Thin Lizzy Bad Reputation CD - Import

Digitally remastered reissue of the legendary Irish rock group's 1977 album. Features the original cover art & all nineof the original cuts, including the hits 'Bad Reputation' and 'Dancing In The Moonlight'. 1996 release.

Thin Lizzy: Phil Lynott (vocals, bass); Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham (guitar); Brian Downey (drums).
If Thin Lizzy got a bit too grand and florid on Johnny the Fox, they quickly corrected themselves on its 1977 follow-up, Bad Reputation. Teaming up with the legendary producer Tony Visconti, Thin Lizzy managed to pull of a nifty trick of sounding leaner, tougher than they did on Johnny, yet they also had a broader sonic palette. Much of this is due, of course, to Visconti, who always had a flair for subtle dramatics that never called attention to themselves and he puts this to use in dramatic effect here, to the extent that Lizzy sounds stripped down to their bare bones, even when they have horns pushing them forward on "Dancing in the Moonlight" or when overdubbed vocals pile up on the title track. Of course, they were stripped down to a trio on this record, lacking guitarist Brian Robertson, but Scott Gorham's double duty makes his absence unnoticeable. Plus, this is pure visceral rock & roll, the hardest and heaviest that Thin Lizzy ever made, living up to the promise of the title track. And, as always, a lot of this has to do with Phil Lynott's writing, which is in top form whether he's romanticizing "Soldiers of Fortune" or heading down the "Opium Trail." It adds up to an album that rivals Jailbreak as their best studio album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Irish rock outfit Thin Lizzy gained worldwide status with its summer anthem, "The Boys Are Back in Town," a Springsteen pastiche of summer nights, male bonding, and the occasional fist fight or two. Although the band never released another single that equaled its impact, Thin Lizzy was enjoying both a commercial as well as creative peak during the mid- to late '70s. BAD REPUTATION is arguably the band's last "great" album. The radio-ready single, "Dancing in the Moonlight" is nearly as winning as the aforementioned "Boys" and the pumping title track is a classic Thin Lizzy mixture of twin guitars, bravado, and a dash of menace. Although singer Phil Lynott had a habit of crossing over into overblown machismo, more often than not the soulful tear in his voice along with the band's signature twin melodic guitar lines elevated the material beyond mere lunkhead chest pounding.