Customer Reviews

Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town

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

 

 

First, I'll say that I own an original PAL release copy of this video, that has some extra footage of the other bands on the bill at this 1978 outdoor extravaganza. And it has a special place for me because I was in the audience. Yes, the sound is poor but this is a rare lineup and a great performance. This show was one of the free 'Rocktober' concerts put on by Sydney AM radio station (2SM) in the late 70's (1978). One of the last shows on the 'Bad Reputation' tour, Moore had stepped in after Brian Robertson had broken his hand in a post-show punchup in the US. I don't know why Brian Downey didn't tour(the drummer is Mark Nauseef from Gary Moore's band G-Force). The performance was amazing, and includes a version of 'Waiting for an Alibi', which predates it's studio recording. It's funny that another reviewer describes the camera work as 'amatuerish'. It was filmed by a television network for subsequent broadcast. And the editing is very clever. In the actual performance, the PA broke down half way through 'Cowboy Song' and Nauseef had to perform a long and unamplified drum solo while it was fixed. But you can't pick the break in the edit. It's just luck this footage even exists, and since the other two released Lizzy live videos are long disappeared, this is a must for fans.

Chances are if you made it this far you are one of the chosen:
a Thin Lizzy fan-atic. True the sound here leaves alot to be desired, but considering the technology at the time of this recording I don't consider it a "major" fault.
The dvd boasts one of the best guitar "duos" Lizzy ever had: Scott Gorham & Gary Moore. I never realized how talented Gorham was until watching this dvd. Drummer Mark Nauseff fills in well for the absent Brain Downey and does some major [rear-end] kicking of his own. No need to comment on Phil Lynott, watching him perform makes this dvd oh so bittersweet. The camera work is really good. The performance is as spirited as you will find; Thin Lizzy flat out rocks with no "sappy" ballads to be had.
If "bootleg" quality sound doesn't scare you away, this dvd is a must have for any Thin Lizzy fan; especially with so little live footage available.
[...]

ALTHOUGH THE EDITING OF THIS VIDEO IS AMATEURISH THE MUSIC AND STAGE PRESENCE OF PHIL, GARY AND SCOTT IS UNDENIABLE. THIS VIDEO IS A MUST FOR ALL LIZZY FANS AND GARY MOORE FANS. UNFORTUNATELY THIS VIDEO DOES NOT SATISFY ONES APPETITE FOR CONCERT FOOTAGE OF LIZZY IT WILL ONLY CALM YOUR CRAVINGS FOR A FEW VIEWINGS AND THEN YOU WILL ONLY WANT TO FIND MORE CONCERT FOOTAGE OF ONE THE GREATEST LIVE BANDS IN ROCK-N-ROLL HISTORY. SLAINTE. B.P.WARD

By now you should know that the sound is bad, with its inconsistent levels. If this audio is 'remastered', as Rhino touts on the intro, then I'd hate to hear the original audio! Beyond that, any Thin Lizzy on video is going to please Lizzy fans. The performance is tops, even without Brian Downey. Would have been great if there were more songs, but the dynamics are red hot, Gary Moore is having the time of his life (and his stage presence is perfect!). Frankly, the whole band is solid in this Australian outdoor show. The crowd shots weren't bad, since they show how truly special TL was (and is) to their audience. The moving video windows I could have done without.

The DVD extras were a double-edge blade...disappointing because it looks slopped together in an hour, but the biography makes up for it. Mind you, reading 102 pages of text on a TV screen (with no sound) is a chore, but it's a fascinating read.

I'm glad I bought it (at any price) and can only hope that we soon see the Rock Master release (with John Sykes), Live and Dangerous, and Dedication ultimately on DVD. All hail Thin Lizzy!

I held off buying this on VHS because of the so-so reviews of the sound quality. When I saw the DVD was enhanced to 5.1 surround, I thought it had been remastered and the sound would be great....WRONG!!!! It still sounds terrible. The footage is classic but i've heard bootlegs that sound better. Why watch if you can't enjoy the music.

This video is just what I have been looking for. It seems live Thin Lizzy footage is hard to come by, and if you are looking for some here it is. Granted, the sound quality isn't like listening to a studio album, but you shouldn't expect that from a live recording. The performance that Lizzy puts on is fantastic, so if you think that you can handle this all out attack on your ear drums then I suggest picking it up. The only complaint I could come up with was that they didn't put the camera on Scott Gorham during some of his solos, instead they kept it on Gary Moore, but that is being really critical.

the sound of this release is just awful! One of the poorest I've ever heard for a "remastered" disc. The camera work is okay (you have to remember the year it was) you can actually see a small crew pushing a large television studio camera back and forth in front of the stage. But the sound just kills this disc.

The audio is terrible on this, and the volume is not consistant. The cameras are panning the crowd or off somewhere durring some guitar solos. Gary Moore is great, but Brian Downey is missing on drums. The Thin Lizzy sound that took them to the top was Lynott, Gorham, Robertson and Downey (the video cover says original members, but that is false). I can't believe Rhino did not re-engineer the sound on this. The video "Live and Dangerous" (out of print) blows this video away.

RECORDED IN 1978 IN AUSTRALIA.FEATURES BOYS ARE BACK,COWBOY SONG,BAD REPUTATION AND MORE.GARY MOORE AND SCOT GORHAM PLAY SOME SMOKIN DUAL LEADS,INCLUDING AN AMAZING 5 MINUTE SOLO BY GARY MOORE.UNFORTUNATLY THE SOUND QUALITY IS NOT VERY GOOD.A MUST FOR THIN LIZZY AND GARY MOORE FANS.

Can't believe the whining in some of the other reviews.You get to see Phil and the boys at the top of their game laying into a crowd of aprox 22 to 26 thousand [I read that somewhere] and rocking the daylights out of them.Having seen Lizzy live a couple of times as a kid,this tape captures everthing I remember that made the band special.Sure you can niggle on the sound and Downey back in Dublin but the vibe and the performance make this a must have and a reminder if any is needed just how great they really were.