THIN LIZZY: Chinatown LP UK Vinyl mint, sleeve excellent. Embossed / Raised Sleeve. Check video & all samples

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Chinatown is the tenth studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1980. It introduced guitarist Snowy White who would also perform on the next album as well as tour with Thin Lizzy between 1980 and 1982; he replaced Gary Moore as permanent guitarist. White had previously worked with Pink Floyd. Chinatown also featured seventeen-year old Darren Wharton on keyboards, and he would join Lizzy as a permanent member within the year.
Contains such great songs like the anthemic “We Will Be Strong,” the pop perfection of “Sweetheart,” the obviously autobiographical drug tale of “Sugar Blues,” plus the British hit singles “Killer on the Loose” and the title track.

SAMPLES:  https://clyp.it/sluedcj0?token=38500f8e842268c7b55b00ca20aa4a04   

Originally released 10th October 1980 on Vertigo Records 6359 030

Track listing:
All songs by Phil Lynott, except where noted.
“We Will Be Strong” 5:11
“Chinatown” (Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Lynott, Snowy White) 4:43  Thin Lizzy drummer Brian Downey says this is one of his 10 favourite Thin Lizzy songs: “A great groove. Kind of a shuffle. It’s a song that was thrown back and forward a few times in rehearsal, and was originally quite different. Someone suggested we try it with a shuffle beat, and it worked perfectly. It’s become a real favourite”
“Sweetheart” 3:29
“Sugar Blues” (Downey, Gorham, Lynott, White) 4:22
“Killer on the Loose” 3:55
“Having a Good Time” (Lynott, White) 4:38
“Genocide (The Killing of the Buffalo)” 5:06
“Didn’t I” 4:28
“Hey You” (Downey, Lynott) 5:09


Killer On The Loose

Lizzy’s most controversial song was a Top 10 hit in 1980, when the Yorkshire Ripper still had Britain in a grip of fear. It was creepy how Lynott hissed: “Don’t unzip your zipper… cos you know I’m Jack The Ripper.” The song’s dark power made it the guiltiest of pleasures.

Thin Lizzy
Scott Gorham: Guitars, vocals.
Phil Lynott: Bass, keyboards, vocals.
Snowy White: Guitars, vocals.
Brian Downey: Drums, percussion.

Supporting Musicians
Darren Wharton: Keyboards, backing vocals.
Midge Ure: Keyboards, Vox organ.
Tim Hinkley: Electric Piano.

Chinatown. is an explosive title track, with White and Scott Gorham trading stinging lead breaks, and Lynott spinning dark tales full of Eastern mystique.

Despite their so-called obsolete, classic blues-based rock sound, Thin Lizzy prevailed among iconoclastic punk and commercially-appealing new wave disco groups at the death of the 70’s. Their unforgettable double live album Live And Dangerous gave them some goodly chart success, while Black Rose proved to be a strong follow-up, with Gary Moore eventually willing to be part of the band, as well as getting involved in the song-writing – helping the band get over the departure of teen phenomenon Brian Robertson. Yet things started going wrong and getting worse when both Lynott and Gorham’s heroin addiction got out of hand, soon taking its toll on the tightness and quality standards of the stage performances, alienating Moore, leading to his abrupt resignation in the middle of a tour. One more time they were looking for a guitarist, founding a proper replacement on highly-proficient, expert player Snowy White after hiring no less than 2 musicians (Midge Ure and Dave Flett), a choice which confirmed Lynott & co.’s determination to mark a new era for Lizzy, in a time when startling NWOBHM kids started revamping the traditional rock values. Saying Gorham:

“Phil and I had actually been aware of Snowy since 1977 since we saw him play with Pink Floyd at Madison Square Garden in New York on the Animals tour. We were quite surprised to see this other guy on stage with David Gilmour, but even more surprised when this other guy got a solo spot! Snowy was firing off some great shift, and Phil and I were going: ‘Who the hell is he?’”.

It didn’t look like Lizzy were about to fight fire with fire, concerning the lethalness and adventurous-minded attitude of young NWOBHM bands. On songs like “Sweetheart” and “We Will Be Strong”, the band explores even further and more intensively their sensitive side, their flair for deriving driving melodies – accentuating eagerly those trademark, lively harmonies, fuelled by the legendary, hugely-inspirational twin-guitar sound of White and Gorham. With the pace remaining mostly sober, Lynott’s sensitive aplomb is given the chance to break through, adding a blues melancholy-vibe to the attentively-configured structures. Texture on the above-mentioned harmonies is boosted and tightened up by colorful effect pedals and intrinsic string techniques, proving the taste and ability of this flamboyant guitar-combo. Besides uplifting finesse and elegant melodiousness, certain level of dexterity is envisioned with the ambitious perspective on “Sugar Blues” and “Having A Good Time” giving Snowy room to imagine and elaborate generously lengthier soloing, more abundant, effusive fills and nostalgic blues licks. Not only the refulgent instrumental mastery, congruity and professionalism, but the chemistry and good feeling between the Lynott-Downey-Gorham axis and White is providing the music of so much grace, sonic clarity and flawlessness, sounding so natural and effortlessly-driven. This new incarnation ain’t closing its ears to the burgeoning metallic attack from the NWOBHM either, somewhat answering to it with choleric, malicious riffs and controversial lyrics, in the form of the title-track and the “Killer On The Loose” up-tempo, which saw Lynott & co. delivering a less-restrained, fuming performance. “Hey You” and “Genocide” unleash more clever aggression, though making way for increasingly progressive, perfectionist song-structure patterns, contrasting reggae licks, sporadic frenzied pulse shifts and twisting harmonies, remaining rigorous on their perpetration, detail and development of their diversified bottom-up ideas. No wonder Downey recently declared:

“Snowy had a much more laid-back style and I have a feeling Phil had that in mind with the songs he was writing. Snowy was a different guitar player, he was more bluesy, had a very deliberate style of playing. I certainly was aware of the fact when Gary left we either had to get somebody in who was going to be completely different or similar…Snowy was ideal because he was (totally) different to Gary Moore”.

Chinatown sounds considerably distinct to anything Thin Lizzy had offered to that point. Certain values and parameters stay untouched, though, concerning the distinctive, captivating twin-guitar harmony lines, specially – but with Snowy now being given enough room to bring his own stamp to the band, unrestrictedly, the sound goes to another level, tighter, way more tidied-up and technically accomplished. Avoiding to step into anybody’s shoes (call them Bell, Robertson or Moore), Snowy is bringing in his fondness for classic blues, which Lynott actually could relate to, recovering the sentiment and lyricism Lizzy had been omitting since the mid-70’s, without however turning their backs on power and aggression, elements which take form exuberantly on this record with bigger class, mindfulness and subtlety than any NWOBHM act around at the time. So riffs are getting vicious and galloping sometimes, yet not designed just to bang away emotionlessly, no blunder, noisy playing, rather creditably and perspicaciously conceived. Lynott said:

“I just didn’t really jump up on the stage and be angry, for the sake of it, and so that’s why I could never associate with the punk thing, why I can’t associate with this heavy metal revival. I have to be saying something”.

So their melodious essence is bravely exhibited, think of “Didn’t I” and its smooth chord-basis, the fluffy electric piano and synth, and the lost-love verses a la Solo In Soho; but balanced at the same time with exquisite insightfulness with thoughtful harshness and bubbling speed (check those propulsive dynamics on “Hey You”), making clear Thin Lizzy still believed in their traditional training, their intransigent instrumental rigorousness and old-school blues roots, no matter how derided and proved-obsolete that mindset was by uncompromising punk and metal bands. Too bad Woolven’s dreadful production is ruining the potency, feel and sharpness on these songs – check those incendiary 1980 Cork sound-check tracks on the 2011 Deluxe EditionCD2 and you’ll see what I mean; as well as Lynott’s increasingly complacent, lazy effort and extravagant, druggy rock star lifestyle affecting the rationality and depth of both song-writing and performance. Most of the time, it’s Snowy, with a modest help from Downey’s trustworthy drumming, who’s pushing the band forward, taking it more serious than Gorham and his growingly monotonous lines on auto-pilot.

Chinatown was unfairly dismissed by the fans, despite the significant chart-success the album itself (peaking no. 7), and the “Killer On The Loose” single (no. 10) actually scored in the UK, (succumbing to The Police’s “Don’t Stand So Close To Me” in the end, sadly). The above-mentioned track also kicked up some controversy with those ominous lyrics, as Woolven recalls:

“Everyone was quite surprised that “Killer On The Loose” did so well. Phil had doubts about it. He felt he had to justify the lyrics. His feeling was: ‘Hold on, there are all these killings going on, why oh why is this still happening? Why hadn’t anything been done about it? Why hasn’t the guy been caught?’ That was very much his point (…). Because it was a much heavier track, I was really pleased that it did well as a single. It was a bit different – it’s not as formulaic as some of the other songs. Like “Chinatown” itself, has those harmony guitars – the Lizzy trademark if you like – but “Killer On The Loose” doesn’t have that. It’s more hard driving rock”.

Regardless of the vituperation and negative criticism this album has been victim of down the years, it has stood the test of time in prime form, sounding more enduring and musically wide-ranging than any of these guy’s other albums. Snowy made Lizzy sound more melodious and sensitive than ever, yet at the same time refreshing, vivacious and wise – accentuating their blues background and traditional rock habits, which they would shortly afterwards push away in favor of noisy decibels and over-the-top shred licks. Too bad the fans and ruthless British music press didn’t see it that way. Saying Lynott, after being asked on the unexpected chart success the album peaked:

“I knew this one was a good one, ‘cos Snowy is so good (…). I think what’s really neat about Chinatown, a lot of people thought like I might be going soft with the solo album and the kids and stuff. Chinatown dismisses that right away, because you can see the aggression”.

 

Additional information

Weight 0.25 kg

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