Live and Dangerous
Encyclopedia
Live and Dangerous is a live double LP by Irish band Thin Lizzy
, released in 1978. It was recorded in Philadelphia, London and Toronto in 1977, during the tours accompanying the albums Johnny the Fox
and Bad Reputation.
Live and Dangerous was originally intended to be a studio album. Working with producer Tony Visconti
, Thin Lizzy maintained huge success with their previous album Bad Reputation, and the group wanted to work with him again. However, Visconti had a very tight schedule, so Phil Lynott
came up with the idea that they spend two weeks together compiling a live album instead.
Although all sources agree that Live and Dangerous contains overdubs, there is considerable disagreement about the extent of them. According to Visconti, the album was "75% recorded in the studio." Other sources claim that the finished album is "75% live". Mixing and overdubs were done at Good Earth Studios in London, England.
It was also the last album to feature Brian Robertson
, who went on to form Wild Horses
with ex-Rainbow
bassist Jimmy Bain
.
On this album, the band segues immediately from "Cowboy Song" into "The Boys Are Back in Town
", on the line "a cowboy’s life is the life for me". This technique was revisited with the same pair of live tracks in subsequent performances, and showcased more professionally on further live albums - examples being Thin Lizzy's later concert in Sydney with Gary Moore
, and also on Thin Lizzy's Greatest Hits.
A DVD titled Live and Dangerous was released on 16 October 2007 which contains all the recorded video from a concert at the Rainbow theatre in Finsbury Park, North London on 29 March 1978. It has a slightliy different track listing. It also includes other Thin Lizzy performances, such as a recorded show from their farewell tour on 26 January 1983, and four Top of the Pops
performances from the 1970s.
Material from the same tour was used for the 2009 live album Still Dangerous
. Some tracks are shared between the two albums, though the latter uses pure live recordings with no overdubs.
Live and Dangerous is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
.
In February 2010 Live and Dangerous was ranked number one in PlanetRock.com's The Greatest Live Album Top 40.
of Allmusic described the album as "one of the best double live LPs of the 70s", and "a true live classic", containing more energy and power than the original albums. He also praised the "expert song selection".
Kerrang!
magazine listed the album at No. 50 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".
Side 2
Side 3
Side 4
performances. However the featured companion DVD that comes with the remastered release does not contain any of these extras, only the Rainbow '77 footage.
It should be noted that this Deluxe Edition was not remastered in 2010 (despite what it says on the back of the CD booklet). It is the same remaster as the 1996 edition, although the two bonus tracks at the end of CD 2 were newly mastered in 2010. New remasters of the album were made, but scrapped at the last minute before the release, for reasons unknown.
The first batch of this Deluxe Edition release featured the DVD in mono sound, although a stereo and surround sound version do exist. This was an error by Universal. Corrected editions are being made but no date has been given yet for their release.
with:
At the time of the recording, John "Irish" Earle was in Graham Parker & the Rumour, and Huey Lewis
was in Clover. Both of these groups were support acts for the tours that made up this album. Earle, born in 1944, died on 7 May 2008 in his native Dublin.
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
, released in 1978. It was recorded in Philadelphia, London and Toronto in 1977, during the tours accompanying the albums Johnny the Fox
Johnny the Fox
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic stated that Johnny the Fox fell short in comparison to the previous album, Jailbreak, suggesting that the album veers towards "an odd, half-baked concept album", despite showing the same strengths as its predecessor, i.e. Lynott's lyrics and the group's musical...
and Bad Reputation.
Live and Dangerous was originally intended to be a studio album. Working with producer Tony Visconti
Tony Visconti
Anthony Edward Visconti is an American record producer and sometimes a musician or singer.Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers; his lengthiest involvement with any artist is with David Bowie: intermittently from Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity to 2003's Reality, Visconti...
, Thin Lizzy maintained huge success with their previous album Bad Reputation, and the group wanted to work with him again. However, Visconti had a very tight schedule, so Phil Lynott
Phil Lynott
Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
came up with the idea that they spend two weeks together compiling a live album instead.
Although all sources agree that Live and Dangerous contains overdubs, there is considerable disagreement about the extent of them. According to Visconti, the album was "75% recorded in the studio." Other sources claim that the finished album is "75% live". Mixing and overdubs were done at Good Earth Studios in London, England.
It was also the last album to feature Brian Robertson
Brian Robertson
Brian "Robbo" David Robertson is a Scottish rock guitarist, best known for his work with Thin Lizzy and Motörhead.-Early life:...
, who went on to form Wild Horses
Wild Horses (British band)
Wild Horses were a British rock band, active during the late 1970s and early 1980s.-History:Wild Horses was formed in the summer of 1978 by ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist Brian Robertson and ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain...
with ex-Rainbow
Rainbow (band)
Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...
bassist Jimmy Bain
Jimmy Bain
James Stewart 'Jimmy' Bain is a Scottish bassist most famous for playing in the bands Rainbow and Dio with Ronnie James Dio. He has worked with Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums....
.
On this album, the band segues immediately from "Cowboy Song" into "The Boys Are Back in Town
The Boys Are Back in Town
"The Boys Are Back in Town" is a single from Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy. The song came out in 1976 on their album Jailbreak. It was honoured with the 499th position among the 2004 Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, though it was not included in the 2010 update...
", on the line "a cowboy’s life is the life for me". This technique was revisited with the same pair of live tracks in subsequent performances, and showcased more professionally on further live albums - examples being Thin Lizzy's later concert in Sydney with Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
, and also on Thin Lizzy's Greatest Hits.
Reissues and other uses
The album was reissued on CD in 1996.A DVD titled Live and Dangerous was released on 16 October 2007 which contains all the recorded video from a concert at the Rainbow theatre in Finsbury Park, North London on 29 March 1978. It has a slightliy different track listing. It also includes other Thin Lizzy performances, such as a recorded show from their farewell tour on 26 January 1983, and four Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
performances from the 1970s.
Material from the same tour was used for the 2009 live album Still Dangerous
Still Dangerous
Still Dangerous is a live album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. It was compiled out of two live concerts by the band at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia at 20 & 21 October 1977 during the tour in support of their Bad Reputation album....
. Some tracks are shared between the two albums, though the latter uses pure live recordings with no overdubs.
Live and Dangerous is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
.
In February 2010 Live and Dangerous was ranked number one in PlanetRock.com's The Greatest Live Album Top 40.
Reception
Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic described the album as "one of the best double live LPs of the 70s", and "a true live classic", containing more energy and power than the original albums. He also praised the "expert song selection".
Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine listed the album at No. 50 among the "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time".
Track listing
Side 1- "JailbreakJailbreak (Thin Lizzy song)"Jailbreak" is a song by Thin Lizzy that originally appeared as the title track on their 1976 album Jailbreak. Along with "The Boys Are Back in Town", it is one of their most popular songs, and is a classic rock radio staple, receiving steady airplay....
" (Phil LynottPhil LynottPhilip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
) – 4:31 - "Emerald" (Brian DowneyBrian Downey (drummer)Brian Michael Downey is an Irish drummer.Downey is the drummer and a founding member of the rock band Thin Lizzy, and a friend from childhood of co-founder and frontman Phil Lynott. Along with Lynott, Downey was the only constant member of the pioneering hard rock group until their break-up in...
, Scott GorhamScott GorhamScott Gorham is an American guitarist and songwriter who rose to international recognition as one of the "twin lead guitarists" of the Irish-formed rock band, Thin Lizzy...
, Lynott, Brian RobertsonBrian RobertsonBrian "Robbo" David Robertson is a Scottish rock guitarist, best known for his work with Thin Lizzy and Motörhead.-Early life:...
) – 4:18 - "Southbound" (Lynott) – 4:44
- "Rosalie/Cowgirl's Song" (Downey, Lynott, Bob SegerBob SegerRobert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
) – 4:00
Side 2
- "Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)" (Lynott) – 3:50
- "Massacre" (Downey, Gorham, Lynott) – 2:46
- "Still in Love With YouStill in Love with You (Thin Lizzy song)"Still in Love with You" is a song originally recorded by Thin Lizzy, first released on their 1974 album Nightlife, and later released on the live albums Live and Dangerous, Life, BBC Radio One Live in Concert, The Peel Sessions and One Night Only...
" (Lynott) – 7:40 - "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" (Downey, Gorham, Lynott) – 3:32
- "Cowboy Song" (Downey, Lynott) – 4:40
Side 3
- "The Boys Are Back in TownThe Boys Are Back in Town"The Boys Are Back in Town" is a single from Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy. The song came out in 1976 on their album Jailbreak. It was honoured with the 499th position among the 2004 Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, though it was not included in the 2010 update...
" (Lynott) – 4:30 - "Don't Believe a Word" (Lynott) – 2:05
- "Warriors" (Gorham, Lynott) – 3:52
- "Are You Ready" (Downey, Gorham, Lynott, Robertson) – 2:40
Side 4
- "Suicide" (Lynott) – 5:00
- "Sha La La" (Downey, Lynott) – 4:18
- "Baby Drives Me Crazy" (Downey, Gorham, Lynott, Robertson) – 6:36
- "The RockerThe Rocker"The Rocker" is a song by Irish rock group Thin Lizzy, included on their 1973 album Vagabonds of the Western World. It was also released as a single in a 2:41 edited format, the original album track stretching to 5:17, most of the extra length being taken up by an extended guitar solo by Eric Bell...
" (Eric BellEric BellEric Robin Bell is a Northern Irish rock musician and guitarist, best known as a founder member and the original guitarist of the rock group Thin Lizzy.-Early career:...
, Downey, Lynott) – 3:58
Remastered edition
A new remastered and expanded version of Live And Dangerous was released on 24 January 2011. This edition is a 2CD/1DVD set that includes two bonus tracks on Disc 2 and a DVD of the Live And Dangerous - Live at the Rainbow Theatre 1977. This DVD was originally released in 2007 as a separate release, with bonus features like "Sight & Sound in Concert" recorded for the BBC in 1983 during the "Thunder and Lightning" tour, and five Top of the PopsTop of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
performances. However the featured companion DVD that comes with the remastered release does not contain any of these extras, only the Rainbow '77 footage.
It should be noted that this Deluxe Edition was not remastered in 2010 (despite what it says on the back of the CD booklet). It is the same remaster as the 1996 edition, although the two bonus tracks at the end of CD 2 were newly mastered in 2010. New remasters of the album were made, but scrapped at the last minute before the release, for reasons unknown.
The first batch of this Deluxe Edition release featured the DVD in mono sound, although a stereo and surround sound version do exist. This was an error by Universal. Corrected editions are being made but no date has been given yet for their release.
CD extra tracks
- Opium Trail (Downey, Gorham, Lynott)
- Bad Reputation (Downey, Gorham, Lynott)
- Outtakes from Live and Dangerous
DVD
- "Introduction"/"Rosalie"
- "The Boys Are Back in Town"
- "Emerald"
- "Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)"
- "Massacre"
- "Still in Love With You"
- "Don't Believe a Word"
- "Are You Ready"
- "Sha La La"
- "Baby Drives Me Crazy"
- "Finale"/"Me and the Boys"
Personnel
- Phil LynottPhil LynottPhilip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
- lead vocals, bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Scott GorhamScott GorhamScott Gorham is an American guitarist and songwriter who rose to international recognition as one of the "twin lead guitarists" of the Irish-formed rock band, Thin Lizzy...
- lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals - Brian RobertsonBrian RobertsonBrian "Robbo" David Robertson is a Scottish rock guitarist, best known for his work with Thin Lizzy and Motörhead.-Early life:...
- lead guitar, backing vocals - Brian DowneyBrian Downey (drummer)Brian Michael Downey is an Irish drummer.Downey is the drummer and a founding member of the rock band Thin Lizzy, and a friend from childhood of co-founder and frontman Phil Lynott. Along with Lynott, Downey was the only constant member of the pioneering hard rock group until their break-up in...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
with:
- John Earle - saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
on "Dancing in the Moonlight" - Huey LewisHuey LewisHuey Lewis is an American musician, songwriter and occasional actor.Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs...
(as "Huey Harp") - harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
on "Baby Drives Me Crazy"
At the time of the recording, John "Irish" Earle was in Graham Parker & the Rumour, and Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis is an American musician, songwriter and occasional actor.Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs...
was in Clover. Both of these groups were support acts for the tours that made up this album. Earle, born in 1944, died on 7 May 2008 in his native Dublin.