I’ll be listening to two iconic Thin Lizzy albums to celebrate their 50th birthday – you should too

What Hi-Fi? was founded in 1976, so you could say it was a good year for us. To help celebrate our magazine’s 50th, I’ve been putting together a guide to the best tracks from that year. During the course of my research, I came to the realisation that it was the very same year that one of my favourite bands put out two iconic albums.

That band is Thin Lizzy, and they are a group that any hard rock fan should, at the very least, be aware of. They released Jailbreak in March and Johnny the Fox in October of 1976, and if you’ve never heard either before, or it’s been a while since you have, that needs to change. And here’s why.

I own every Lizzy album, and the classic lineup of Phil Lynott on bass/vocals, Brian Downey on drums, and the twin guitars of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson I believe is their best. At the start of 1976, they were starting to hit their stride, having refined their sound across two previous albums, Nightlife (1974) and 1975’s Fighting. By the end of the year, though, they had hit their consistent peak, attaining that difficult combination of critical acclaim and commercial success, as evidenced by the quality of the songs they were putting out.

This is epitomised by Jailbreak’s lead single, The Boys Are in Back Town. Now that’s a track with hit written all over it. You can’t help but get sucked in by its infectious guitar hooks and rousing chorus, while Lynott is the definition of cool as he walks you through the tale of a group of lads returning home with a view of painting the town red.

But catchy hooks are littered throughout these two albums. The choruses on The Cowboy Song and Fools Gold instantly come to mind, and both require surgery to remove from your brain once listened to, as do the main guitar riffs on Warriors and Jailbreak’s eponymous opener.

Johnny the Fox might be the less acclaimed and commercially successful of the two albums, but, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why. It opens with Johnny, which brings together groove and grit in perfect harmony. Its lead single, the high-energy Don’t Believe A Word, also somehow didn’t crack the top 10 of the UK’s singles chart, peaking at number 12 in early 1977 – it was a great era for music, I suppose.

Listen to them through good hi-fi gear, in particular those offering that perfect mix of punch and excitement – say for example the mid-priced Rega Brio Mk7 amplifier or the more affordable Dali Kupid standmount speakers – and you’ll be able to appreciate these tracks at their best.

Continuing with the theme of appreciation, as someone who respects quality, innovative musicianship, I feel that there is so much to admire about these two albums – including how Gorham and Robertson duke it out for superiority on the various guitar solos. Thin Lizzy weren’t the first to pioneer the use of twin lead guitars – Wishbone Ash is widely credited with popularising their usage – but they are my favourite proponents of this approach.

Lynott’s clever and captivating lyrics are equally impressive. My personal favourite is the lesson he offers the more superficial beings of this world on Romeo and the Lonely Girl, when he says “never judge lovers by good-looking covers”. You instantly take notice of the powerful yet effortless way Lynott delivers this line.

As a bass player myself, I’ve always felt Lizzy’s frontman was hugely underrated. Not only are some of his lines incredibly creative, but he’s also able to play them whilst singing something completely different at the same time. You might not find a riff that jumps out at you quite as much as the opener to Dancing On The Moonlight, which features on 1977’s Bad Reputation, on these iconic albums, but rest assured, there are plenty of others to enjoy. Lynott’s knack for alternate picking and playing on top of the beat also add a unique and entertaining element to all Lizzy albums, not only the ones being discussed here.

Sticking with the rhythm section, Downey is another who doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves. But his abundance of talent is there for all to see right across Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox. His drumming has a loose, almost swing-like feel, which not only distinguishes him from many of his contemporaries, but also adds an extra layer of groove to the music. It certainly puts an extra spring in the step of the aforementioned Don’t Believe A Word, but perhaps the best example is Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed, which is a marvellous meshing of hard rock and funk. You’ll find pulsating grooves and fills from one of the band’s two constant members – Lynott was the other – all over, though.

I know Scott Gorham is part of a group that still plays under the Thin Lizzy moniker, but as far as I’m concerned, the best band to ever come out of Ireland – do one U2 – died when Lynott tragically passed away back in 1986. One thing that can’t be taken away, though, is his incredible legacy, of which these two albums are an integral part.

So, with Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox both turning 50 this year, it felt only right to celebrate them in this way and urge any lapsed Lizzy fan or newcomer to give them a listen. Hopefully, you’re about to make your way to your local record shop to pick them both up, or onto your music streaming service of choice for a listen. You can’t go wrong either way!

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