Thin Lizzy Are You Ready?
by John Kindred
Staff Writer
Thin Lizzy continues to find relevancy nearly a quarter century following the death of band leader and founder Phil Lynott. Revered by many as one of rock’s greatest bands, Thin Lizzy was the playing ground for Lynott’s soulful voice. They wrote songs with catchy vocal melodies, while keying in on the melodic interplay of the bands twin guitar attack, the band’s rough edge ultimately was molded into polished and majestic rock music.
Revisiting the band’s historic career, Eagle Rock Entertainment latest indulgence from the German TV series ROCKPALAST video series is Thin Lizzy’s live concert performance from ’81. Are You Ready delivers nearly two-hours of video performance of the band in Loreley, Germany.
With the late Phil Lynott leading the way, guitarists Scott Gorham and Snowy White, keyboardist Darren Wharton, and drummer Brian Downey, deliver a time capsule worth of gems. Treating fans from then and now to a catalog of their best music, the band performs classics like “Are You Ready,” “The Boys Are Back In Town,” “The Cowboy Song,” “Jailbreak” and many more fan favorites.
As precious as this DVD release is, obviously making bootleg copies of this show irrelevant, it is not without its own share of limitations. The video at times is dark and is not crisp, mainly due to being restored from video tape. The audio finds the guitars buried behind the bass and drums, but the vocals stand out.
Are You Ready is nice journey into the past. It is really great to see classic footage such as this preserved for future fans to enjoy.
Label: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Band:
Phil Lynot (b)(v)
Snowy White (g)
Scott Gorham (g)
Brian Downey (d)
Darren Wharton (k)
Track Listing:
1. Are You Ready?
2. Genocide (The Killing Of The Buffalo)
3. Waiting For An Alibi
4. Jailbreak
5. Trouble Boys
6. Don’t Believe A Word
7. Memory Pain
8. Got To Give It Up
9. Chinatown
10. Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)
11. The Cowboy Song
12. The Boys Are Back In Town
13. Suicide
14. Black Rose (Roisin Dubh A Rock Legend)
15. Sugar Blues
16. Baby Drives Me Crazy
17. Rosalie
18. Desaster
19. Emerald
Hardrock Haven rating: 7/10