The vocal style is very conversational, and extremely effective. Every time I hear the line, "Man, we just fell about the place" I can't help but smile, and fell like I'm in on an inside joke, like me and Phil are being nostalgic. Because of the nostalgia element this song also ages really well.
A wonderful voice. I love how wistfully and full of emotion he gives to this performance. Esp. when he sings, "the nights are getting longer, it won't be long..." Also love the song itself how it rocks, but still haz this jazzy influence. That blew me away first time I heard it....
It was the first and only time i shed tears when a rockstar died. That really hit me somehow. Phil was such a heartfelt good guy. Chinatown is one of my all time top 10 favorite albums. Of course i´d die for the song Cold Sweat too. Thats a grenade.
I had the honor and privilege of meeting and spending an afternoon with Phil‘s mother, Philomena. She was such a sweet and very funny lady. She was very proud of her boy and with good reason. Although he had a troubled life and drugs eventually took that life, he did seem to be a very warm human being.
His performance in The War Of The Worlds as Parson Nathaniel is so powerful. It's hard to pick favourites from that album, but The Spirit of Man is such a slam. The juxtaposition of Lynott against Julie Covington's sweet tones plays so well as a depcition of their two different mindsets. Her desperation for hope, and his conviciton that the world is over. So god damn good. His voice was unmatchable.
Agree! The Spirit of Man was actually how I got into Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy. Of course Iʻd heard Boys Are Back In Town a lot and thought it was great, but never looked them up before Spirit Of Man. He is a ROCKSTAR parson. I was like is it just me or does this parson sound really hot? His is my favorite classic rock voice - deep with HEAVY stye. All style. He made everything sound SO cool (and sexy), like rock is meant to sound. Loved this video, Ken!
Thin Lizzy is so underated. Blues, rock, jazz, hard rock mixed with the dual harmonic guitars. A unique sound. And to top it off Phil Lynott talent and charisma.
Great story telling on this vocal. Carries the song easily. Phil delivers top notch atmosphere combined with melody. Legend! Awesome video Ken. Gotta get to your studio.
Phil Lynott. Now we're talking. Always have a genuine, and I believe, underrated voice. The 70's was a great decade for music of every genre. I think you nailed it Ken-original. Those days of natural talent are gone by the wayside of samples & effects
In 1977 I snuck out of my house me and my buddies went to see our first big rock concert . It was Thin Lizzy opening for Queen . I know Phil wasn't the best singer or bass player but he was one of the coolest in the business to swagger on a stage and a great song writer . I play bass because of him and my favorite to this day is my black P bass with a mirrored pick guard . I named her Philomena years ago . I love how he would go to second hand shops and thrift stores to buy women's blouses ....pure genius .
Phil kind of reminded me of Springsteen, to my ear at least. OK I'm going to date myself here and post that I first heard Thin Lizzy back in 1974 on a dusk til dawn deep cut FM station in Chicago that were playing cuts of their then new album Nightlife. I thought they were really good and brought the album that week and the title track turned out to be a Willie Nelson song and Lizzy did such an awesome job covering it. Might want to look it up here sometime. Thin Lizzy had more great music than The Boys. They became very underrated and overlooked, particularly when Phil recruited John Sykes for Thunder And Lightning. Renegade was a really good one too with Snowy White on guitar. Their catalog is definitely worth checking out here on TH-cam.
Singers like Phil Lynott are what I consider "vocal stylists". He's not a guy I would call to sing a toilet paper commercial or to fill a slot as a hired gun but he's the perfect fit for Thin Lizzy.
One and Only, Philip Paris Lynnot )) Thanx Ken, for your labour and knowledge, experiences , which your delivered years and years,to us ! Bravo Ken , Maestro!
Phil Lynott was referred by one producer as the Sinatra of rock. He often had more in common with the american crooners than his rock and roll friends. With two poetry-books published, he was a true poet. So your point on him being a phrase-singer is on the money. He was totally unique and so was Thin Lizzy.
I'm 44 and learning a ton today: I didn't know that Lizzy was led by a black Irishman! Or the tragic ending of that, or that the lead singer and bassist from Mastodon - one of my favorite metal bands - is now somehow their bassist. Thanks Ken!
Lizzy is life. Thank you for this. Post script. Knopfler filled in with Lizzy at times (not really in studio but live and jam sessions), aside from just collaborating, like in "King's Call". It was his mom's bar he sort of grew up in, but this song was also about his fasciation with the US.
I am the same guy who left a comment a day or two ago....I tend not to do this at all....I love Phil and I get motivated when I seen him on your channel and comparing....
Dude! These are straight up the best of the best. Can't get enough. This is the milk and honey of my hey day. Keep them coming!! Love anything you can bring. Props L.A. Rockers
Thin Lizz y What a great band … thx for this one Ken .. Vocals and music the blend of these things are very interesting even if the vocals aren’t great it can still be great in a tune that fits the artists who created it … I’ve noticed this since I’ve been watching your show .. thx bro Have a good one ☝️
Hey Ken , I had the privilege of seeing thin Lizzy live at the tower theatre, I know Scott Gorham was there , but I think Gary Moore was filling Brian Robertson spot , it has to be Gary , he was jumping all over the stage lots of energy , they opened up with bad reputation from what I recall , I already was a big fan had bad reputation and johnny the fox , there live album and black rose 🌹 a rock legend . One of my favorite bass players and singer and poet . So many great songs Sara , sweet Marie ,johnny the fox , dancing in the moonlight , Rosalie , and all the heavy rock songs .
I love Thin Lizzy! I have been listening to them more lately. Phil had a very unique voice and I like that you can hear his Irish accent when he sang. So sad that he died so young. ❤😪
That "bar" was actually Phils' mother's (Philomena Lynott) own hotel, Clifton Grange Hotel in Manchester, in which many bands checked in on their tours, in the sixties.
The thing about Thin Lizzy is that sound was unique and Phil, you cannot mistake his voice for anyone else. He wrote great lyrics, little slices of life and he was just really cool. I mean, he inspired me to play bass. The best bass playing front man I ever seen. I am going to Dublin next week, finally and main thing is to pay my respects to Phil. He actually collaborated with Mark Knopfler...songs like Kings Call, about how he felt when Elvis died) and Ode to Liberty. Check it out. So many different unique voices from the past that probably wouldnt get a look at these days. Bring back the days of no auto tune on stage, that separates the wheat from the chaff 😂
Wow, you took it WAY back with the Golden Bear! I'm born and raised in Huntington Beach 😁 Still a special city but I miss the true sleepy beach town days. Great vocal analysis as always, by the way. Thank you!
Phil Lynott is one of my favorite singers -- and bass players -- of all time, really inspired my own bass playing. He's always been one of my favorite frontmen in rock music. He was a masterful lyricist and storyteller -- I have heard him referred to as the Irish Bruce Springsteen. The Scott Gorham-Brian Robertson guitar duo was my favorite era of the band, but Gary Moore was brilliant, as well (he's on Black Rose)...
I learned so much from Ken. I totally agree that the variety of singing got lost somehow. Maybe because it's so easy to be "perfect" nowadays, which is, however NOT perfect at the end of the day and just exchangeable. However I'm pretty sure, that there will always be room for someone who just sings with emotions. This is part of what is called "humanity" 😉.
🎵Not sure if I'd refer to that as singing. However, It's a great jam, his unique voice & lyrics. I mean "steamin" & "fell about the place" gotta dig that. Kinda makes me think of Nazareth Love Hurts, Expect No Mercy, & of course Hair Of The Dog. Thanks Ken for the gift of Phil Lynott🎸today! Sadly he was only 35 when he passed but he sure left a vocal footprint.🎶
There was no Thin Lizzy after Phil Lynott died. There was some Thin Lizzy tribute bands with some former members, but without Phil it wasn't Thin Lizzy.
Rainbow had a very unique vocalist....I dint remember cause I was in Jr. High and grade school when theybwere making music but I remeber his voice to this day. It was beautiful.
Phil wanted Thin Lizzy to be remembered to be known as being a GREAT TWIN GUITAR band. What Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson had together was a perfect formula. I hope I'm wrong but you will not see the talents ever again of what the 1960's and 70's gave us😢😢😢. The crap that kids listen to today ...???... The money some of them are making and the $$upport from fans......Taylor Swift???? Justin Beber😅😅😅😮😮😮 We as kids had a LOYALITY unmeasured. The energy!!! 'There's no real way of explaining, the intensification or the situation of your favorite ROCK N ROLL songs...it transcends human physical capabilities....the adrenaline is like hot molten lava cruising through the veins...and with this kind of inspiration, makes you capable of all kinds of astounding mental, physical, and beyondo exhilarated events'!!!.... That was a modified quote from Ted Nugent when he was asked what was it like for him when he was on stage😊❤😊
I just fell in love with Thin Lizzy in the early aught's- I hadn't heard much past the regular radio songs but picked up a greatest hits and then went album by album. I feel like they are unique band, mostly because of their feel which I think comes back to his playing bass and singing. I have always wondered without proof that perhaps Prince was influenced by Phil Lynott, both musically and in terms of performance. Johnny the Fox and Bad Reputation are two very underappreciated albums
I love this stuff, very cohesive different styles in one band. With a soul singer. The drummer is a jazz swing style drummer as many drummers were of this time die to parent’s influences. Ian Paice is also. Made 70s music unique. If that chick don’t want to know forget her as we fell about the place. Check out Phil’s brilliant first solo album.
I love Thin Lizzy and had the pleasure of meeting Philomena Lynott. Another Irish band that i personally love who i think is underrated and not very well recognised is Aslan. Id love to know what you make of them. They are really big here, every Irish person knows them. They never forgot their roots and still play local venues as well as stadiums. The best atmosphere is at their gigs.
As soon as you mentioned Lynott being a "phrase singer" in which a line is followed by a guitar lick, I immediately thought of "Sultans." So when you mentioned it, I was stoked! The bands I thought had original sounds were groups like Steely Dan (jazz-infused pop-rock), the Ramones (speed punk), ELO (orchestrated pop), and the Rainmakers (folky-new wave). But my favorite, and the one that had the most unique sound, brilliant instrumentation, and intricate time changes, is Rush!
You really take me back to my youth and I love it. ❤️. Listening to Tony Harnell, TNT Northern Lights. Don't know if you've done anything on Tony, but it'd be 'a lot cooler' if you would. 😉
I love Thin Lizzy Phil was such a talented bass player as well and he had John Sykes for a while I love Sykes without his riffs and licks there would be no White Snake David is a great singer but Is this love still of the night and here I go again just some examples of what his music brought to the band!!
In the beginning Eric Bell was the guitarist and at one gig he simply "had it" and just walked away. Then for a very brief period came Gary Moore who unofficially contributed as a songwriter on a song called Still in love with you although he got cred for playing the guitar on it. The reason he didn't get any cred as co-writer was his first abrupt departure from the band. Phil found Scottish guitarist Brian Robertson and an American guitarist looking for a job Scott Gorham. On this track Boys are back in town it's the classic Lizzy line-up with Phil, Brian Downey, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham. Brian Robertson left only to do a short comeback. During his absence Gary returned only to leave again. Well Gary Moore actually returned for a third stint with Thin Lizzy and did some songwriting along with Phil on the 1979 album Black Rose. Then in the middle of the tour following the album Gary dropped off for the third time! This made Phil hire Midge Ure just to fulfill the tour. In the early '80s there was this more blues oriented player along with Scott Gorham called Snowy White. John Sykes joined sometime 1982/83 and played on their last studio album and the following tour.
Ken, In my Duo, we pay homage to all of these greats. IMO, Really unique Rock Bands (not in any particular order): Jethro Tull, Saga, Kansas, Yes, Led Zeppelin, System of a Down, Budgie, Queen, The Moody Blues, Traffic, Chicago, Steely Dan, Mr.Mister, Concrete Blonde, Marillion, Procol Harum, Duran Duran, and I'm certain I'm missing some others, lol!!
Great song, awesome vibes,, good times, right Ken? Didn't know he was from Ireland, hmm! I agree with your overall analysis, though. I'd like to see you do a video on Boston! Perhaps, Bad Company! If you haven't already! Thanks & God bless you man! Peace out, everyone! 🤟😎🌍
Phil lynnot and thin lizzy was extremely versatile and could play so many different genres hard rock like "thunder and lightning" pure pop like the hymn to his daughter "Sara" Celtic rock on emerald and so much more think that's one of the reasons that they never got big in the US they where just to hard to put on a particular shelf
One thing you also note is that Phil had his finger on the pulse of music at the time. He could tell which direction music was going, but still not sell out when experimenting. For instance especially with hard rock heavy metal, he was able to take the Allman Brothers twin guitar sound and give it a harder edge with possible stability. Also, he was well into the punk subculture before it had come to America and exploded for a second time. Which is why so many attribute thin Lizzy with one of the better crossover bands, like motorhead. You ask any punk rocker at that time what heavy metal they might have listened to, or at least admitted to publicly, and they would say Motorhead and thin Lizzy. Also, Phil always experimented by asking people just to simply jam with him. When he was doing stuff with Johnny thunders, by this time he had already been experimenting with evis Costello's attractions, as well as the sex pistols. Phil was kind of the guy that everybody wanted to hang around with. Yeah, he would get criticized simply because of the redundancy in his lyrics, and also sometimes how cheesy they could be. So what. For everyone sort of cheesy song that was so so at best, there were three more that just kicked ass. Towards the end of his career, when he was trying to get back with the new wave of British heavy metal, as well as trying to dive into the glam metal scene that was emerging, he also tried experimenting with synth music. His song yellow Pearl was the theme song for top of the pops in England for well over 30 years. Also, since he was pals with Huey lewis, he was really trying to catch that Huey Lewis fever with their sports album, by having Huey co-wright and produce a few demos. Unfortunately,, they're pretty redundant and nothing spectacular. They're simply for completus only like myself. Had thin Lizzy released their album thunder and lightning say 2 years later, they might have stayed afloat. But Phil's habits, as well as Scott gorham's recovery, was taking its toll. But ultimately, still knew what was going on before it was going on if that makes any sense. He was also entering a period of time where he was getting very angry about what he perceived as racism in the music industry, and its impact on thin Lizzy's failure to break through the market after jailbreak in the United States. While some of that was definitely true, a lot of it did have to do with their drug habits as well as timing. Contracting hepatitis in America as well as other incidents did not help the band by any means. Bill did try to start another all black band in New Orleans, and he was entering an angry. After he had decided not to experiment anymore with punk rock. The music there was good, but he was trying to reach for something culturally I don't think he was familiar with it the time. I'm not saying he didn't know what it was like to be black. I just don't think he knew what it was like to be black and living in america. Well he definitely dealt with racism throughout his existence, Ireland's racism was either very blunt, or extremely extremely subdued, almost like what they call microaggressions nowadays. However, as an irishman, feel embraced his culture above everything. A lot of people from Ireland will tell you that when you talk to him that I'm not black or white. I'm Irish. And that made a lot of sense to be honest. The Irish have a sense of humor that at times will be used as ways to deal with things like racism and oppression. And phil, being the poet and linguist he was, definitely use that as a way to communicate as well as cope with the hardships of his life I love family. As much as you do them. It sounds really stupid, but they are as important to me as AC/DC, Billy joel, and FEAR, alongside Darius other musicians and bands that shaped my childhood. I felt I understood thin Lizzy because of its Irish history that was explained in so many of their songs, as well as explain to me by my grandfather and relatives as well. Thank you for covering this. I apologize if this seems a little off in regards to grammar, sentence structure, and whatnot. Indicating this into my phone as I am walking, so I know I might not have been able to convey everything I wanted. But I'm sure you got pretty much everything I was trying to say
Awesome song!!! Jailbreak too!!! Let's see, here's a few unique sounding bands I think don't get enough attention: The Talking Heads, ZZ Top, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, Rush....
Don’t forget Brian Robertson! He was 17 years old only when in this band unique yes, and Robbo wrote this WITH Phil . My baby dad Robbo, such a gifted guitarist and yes he was in this band before the great Gary Moore. Our dear son Logan Robertson never followed his mum & dad into music, but is a gifted Maths genius ( using the same part of the brain as music I’m told!) Logan achieved BSc Maths (Hons) MSc Statistics ( financial Statistics) so took that career path, when I was a vocalist ( Hungry Waters) on You Tube, I met Robbo and then Robbo went on to join Motorhead The great Frankie Miller amongst many many others. Such a gifted guitarist but can also play drums piano too. Thin Lizzy was such a unique band yes, and even to today those songs hold up, Robbo not mentioned here Ken but you have to give the teenage Robbo his dues 17 when he jointly wrote Boys Are Back! With backing vocals added to the list, it really was an original band in so many ways! 💜💜💜
His mother worked in a bar , it was in Manchester, they were Manchester mafia the ones he sang about. , Jimmy the weed meets Jonny the fox. , lol. I’d the pleasure of sharing an Irish tv show with her , she was a beautiful woman , like royalty only better. Dinos bar n grill and other bars that Gary Moore drank in and got a pint glass in his face hence his scares. , tuff places, had the pleasure of telling his mother thank you so much for Phil as he was massive influence on all our uk lives. I didn’t no his middle name was Paris and born in 49. Like it says in Parisian walk ways by him and Gary Moore, Gary being from my part of the world, Belfast Northern Ireland,
The comparisons to Springsteen are apt, especially on songs like "Wild One" or "Southbound", it's less about vocalese perfection and technique and more about telling the story. And of course, the dual-guitar tandems were legendary and possibly the most underrated drummer of his era, Brian Downey.
Hearing the rasp of his vocals etc, I can't but help think of Phil's turn as the Preacher on Jeff Wayne's _War of the Worlds_ musical adaptation. As far as being unique, every singer back then seemed to have a unique voice and you didn't even need to know the song to know it was them. You could tell if a song was sung by Phil Collins, or Sting, or Don Henley, or Elton, or Peter Cetera. Nowadays, singers all sound the same to me....
I love Thin Lizzy!!! Scott Gorham 🎼🎸🔥 Phill Lynott 🎤🎼 vocals have such a cool vibe!!! Gary Moore had a great chemistry with Lynott, but couldn’t take the environment the band was in at the time… If memory services me right John Sykes also did a temporary lead vocals besides guitar during his time in Lizzy before joining Coverdale’s “Whitesnake”… But the impression I got Sykes was always after a solo career….
Ken, I don’t think you’ve done an analysis of The Cars yet, speaking of uniqueness. Would love to hear your take on one of their songs and the vocals of Ben Orr and/or Ocasek. Thanks for the entertaining vids man!
Ok, you asked for it, so I'll say it again. I'm a major WHEATHEAD, so I'd love to hear some deep cuts from Kansas. Like: Song for America, Lamplight Symphony, Incomudro, Icarus, The Pinnacle (!), The Wall (!), Miracles out of Nowhere(!), Hopelessly Human (!). Kerry Livgren truly is The Maestro and a fine Christian man. Kansas, please!!
At one point Midge Ure was a member of Thin Lizzy - playing guitar and keyboards. Midge Ure is, obviously, the member of Ultravox (Ken, you should do Vienna review), and co-author of Do They Know It's Christmas (Band Aid Ethiopia relief song).
I just love the voice of Phil Lynott. He was truly one of a kind.
The vocal style is very conversational, and extremely effective. Every time I hear the line, "Man, we just fell about the place" I can't help but smile, and fell like I'm in on an inside joke, like me and Phil are being nostalgic. Because of the nostalgia element this song also ages really well.
I love that song. Every time it comes on the radio, I turn it up.
I love his voice and phrasing! THE BEST!
A wonderful voice. I love how wistfully and full of emotion he gives to this performance. Esp. when he sings, "the nights are getting longer, it won't be long..."
Also love the song itself how it rocks, but still haz this jazzy influence. That blew me away first time I heard it....
It was the first and only time i shed tears when a rockstar died. That really hit me somehow. Phil was such a heartfelt good guy. Chinatown is one of my all time top 10 favorite albums. Of course i´d die for the song Cold Sweat too. Thats a grenade.
I had the honor and privilege of meeting and spending an afternoon with Phil‘s mother, Philomena. She was such a sweet and very funny lady. She was very proud of her boy and with good reason. Although he had a troubled life and drugs eventually took that life, he did seem to be a very warm human being.
What an awesome song! Thin Lizzy opened a lot of doors for other Irish rock bands like U2, the Cranberries, and the Script.
one off the best bands live you will ever hear
His performance in The War Of The Worlds as Parson Nathaniel is so powerful. It's hard to pick favourites from that album, but The Spirit of Man is such a slam. The juxtaposition of Lynott against Julie Covington's sweet tones plays so well as a depcition of their two different mindsets. Her desperation for hope, and his conviciton that the world is over. So god damn good.
His voice was unmatchable.
Agree! The Spirit of Man was actually how I got into Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy. Of course Iʻd heard Boys Are Back In Town a lot and thought it was great, but never looked them up before Spirit Of Man. He is a ROCKSTAR parson. I was like is it just me or does this parson sound really hot? His is my favorite classic rock voice - deep with HEAVY stye. All style. He made everything sound SO cool (and sexy), like rock is meant to sound.
Loved this video, Ken!
Thin Lizzy is so underated. Blues, rock, jazz, hard rock mixed with the dual harmonic guitars. A unique sound. And to top it off Phil Lynott talent and charisma.
When I was a kid Thin Lizzy was on the radio as much as The Doors and yes Led Zeppelin. Gotta love Detoit radio. I'm so happy you featured them Ken
Phil really did have it all... he could sing, play, write. I think the definitive Phil Lynott song is "Southbound". It showcases his talent so well.
One of the most unique Rock Bands of all time. Phil Lynnot has this kind of voice, where you ultimately start listening to.
Fantastic appraisal of the one and only Phil thank you 💜
Another amazing band from the era ~ Steve Harley/Cockney Rebel 😊
Thin Lizzy is my favorite all time band! Awesome video!
Great story telling on this vocal. Carries the song easily. Phil delivers top notch atmosphere combined with melody. Legend! Awesome video Ken. Gotta get to your studio.
You nailed it Ken! The bands of the 60's, 70's, and 80's were unique! They all had their own style!
Phil Lynott. Now we're talking. Always have a genuine, and I believe, underrated voice. The 70's was a great decade for music of every genre. I think you nailed it Ken-original. Those days of natural talent are gone by the wayside of samples & effects
In 1977 I snuck out of my house me and my buddies went to see our first big rock concert . It was Thin Lizzy opening for Queen . I know Phil wasn't the best singer or bass player but he was one of the coolest in the business to swagger on a stage and a great song writer . I play bass because of him and my favorite to this day is my black P bass with a mirrored pick guard . I named her Philomena years ago . I love how he would go to second hand shops and thrift stores to buy women's blouses ....pure genius .
Phil kind of reminded me of Springsteen, to my ear at least. OK I'm going to date myself here and post that I first heard Thin Lizzy back in 1974 on a dusk til dawn deep cut FM station in Chicago that were playing cuts of their then new album Nightlife. I thought they were really good and brought the album that week and the title track turned out to be a Willie Nelson song and Lizzy did such an awesome job covering it. Might want to look it up here sometime. Thin Lizzy had more great music than The Boys. They became very underrated and overlooked, particularly when Phil recruited John Sykes for Thunder And Lightning. Renegade was a really good one too with Snowy White on guitar. Their catalog is definitely worth checking out here on TH-cam.
Singers like Phil Lynott are what I consider "vocal stylists". He's not a guy I would call to sing a toilet paper commercial or to fill a slot as a hired gun but he's the perfect fit for Thin Lizzy.
Well stated! And I wholeheartedly agree.
One and Only, Philip Paris Lynnot )) Thanx Ken, for your labour and knowledge, experiences , which your delivered years and years,to us ! Bravo Ken , Maestro!
Phil Lynott was referred by one producer as the Sinatra of rock. He often had more in common with the american crooners than his rock and roll friends. With two poetry-books published, he was a true poet. So your point on him being a phrase-singer is on the money. He was totally unique and so was Thin Lizzy.
I can't think of a better band they really brought it live. Thanks Ken
Thank you Ken 😎
The one and only Phil Lynott🥇
Pure class/BRILLIANT
Such a great song from Thin lizzy story telling with awesome band to boot,
I'm 44 and learning a ton today: I didn't know that Lizzy was led by a black Irishman! Or the tragic ending of that, or that the lead singer and bassist from Mastodon - one of my favorite metal bands - is now somehow their bassist. Thanks Ken!
I Saw THIN LIZZY about 6 times first time 1974 great live band!!!
Lizzy is life. Thank you for this. Post script. Knopfler filled in with Lizzy at times (not really in studio but live and jam sessions), aside from just collaborating, like in "King's Call".
It was his mom's bar he sort of grew up in, but this song was also about his fasciation with the US.
Ken. You're fantastic.
I am the same guy who left a comment a day or two ago....I tend not to do this at all....I love Phil and I get motivated when I seen him on your channel and comparing....
Phil was a poet - He was beyond just a singer.
Dude! These are straight up the best of the best. Can't get enough. This is the milk and honey of my hey day. Keep them coming!!
Love anything you can bring. Props
L.A. Rockers
Phil Lynott so underrated and Thin Lizzy a band that deserves its due. 👍🤘
Thin Lizz y What a great band … thx for this one Ken ..
Vocals and music the blend of these things are very interesting even if the vocals aren’t great it can still be great in a tune that fits the artists who created it … I’ve noticed this since I’ve been watching your show .. thx bro
Have a good one ☝️
Hey Ken , I had the privilege of seeing thin Lizzy live at the tower theatre, I know Scott Gorham was there , but I think Gary Moore was filling Brian Robertson spot , it has to be Gary , he was jumping all over the stage lots of energy , they opened up with bad reputation from what I recall , I already was a big fan had bad reputation and johnny the fox , there live album and black rose 🌹 a rock legend . One of my favorite bass players and singer and poet . So many great songs Sara , sweet Marie ,johnny the fox , dancing in the moonlight , Rosalie , and all the heavy rock songs .
I love Thin Lizzy! I have been listening to them more lately. Phil had a very unique voice and I like that you can hear his Irish accent when he sang. So sad that he died so young. ❤😪
That "bar" was actually Phils' mother's (Philomena Lynott) own hotel, Clifton Grange Hotel in Manchester, in which many bands checked in on their tours, in the sixties.
Correct...And the "boys" were The Quality Street Gang, Jimmy Donnelly et al...(my brother was one of them) Jimmy took me to my first Lizzy gig.
I got into Thin Lizzy due to the guitars. It took me a while to appreciate Phil. "You're gonna die young..if you go into Chinatown..."
Great song it brings me back to the days of my youth thanks Ken
The thing about Thin Lizzy is that sound was unique and Phil, you cannot mistake his voice for anyone else. He wrote great lyrics, little slices of life and he was just really cool. I mean, he inspired me to play bass. The best bass playing front man I ever seen. I am going to Dublin next week, finally and main thing is to pay my respects to Phil. He actually collaborated with Mark Knopfler...songs like Kings Call, about how he felt when Elvis died) and Ode to Liberty. Check it out. So many different unique voices from the past that probably wouldnt get a look at these days. Bring back the days of no auto tune on stage, that separates the wheat from the chaff 😂
Solo In Soho. 😊
I read that he preferred his name to be pronounced Lie nott. Thanks for the vid!
Wow, you took it WAY back with the Golden Bear! I'm born and raised in Huntington Beach 😁 Still a special city but I miss the true sleepy beach town days. Great vocal analysis as always, by the way. Thank you!
Phil Lynott is one of my favorite singers -- and bass players -- of all time, really inspired my own bass playing. He's always been one of my favorite frontmen in rock music. He was a masterful lyricist and storyteller -- I have heard him referred to as the Irish Bruce Springsteen. The Scott Gorham-Brian Robertson guitar duo was my favorite era of the band, but Gary Moore was brilliant, as well (he's on Black Rose)...
Thin lizzy is one of my favourite bands! Such a unique singer!
Always loved lizzy and played it in numerous bands, for longest i thought they were a band out of Brooklyn lol!
At gym... but as soon I get back home... Love Phil's voice and Lizzy's music.
I learned so much from Ken.
I totally agree that the variety of singing got lost somehow. Maybe because it's so easy to be "perfect" nowadays, which is, however NOT perfect at the end of the day and just exchangeable.
However I'm pretty sure, that there will always be room for someone who just sings with emotions. This is part of what is called "humanity" 😉.
God I love this song so much
Sounds great to me. A winning formula
🎵Not sure if I'd refer to that as singing. However, It's a great jam, his unique voice & lyrics. I mean "steamin" & "fell about the place" gotta dig that. Kinda makes me think of Nazareth Love Hurts, Expect No Mercy, & of course Hair Of The Dog. Thanks Ken for the gift of Phil Lynott🎸today! Sadly he was only 35 when he passed but he sure left a vocal footprint.🎶
There was no Thin Lizzy after Phil Lynott died. There was some Thin Lizzy tribute bands with some former members, but without Phil it wasn't Thin Lizzy.
Rainbow had a very unique vocalist....I dint remember cause I was in Jr. High and grade school when theybwere making music but I remeber his voice to this day. It was beautiful.
Heck ya I remember the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach! I saw my buddy Lanny Cordola play there in 1983 in his band Mondo Cane!
Phil wanted Thin Lizzy to be remembered to be known as being a GREAT TWIN GUITAR band. What Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson had together was a perfect formula.
I hope I'm wrong but you will not see the talents ever again of what the 1960's and 70's gave us😢😢😢. The crap that kids listen to today
...???... The money some of them are making and the $$upport from fans......Taylor Swift???? Justin Beber😅😅😅😮😮😮
We as kids had a LOYALITY unmeasured. The energy!!!
'There's no real way of explaining, the intensification or the situation of your favorite ROCK N ROLL songs...it transcends human physical capabilities....the adrenaline is like hot molten lava cruising through the veins...and with this kind of inspiration, makes you capable of all kinds of astounding mental, physical, and beyondo exhilarated events'!!!.... That was a modified quote from Ted Nugent when he was asked what was it like for him when he was on stage😊❤😊
I just fell in love with Thin Lizzy in the early aught's- I hadn't heard much past the regular radio songs but picked up a greatest hits and then went album by album. I feel like they are unique band, mostly because of their feel which I think comes back to his playing bass and singing. I have always wondered without proof that perhaps Prince was influenced by Phil Lynott, both musically and in terms of performance. Johnny the Fox and Bad Reputation are two very underappreciated albums
I think so, did he not style brown mark in the vein of phil.
Thanks for doing this!
Listening to Phil taught me how to sing
I love this stuff, very cohesive different styles in one band. With a soul singer. The drummer is a jazz swing style drummer as many drummers were of this time die to parent’s influences. Ian Paice is also. Made 70s music unique. If that chick don’t want to know forget her as we fell about the place. Check out Phil’s brilliant first solo album.
Love THIN LIZZY. Phil was awesome. U should do Boston, A man ill never be
Jazzy guitar chords, for sure. Fun to play at every gig.
I'm a huge Thin lizzy fan.
I love Thin Lizzy and had the pleasure of meeting Philomena Lynott. Another Irish band that i personally love who i think is underrated and not very well recognised is Aslan. Id love to know what you make of them. They are really big here, every Irish person knows them. They never forgot their roots and still play local venues as well as stadiums. The best atmosphere is at their gigs.
As soon as you mentioned Lynott being a "phrase singer" in which a line is followed by a guitar lick, I immediately thought of "Sultans." So when you mentioned it, I was stoked!
The bands I thought had original sounds were groups like Steely Dan (jazz-infused pop-rock), the Ramones (speed punk), ELO (orchestrated pop), and the Rainmakers (folky-new wave). But my favorite, and the one that had the most unique sound, brilliant instrumentation, and intricate time changes, is Rush!
Hey Ken! Another great vid! Thanks!😎
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@kentamplin 😎
You really take me back to my youth and I love it. ❤️. Listening to Tony Harnell, TNT Northern Lights. Don't know if you've done anything on Tony, but it'd be 'a lot cooler' if you would. 😉
I love Thin Lizzy Phil was such a talented bass player as well and he had John Sykes for a while I love Sykes without his riffs and licks there would be no White Snake David is a great singer but Is this love still of the night and here I go again just some examples of what his music brought to the band!!
Thanks Ken but never heard of them before
He has a lot of attitude in his voice, the way he pronounces and the raspines,, like when he says "downtown"... is just to cool
Love this song
In the beginning Eric Bell was the guitarist and at one gig he simply "had it" and just walked away. Then for a very brief period came Gary Moore who unofficially contributed as a songwriter on a song called Still in love with you although he got cred for playing the guitar on it. The reason he didn't get any cred as co-writer was his first abrupt departure from the band. Phil found Scottish guitarist Brian Robertson and an American guitarist looking for a job Scott Gorham. On this track Boys are back in town it's the classic Lizzy line-up with Phil, Brian Downey, Brian Robertson and Scott Gorham. Brian Robertson left only to do a short comeback. During his absence Gary returned only to leave again. Well Gary Moore actually returned for a third stint with Thin Lizzy and did some songwriting along with Phil on the 1979 album Black Rose. Then in the middle of the tour following the album Gary dropped off for the third time! This made Phil hire Midge Ure just to fulfill the tour. In the early '80s there was this more blues oriented player along with Scott Gorham called Snowy White. John Sykes joined sometime 1982/83 and played on their last studio album and the following tour.
You forgot Bon Jovi covered "The Boys are Back in Town"!
Awesome video as always, Ken!!
Ken, In my Duo, we pay homage to all of these greats. IMO, Really unique Rock Bands (not in any particular order): Jethro Tull, Saga, Kansas, Yes, Led Zeppelin, System of a Down, Budgie, Queen, The Moody Blues, Traffic, Chicago, Steely Dan, Mr.Mister, Concrete Blonde, Marillion, Procol Harum, Duran Duran, and I'm certain I'm missing some others, lol!!
Great song, awesome vibes,, good times, right Ken? Didn't know he was from Ireland, hmm! I agree with your overall analysis, though. I'd like to see you do a video on Boston! Perhaps, Bad Company! If you haven't already! Thanks & God bless you man! Peace out, everyone! 🤟😎🌍
Phil lynnot and thin lizzy was extremely versatile and could play so many different genres hard rock like "thunder and lightning" pure pop like the hymn to his daughter "Sara" Celtic rock on emerald and so much more think that's one of the reasons that they never got big in the US they where just to hard to put on a particular shelf
One thing you also note is that Phil had his finger on the pulse of music at the time. He could tell which direction music was going, but still not sell out when experimenting. For instance especially with hard rock heavy metal, he was able to take the Allman Brothers twin guitar sound and give it a harder edge with possible stability. Also, he was well into the punk subculture before it had come to America and exploded for a second time. Which is why so many attribute thin Lizzy with one of the better crossover bands, like motorhead. You ask any punk rocker at that time what heavy metal they might have listened to, or at least admitted to publicly, and they would say Motorhead and thin Lizzy. Also, Phil always experimented by asking people just to simply jam with him. When he was doing stuff with Johnny thunders, by this time he had already been experimenting with evis Costello's attractions, as well as the sex pistols. Phil was kind of the guy that everybody wanted to hang around with. Yeah, he would get criticized simply because of the redundancy in his lyrics, and also sometimes how cheesy they could be. So what. For everyone sort of cheesy song that was so so at best, there were three more that just kicked ass.
Towards the end of his career, when he was trying to get back with the new wave of British heavy metal, as well as trying to dive into the glam metal scene that was emerging, he also tried experimenting with synth music. His song yellow Pearl was the theme song for top of the pops in England for well over 30 years. Also, since he was pals with Huey lewis, he was really trying to catch that Huey Lewis fever with their sports album, by having Huey co-wright and produce a few demos. Unfortunately,, they're pretty redundant and nothing spectacular. They're simply for completus only like myself.
Had thin Lizzy released their album thunder and lightning say 2 years later, they might have stayed afloat. But Phil's habits, as well as Scott gorham's recovery, was taking its toll. But ultimately, still knew what was going on before it was going on if that makes any sense.
He was also entering a period of time where he was getting very angry about what he perceived as racism in the music industry, and its impact on thin Lizzy's failure to break through the market after jailbreak in the United States. While some of that was definitely true, a lot of it did have to do with their drug habits as well as timing. Contracting hepatitis in America as well as other incidents did not help the band by any means. Bill did try to start another all black band in New Orleans, and he was entering an angry. After he had decided not to experiment anymore with punk rock. The music there was good, but he was trying to reach for something culturally I don't think he was familiar with it the time. I'm not saying he didn't know what it was like to be black. I just don't think he knew what it was like to be black and living in america. Well he definitely dealt with racism throughout his existence, Ireland's racism was either very blunt, or extremely extremely subdued, almost like what they call microaggressions nowadays. However, as an irishman, feel embraced his culture above everything. A lot of people from Ireland will tell you that when you talk to him that I'm not black or white. I'm Irish. And that made a lot of sense to be honest. The Irish have a sense of humor that at times will be used as ways to deal with things like racism and oppression. And phil, being the poet and linguist he was, definitely use that as a way to communicate as well as cope with the hardships of his life
I love family. As much as you do them. It sounds really stupid, but they are as important to me as AC/DC, Billy joel, and FEAR, alongside Darius other musicians and bands that shaped my childhood. I felt I understood thin Lizzy because of its Irish history that was explained in so many of their songs, as well as explain to me by my grandfather and relatives as well. Thank you for covering this.
I apologize if this seems a little off in regards to grammar, sentence structure, and whatnot. Indicating this into my phone as I am walking, so I know I might not have been able to convey everything I wanted. But I'm sure you got pretty much everything I was trying to say
Excelenye 🤘🤘🤘👍🍻🍻🍻🍺thin lizzy 🤘🤘🤘🤘
Awesome song!!! Jailbreak too!!! Let's see, here's a few unique sounding bands I think don't get enough attention: The Talking Heads, ZZ Top, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, Rush....
#1 Lizzy slinger Brian Robertson. At 17 surpassed all. Even the legends. "Still in love with you" Dublin stadium 75
First time hearing!
Hope you enjoyed it!
Don’t forget Brian Robertson! He was 17 years old only when in this band unique yes, and Robbo wrote this WITH Phil . My baby dad Robbo, such a gifted guitarist and yes he was in this band before the great Gary Moore. Our dear son Logan Robertson never followed his mum & dad into music, but is a gifted Maths genius ( using the same part of the brain as music I’m told!) Logan achieved BSc Maths (Hons) MSc Statistics ( financial Statistics) so took that career path, when I was a vocalist ( Hungry Waters) on You Tube, I met Robbo and then Robbo went on to join Motorhead The great Frankie Miller amongst many many others. Such a gifted guitarist but can also play drums piano too. Thin Lizzy was such a unique band yes, and even to today those songs hold up, Robbo not mentioned here Ken but you have to give the teenage Robbo his dues 17 when he jointly wrote Boys Are Back! With backing vocals added to the list, it really was an original band in so many ways! 💜💜💜
You just did! Thanks so much!
Think I saw BB King ages ago at The Golden Bear! Back in the day ❤️❤️🔥🇺🇸
Never heard of them Ken interesting vocals
John Sykes only did one tour with them. The guitarist for the band was Brian Roberson .. On this album. It was robbo and SCOTT Gorham.
He has a hendrix feel in his phrasing as well.
His mother worked in a bar , it was in Manchester, they were Manchester mafia the ones he sang about. , Jimmy the weed meets Jonny the fox. , lol. I’d the pleasure of sharing an Irish tv show with her , she was a beautiful woman , like royalty only better. Dinos bar n grill and other bars that Gary Moore drank in and got a pint glass in his face hence his scares. , tuff places, had the pleasure of telling his mother thank you so much for Phil as he was massive influence on all our uk lives. I didn’t no his middle name was Paris and born in 49. Like it says in Parisian walk ways by him and Gary Moore, Gary being from my part of the world, Belfast Northern Ireland,
The comparisons to Springsteen are apt, especially on songs like "Wild One" or "Southbound", it's less about vocalese perfection and technique and more about telling the story. And of course, the dual-guitar tandems were legendary and possibly the most underrated drummer of his era, Brian Downey.
Hearing the rasp of his vocals etc, I can't but help think of Phil's turn as the Preacher on Jeff Wayne's _War of the Worlds_ musical adaptation. As far as being unique, every singer back then seemed to have a unique voice and you didn't even need to know the song to know it was them. You could tell if a song was sung by Phil Collins, or Sting, or Don Henley, or Elton, or Peter Cetera. Nowadays, singers all sound the same to me....
I love Thin Lizzy!!!
Scott Gorham 🎼🎸🔥
Phill Lynott 🎤🎼 vocals have such a cool vibe!!!
Gary Moore had a great chemistry with Lynott, but couldn’t take the environment the band was in at the time…
If memory services me right John Sykes also did a temporary lead vocals besides guitar during his time in Lizzy before joining Coverdale’s “Whitesnake”…
But the impression I got Sykes was always after a solo career….
Love your videos Ken. It would be interesting to see you do something on Tom Jones.
Ken, I don’t think you’ve done an analysis of The Cars yet, speaking of uniqueness. Would love to hear your take on one of their songs and the vocals of Ben Orr and/or Ocasek. Thanks for the entertaining vids man!
They gave a cease and desist to Rick Beato for doing a video analyzing one of their songs
my favorite number 1album of all is Thin Lizzy Chinatown from 1980..
🙋😘😘 KEN 🙂
🙂😘
Song fits together.
The GOLDEN BEAR?? Omg! FLASHBACK CENTRAL!! PCH SHY OF MAIN…if my old lady brain is right!! ✌️❤️🤘
That was really interesting. I didn't realize he was talk singing until you pointed it out.
10CC "I'm not in love." Nothing sounds like it.
Big girls don't cry, big girls don't cry...
great video. it's possible to make another video with Joey Tempest Europe in Prisoner in paradise please?
Ok, you asked for it, so I'll say it again. I'm a major WHEATHEAD, so I'd love to hear some deep cuts from Kansas. Like: Song for America, Lamplight Symphony, Incomudro, Icarus, The Pinnacle (!), The Wall (!), Miracles out of Nowhere(!), Hopelessly Human (!). Kerry Livgren truly is The Maestro and a fine Christian man. Kansas, please!!
At one point Midge Ure was a member of Thin Lizzy - playing guitar and keyboards. Midge Ure is, obviously, the member of Ultravox (Ken, you should do Vienna review), and co-author of Do They Know It's Christmas (Band Aid Ethiopia relief song).