains the finest album that Thin Lizzy never released.

I bought this on the strength of the single "Kings Call", but was pleasantly surprised by the range of styles of music on display. I guess whether that is a good thing or a bad thing to you will decide how much you like it. Phil seemed to be using the chance away from Thin Lizzy here to try things he couldn't within the confines of the band. Surely that's what solo albums should be for? Can't give it 5 stars however as there is some stuff which doesn't quite work as well as it could. "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts", "Kings Call", "Solo In Soho","Girls", "Yellow Pearl" and "Ode To A Black Man are all great songs however. And let's be brutally honest, Thin Lizzy albums could be patchy as well. Approach with an open mind and you will find something to love on here.

Some of these songs are really thin lizzy songs that didn't fit on the albums take a different approach. Jamaican rum puts me in mind of randolphs tango somewhat. King's Call and Solo in Soho are definitely the best songs on the cd. It's not quite as guitar oriented as thin lizzy albums but very good

If you were a fan of "Thin Lizzy" then you understand the genius that was Phil Lynott. This solo release, recorded shortly before his untimely death reveals the artists songwriting depth. "Kings Call" in particular shows off Mr. Lynott's cretive flair. A tribute to Elvis Presley and now a haunting reminder of the price of fame,"Kings Call" remains another "Lost Classic" by an artist that never really received his due.

After years of wanting to have a parallel career between Lizzy and his own project(s), early 1980 saw the debut release of Solo in Soho. Most of the guys in Lizzy are present in one form or another on here, along with alot of Philo's friends in the music biz; such as Mark Knopfler, Midge Ure, Huey Lewis, Jimmy Bain and Mark Nauseef.

The material presented here is of a more pop variety than that of the Lizzy sound and it is just that it SHOULD be different. Phil does a tribute to Elvis in King's Call with some very tasteful playing from Mark Knopfler. Dear Miss Lonley Hearts is another of the more memorable tracks included here and does feature the latest lineup of Lizzy with Snowy White(Chinatown would follow five months after). The title track has a reggae feel and lyrically evokes images of lust, deceit and desperation, thus making this another interesting side to the many facets of Lynott's writing abilities. Yellow Pearl would go on to become one of Lynott's signature tunes written with the help of Midge Ure(Ultravox). It is a song that warns of the cunningness of the Japanese nation to arise and control the world in a quest for domination, set to music that is very new wave-ish in its quality. Some more pop is flirted with in the form of Tattoo(Giving It All Up for Love) and a collaberation with Jimmy Bain and former Lizzy stalwart Brian Robertson on Girls. Ode to a Black Man and Talk in '79 offer a bit of funk-rock with some R&B flavor here and succeed very well in their intents as constructive and concise numbers.

Of the two Lynott solo albums, Soho is a much better collection of songs. Though Lynott's solo career would be considered more of a side project than an actual alternate route to fall back on in the case of Lizzy fragmenting, it did provide an outlet for him to expose his other talents as a writer and performer in a more well rounded situation. And, unfortunately, Lynott only had 5 more years of his life because of the hard living lifestyle he chose to live, thus cutting short the possibilities of what he could have further accomplished in his musical career. A pretty solid effort here from Phillip. If you like the hard rock of Lizzy, you'll be disappointed; if you have more of an open mind to different musical styles this is highly recommended. 4 Stars.

You can hear different style of music, so many different musicians, here Phil is great!

I can't stress enough to the moron who rated this one star, don't expect Thin Lizzy part two, but this album has some great tracks. King's Call sounds like something off of Black Rose I must say, it'a great song. Dear Miss Lonely Hearts, Yellow Pearl, I just can't explain how much I love this album. Ode To A Blackman was actually written during the Black Rose Sessions. Fantastic album. Give it a listen.

unless you are a BIG phil lynott fan stay away!!if you find a place to download tunes from this album maybe you'll find something to listen to.one song i really liked was "ode to a black man".fans enjoy,casual fans stick with the t.lizzy albums.

If you are a Thin Lizzy fan this shouldn't disappoint. Doesn't have the full on guitar rock sound but showcases Phil's great voice and songwriting ability. There is a good variety of styles on show on this album and definately better than the previous solo album which I think was wishy/washy and too far removed from the Lizzy sound. Great muscianship and a good addition to your Lizzy collection.

As you know Phil Lynott (R.I.P) was the singer of Thin Lizzy. His second solo album (Solo in Soho) is much better than the first one, mainly 'cos the songs are more like Thin Lizzy.

There are in particular 2 great tracks on this album. The first song "Dear miss lonely hearts", that sounds exactly like Lizzy and the musicians are in fact the whole Lizzy band, and the second one: "King's call" - a song about Lynott's feelings connected to the death of Elvis Presley.

After this very promising opening you think you've found yourself the record of the century, but you haven't... It starts to become more clear why Lynott decided to do a solo album - it was because most of these songs don't fit Thin Lizzy. Some may even think the album contains a lot of strange tunes. Towards the end we got "Ode to a black man" and we're (for a while) back to a more traditional Thin Lizzy-feeling.

This album is mainly for Thin Lizzy fans.