UMUR "Nightlife" is the 4th full-length studio album by Irish hard rock act Thin Lizzy. The album was released in November 1974 by Vertigo Records.

The music on the album is rock/ hard rock. The signature twin lead guitar attack that the band would become famous for just a year later, is also a part of the band´s sound but not as dominant as on later albums. Actually "Nightlife" isn´t as hard rocking as some of the later albums either but there are a couple of hard rockers on the album like "It's Only Money" and "Sha-La-La". There are also some pretty soft rock tracks like "She Knows", "Dear Heart" and "Frankie Carroll" on the album, and also a bluesy title track and the soul tinged "Showdown", so as such "Nightlife" is a pretty varied rock album. Personally I could have done without a couple of the softer tracks which I would have replaced by hard rocker instead, but I guess that´s an aquired taste. "Nightlife" isn´t exactly filled with Thin Lizzy "classics" but of course the power ballad "Still in Love with You" ( with a guest guitar performance by Gary Moore) is one such "classic".

The band are well playing and the characteristic voice of Phil Lynott as always gives Thin Lizzy their unique sound.

"Nightlife" is a pretty good Thin Lizzy album but it doesn´t blow my socks off. There are some great things on the album and there are more mediocre things that drag my rating down a bit ( the sirupy strings on "She Knows", "Dear Heart" and "Frankie Carroll" are an example of the not so good/ suiting things). So overall a 3 - 3.5 star rating is deserved.

IndianaJones Dear god is this album good. The late Gary Moore's contribution to this Lizzy album succeeded above great, forging one of the very best Thin Lizzy albums of their carreer. From the melodic and energetic opener "Do Anything You Want To" through chill and laid back "Sarah" and the all too prophetic "Got To Give It Up" to the magnificent and elegantly folkish closing track "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose)", this is Thin Lizzy delivering the goods they're known for. That being ofcourse the tight "band-sounding" playing by the whole band, awesome twin-guitar attack, thought-provoking lyrics and soulful singing of Phil Lynott and the sheer melodiness of it all.

Many fans consider this the band's best offering, and one can see why. The album is consistent throughout, every song has it's place on it and the production is crystal clear. Every song on the album has great guitar parts, wheter its a twin guitar melody or a blistering solo by Gary. And man do I love the groove laid by Lynott and Downey, very precise playing, yet still at the same time highly interesting and creative. Especially nowadays I would like to see musicians like this: doing their part in a band but never stepping too much into the spotlight and at the same time on the toes of the song.

The whole album has a cheerful energy to it, and it sure brings a smile to my face every time I listen to it. The music is very delicate and well thought up and the songs gel well together. It's hard to pick out favourite songs on this one (which is always a good thing), but I've always had a soft spot for "Sarah". It has a very nice "by the fireplace"-feel to it and the guitar and vocal melodies are just stunning. And you can't write a review about this one without mentioning the hit "Waiting for an Alibi" with it's catchy chorus and, again, sublime twin guitars by Gorham/Moore.

The last song is arguably one of the best Thin Lizzy tunes on any album. Clocking up to seven minutes in length it is an Irish traditional meets rock-fiesta and really showcases the abilities of Gary Moore with a lengthy guitar part in the middle.

It's not a very heavy album, so pure metal thrashers might find it a tad too bit lame, but if you're into hard rock or the here labelled "proto metal" you should hear this one. Simply. Amazing.

1967/ 1976 The 2nd album of Thin Lizzy is not properly a Metal or Hard Rock album but a great compendium of 70's Rock in the vein of Progressive Rock or Hard Rock. Said this I admit that this album is pure dynamite in some moments. The strange combination of Hard Rock and Funky is the propellent of "The Rise And Semise Of The Funky Nomadic Tribes", the first song of this album, a song that recalls me bands as Andromeda, Fuzzy Duck or Atomic Rooster. Not for this fact this song isn't personal. In fact I think that the variations of Funky insertion is important because this song isn't a copy of Andromeda, Fuzzy Duck or Atomic Rooster. "Buffalo Gal" is a Folk Rock song with great guitar and organ, interesting drums and typical Lynott depressive vocal style. Very evocative, "Buffalo Gal" is an example of how to draw from what has been invented to invent something new. "I Don't Want To Forget How To Jive" is a simple Jive, short and not memorable. "Sarah" is the first of two Lynott penned songs that have this title. This is an acoustic Folk ballad for guitar, piano and voice. "Brought Down" is a sort of surprise for 1972. In fact this acoustic track in start of song is in truth a great electric Heavy Folk/ Hard Rock that today is classifiable as Traditional Heavy metal but that I think it is also a sort of song that every Classic Metal band should rediscover, because its being universal. Great chorus and drums with big guitar riffs. "Baby Face" is a song of pure no compromise Heavy Progressive Rock... But because this song is pure Heavy Metal (for 1972) I repeat what I already said for "Brought Down", only that this song is psychedelic and not folk. "Chatting Today" is an Heavy and acoustic Rock song with folk treatment. "Calling The Police" is a psychedelic Heavy Metal song with punky flavor and tons of power in the veins! "Shades Of A Blue Orphanage" is a soul/ folk ballad with mellotron that close "Shades..." in a great manner.

In a vision not only my "Shades ..." isn't simply a metal or hard rock album. Rather it's to be seen as progressive rock album. Or rather, would now be classified as progressive metal, even if we consider a Neo Prog album. In 1972 "Shades..." sounded like a normal album of a promising band. Today it sounds like a beautiful album of a fundamental band for Heavy Metal. An album that I prefer so many albums of the 70's...!

SouthSideoftheSky “He's a clown that we put down, he's a man that doesn't fit, he's a king but not in this town, to you and me he's a renegade”

Thin Lizzy is not one of my favourite bands but I used to like them a lot more when I was younger. Ironically, Renegade is actually an album I like a lot more now than I ever did, even back then when I was actually much more into the band! One reason for this might be that I bought a whole bunch of Thin Lizzy albums at the same time and maybe I never gave Renegade proper attention. Another reason might be that Renegade was one of the last albums I got and when I finally got it I was already beginning to tire of band and moving on to other things. Anyway, I don’t have any particular memories of this album from back when first heard it, at least not of any positive character, and in hearing it again now many years later, I was a bit surprised in a rather positively way. I was expecting a rather weak album but actually found one of my current favourite Thin Lizzy albums! Still, I cannot rate this very highly despite some strong moments. While this is hardly groundbreaking music, when judged within the vast Thin Lizzy catalogue Renegade holds up well.

The Metal-credentials of the album (and the band in general) are, however, a bit questionable. But some of the songs are properly considered Metal, like the great opener Angel Of Death for example. This song starts with a synthesiser and strongly reminds me of the intro to Rainbow’s brilliant Tarot Woman. The title track, on the other hand, is more in Dire Straits territory. But a good song! Most of the rest is pretty standard Thin Lizzy material which makes me feel that this is a rather front-loaded album with the best songs at the beginning. The Pressure Will Blow, while overall not a very interesting song, has wonderful lead guitar work of the kind that made Thin Lizzy famous. Leave This Town speeds things up and this one too has good guitar work, but ultimately it is a rather weak song with a tedious chorus. The same can be said about Hollywood (Down On Your Luck) and No One Told Him.

The funky Fats is unusual but not really my cup of tea. The line about Sigmund Freud is funny, but rather incomprehensible! The “Mexicana” of Mexican Blood, on the other hand, though probably not something that I enjoyed ten years ago, I now quite like! I think that Thin Lizzy was at their best when they mixed their Hard Rock with other influences such as Irish Folk music and Americana. Phil Lynnot drew inspiration from the traditional music of his Irish homeland and he also had a fascination for America.

Far from great, but above decent