Thin Lizzy - Live And Dangerous
Performance
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Thin Lizzy - Live And Dangerous
Performance
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In case you were wondering, the Live And Dangerous DVD is not simply a concert video recording of the band's seminal, 1978, double live album of the same name. The Live And Dangerous album was actually pieced together from various shows during Thin Lizzy's 1977 tour, and it supposedly also featured more re-recorded parts than even Kiss Alive. I mean no disparagement here - these are two of my all time favorite "live" rock albums, but I do prefer them 100% live and untouched. The Live And Dangerous DVD features a concert that was recorded at The Rainbow Theater, in London, on March 29, 1978, and was first shown on British TV to promote the new live album. The show was also released the same year on VHS video. The performance features a tight, 11-song, set that really showcases what a dynamic live act Thin Lizzy were, and what a memorable group of songs they churned out in such a short period of the mid-70's. While most bands today would be hard pressed to squeeze out two albums in a five year period, Thin Lizzy spit out Nightlife, Fighting, Jailbreak, Johnny The Fox, Bad Reputation, and Live And Dangerous between 1974-1978 - and they all rocked. The video begins with a pre-recorded version "Rosalie" playing in the background, as the road crew are shown setting up the band's equipment at the venue. Thin Lizzy used to open for, and became big fans of, Bob Seger, which is how their muscular cover of his song "Rosalie" came about. And speaking of Bob Seger...where in the hell is his concert DVD?! The actual show kicks off with the band's best known song, "The Boys Are Back In Town", and these boys leave no doubt that you are about to witness something pretty special this night. This performance featured the quintessential Thin Lizzy line-up of Phil Lynott (vocals/bass), Scott Gorham (guitar), Brian Robertson (guitar), and Brian Downey (drums), and they were all at the peak of their powers in 1978. The video is a non-stop barrage of intense rockers, easing up only briefly for the stunning ballad, "Still In Love With You". Lynott's poignant vocal performance shows why he became such a star. One of the highlights of the set was the light and funky "Dancing In The Moonlight", replete with some killer sax from John Earle, spilling right into an opposingly merciless "Massacre". "Sha La La" featured a short drum solo from the underrated Brian Downey (essentially John Bonham with a double-bass drum), and certainly proved that Thin Lizzy could rock as hard as any other band around. They closed the show with a previously unreleased song, "Me And The Boys", which was not included on the Live And Dangerous album. The original full screen picture has been restored quite nicely, and the DTS 5.1 surround remix is certainly an improvement over the original audio source, but just don't be expecting a heroic Led Zeppelin-like DVD restoration here. It still looks and sounds very much like a 70's concert film. Although you do have to put up with a lot of the split-screen, slow-motion, and superimposed video techniques that were very common in some of these older music videos, the terrific camera work effectively transports you right back to 1977 into the front row of the concert. The extras are highlighted by a Sight & Sound In Concert feature, which was filmed during Thin Lizzy's farewell tour of 1983, on the eve of the release of their final studio album, Thunder And Lightning. This 46-minute, 8-song set, featured current Lizzy guitarist John Sykes on guitar, instead of Brian Robertson, and was nearly as good as the main feature. The extra features also include five Thin Lizzy performances from the British Top Of The Pops television show between 1973 and 1979, a 45-minute interview from 2007 with Brian Robertson, Scott Gorham and Brian Downey, and a Live From Derby (1975) bonus CD that includes seven tracks. All of these extras make this DVD a steal at the current price. It's been a long time coming, but the new Live And Dangerous DVD certainly lives up to the hype. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - November 2008 |
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Set List |
Performers Director - Ken O'Neill |
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Running Time: 51 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - October 2008 |