Song:The Boys Are Back In Town
Album:Dedication: The Very Best Of Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy was probably one of the most underrated bands of the 70s. Their biggest hit was The Boys Are Back In Town in 1976. They had other hits in England but that was their one big hit in the US. Thin Lizzy were from Dublin, Ireland. In 1969, former Them guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixton were looking to form a new band. They saw the band Orphanage with singer Phil Lynott and drummer Brian Downey. Lynott agreed to form Thin Lizzy on the condition that he play bass and writes the songs. That turned out to be a very good decision because Lynott turned out to be a great songwriter. They released a single in 1970 and Wrixton left Thin Lizzy to return to Them. They didn't replace him at the time and Thin Lizzy signed with Decca Records in 1971. They moved from Dublin to London. Their first two albums didn't sell. Then they toured England with the popular band Slade and Suzi Quatro. At the same time, Decca released their recording of the Irish folk song Whiskey In The Jar. it was a top ten hit in England and Thin Lizzy appeared on the popular TV show Top Of The Pops. Subsequent singles didn't chart and Eric Bell left in 1973. After a couple of short term replacements, the band hired guitarists Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham through auditions. The twin guitars turned out to be Thin Lizzy's trademark. Then they signed a new record deal with Phonogram in England and Mercury in the US. They toured the US for the first time with Bob Seger and then toured Europe with Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Then Thin Lizzy finally broke through with the 1976 album Jailbreak. The Boys Are Back In Town reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is still very memorable today especially when it was used in the hit Disney film Toy Story. But then Lynott got sick with hepatitis and they were forced to cancel their tour. Then Brian Robertson got into a bar fight. Lynott was upset about this and eventually replaced him with Gary Moore. Though they continued to be a good live draw, Thin Lizzy's albums weren't selling well. Moore left in 1979. Lynott started working on solo projects and he left in 1981 and Thin Lizzy split up in 1985. You can get all their hits on this comp. Phil Lynott died in 1986 as a result of his heroin addiction. Brian Downey and Scott Gorham have led a touring band of Thin Lizzy. But they released a CD in 2013 as Black Star Riders. They didn't want to use the Thin Lizzy name out of respect to Lynott's memory. They still tour as Thin Lizzy. Here's Thin Lizzy performing The Boys Are Back In Town on Top Of The Pops 1976.
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