Thin Lizzy - Life Live
On October 16, 1983, "Life" (also known as "Life/Live"), the double and final live album by the band "Thin Lizzy", was released.
Five years after 1978's stage masterpiece "Live and Dangerous" established "Thin Lizzy" as one of the best and most electrifying live acts in rock history, the Dublin band found themselves facing a completely different reality. The early 1980s were a turbulent and complex time for charismatic vocalist, bassist and songwriter Phil Lynott and his bandmates. Despite moments of magic on albums like 1980's "Chinatown" and 1981's "Renegade," the band suffered from frequent guitarist changes, constant road burnout, and the decline of Lynott and loyal guitarist Scott Gorham into heroin addiction, which took a heavy physical and creative toll on them.
The final and dramatic turning point came at the end of 1982, with the departure of guitarist Snowy White and the addition of a young and energetic 23-year-old guitarist from the British NWOBHM band "Tygers of Pan Tang" - the virtuoso John Sykes . Sykes injected the band with contemporary metal energy, dizzying speed and sharpness that led to the creation of the band's twelfth and final studio album, "Thunder and Lightning" , released in March 1983. Despite the artistic revival and enthusiastic reviews, Lynott and Gorham had already made the difficult decision to break up after the album's tour, realizing that the destructive lifestyle on the road could cost them their lives.
From this emotionally charged farewell tour came the double album "Life" (the original cover of which read "Thin Lizzy" Life" above the word "Live", hence the double name that has taken root among fans). The album was recorded and produced by the band together with the esteemed British producer Chris Tsangarides (who also worked with "Judas Priest" and "Black Sabbath"), with the bulk of it documenting a historic three-night series of performances at the legendary Hammersmith Odeon in London (March 10-12, 1983), alongside three Snowy White-era tracks recorded at Hammersmith in November 1981.
In contrast to the studio polish that accompanied "Live and Dangerous", the album "Life" presents "Thin Lizzy" at its most heavy, rough and unbridled. The opening with the title song "Thunder and Lightning" immediately makes it clear that this is not a polite nostalgia show. Brian Downey's deadly drumming, Darren Wharton's keyboards and the dual guitar show of John Sykes and Scott Gorham bombard the listener with an onslaught of hard rock and fast b-metal music that proudly competes with the young bands of the era. Immediately after it, the racing train continues with tight performances of classics such as "Waiting for an Alibi", "Jailbreak", the sweeping hit "Baby Please Don't Go" and the dramatic epic "The Holy War".
The second side of the double-disc pays homage to the Snowy White era, playing three earlier songs, led by a mesmerizing, dynamic and charged rendition of "Renegade", where Lynott's pulsating bass and fragile-explosive vocals build a chilling tension before the guitars explode. They are followed by the painful and prophetic "Got to Give It Up" (in which Lynott sings with chilling honesty about his struggle with addiction), the heavy and dark "Angel of Death" written by Lynott with young keyboardist Darren Wharton, and the ultimate performance anthem "Are You Ready".
The second half of the album opens with the timeless classic "The Boys Are Back in Town" and continues directly into one of the highlights of the John Sykes era - the metal bomb "Cold Sweat", where Sykes' fast and melodic solo proves why he quickly became one of the greatest guitar heroes of the 80s (and later the main star of "Whitesnake" on the album 1987 ). From there, the band moves on to the slow, bluesy version that has become a stage tradition in "Don't Believe a Word", to the controversial "Killer on the Loose", and to the melancholic and beautiful ballad "The Sun Goes Down" - a song that, in the context of the farewell show, sounds like the moving swan song of Lynott and the entire band.
But the moment that made "Life" a rare and unique historical document in the annals of rock occurs on the fourth and final side of the album. For the farewell shows in London, Phil Lynott invited the legendary guitarists of the past who shaped the sound of "Thin Lizzy" throughout the 1970s to the stage to celebrate the band's legacy together.
First, the wild Scottish guitarist Brian Robertson (from the golden era of the albums "Jailbreak" and "Johnny the Fox" ) takes the stage for an electrifying joint performance of the Celtic folk-rock anthem "Emerald". Immediately after him, the Irish blues-rock legend Gary Moore takes his place, who, together with Lynott, Gorham and Sykes, leads a virtuoso and dizzying performance of the masterpiece "Black Rose" , and continues with the soul-rending ballad "Still in Love With You" (which here lasts for nine minutes of bare emotions and masterful solos).
The peak of the peaks comes on the album's closing track - "The Rocker" (from the 1973 album "Vagabonds of the Western World"). In a rare moment of unparalleled musical camaraderie, original guitarist and band founder Eric Bell also joins the stage. Along with John Sykes, Scott Gorham, Gary Moore and Brian Robertson, five leading guitarists (eight players on stage in total!) stand on one stage for a massive, loud and exciting farewell jam in which each of them gets a turn to bomb their own solo.
Just two years after the album's release, on January 4, 1986, Phil Lynott passed away at the age of 36, leaving a huge void in the music world. This tragic fact made "Life / Live" much more than just another live album - it is the official and glorious finale of one of the most beloved, original and influential bands in classic rock and heavy metal, and a living and breathing testament to the Irish genius who knew how to combine the toughness of the street with the soul of a poet.
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