Label: Vertigo Records (US), 822 785-2
Style: Hard Rock, Classic Rock
Country: Dublin, Ireland
Time: 36:18
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 215 Mb
Charts: AUS #51, UK #10, US #18, CAN #5, SWE #21. CAN, UK & US: Gold.
Considering my latest Dadrock fixations include the best of Def Leppard and Thin Lizzy, another highly inspirational old school record from days gone which deserves contemporary praise is the latter's wildly incongruous but infinitely tutorial Jailbreak from 1976. In short, I've been rocking this once-owned-on-vinyl gem's ballsiest songs for a spell, and have finally acclimated myself to its poppy fare, as their guitar play is still cool, albeit decidedly mellow and soft compared to smoking slew of adrenaline charged classics we've grown to love. That said, even if you're not the most ardent Lizzy (non Borden) fan, there's no denying a good part of this slab is pure rock n' roll magic, enhanced by the twin-riffed and soloed dynamo's Irish heritage. Much like Budgie's Impeckable, if you can get past its wacky pacing, there's a lot to learn from sadly departed Phil Lynott and the boys (to point where his spirit hovers ever gayly, in the original sense of the word).
As far as kick-ass openers go, it's hard to surpass the simple but hooking title track - alongside riffs to Black Sabbath's definitive "Paranoid" and Deep Purple's guitar shop infuriating "Smoke On The Water", it's crunchy, swaying beat is impossible to resist. This amazingly fun tune also displays the long active trooper's penchant for wickedly poised and muffled staccato shuffles, taken to their most mesmerizing level on "Warriors", which these fledgling fingers are taking to like a duck to water, with its wah-wah'd, Ace Frehley style blues (metal) solo. Its numerous little guitar fills procure climatic feelings of sunglasses shaded wingman-ery. If anything, "Jailbreak" is as great as AC/DC's equally vintage version. Okay, I understand how the next three tracks might ruffle leather and spike wrist metal merchants, but taken at face value - as in, out of context, on their own - they're quite good. For instance , "Angel From The Coast" is a slippery canoodler with a Hawaiian type boogie!
I've no trouble wigging out to saxophoned waltzer "Running Back" either, but admittedly, the whimsy gets old by the time "Romeo And The Lonely Girl" strut on by. Thankfully, the sizzling duo of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson pulls through with one of their classic, powerfully charged tango leads. Much like Wishbone Ash and UFO (or lone wolf Jimi Hendrix), it's easy to see how Iron Maiden was influenced by their twin guitar tag-team. This is no more evident than on "Warriors", with its laid back yet auspicious intro riff and bass line culminating into one of the gang's toughest and slickest riffs, enhanced of course by that tricky muffle-shuffle...propelled into outer space once its closing dirge seals the deal. I also dig the Sabbathian chord interlude in its stead. Of note, drummer Brian Downey's loosely break-beat-ish time keeping tactics make me think of a less inebriated and dishevelled, but just as groovy Bill Ward. Side A is masterfully bookended; the same applies to slightly shorter Side B.
First, the fluff: both "Fight Or Fall" and "Cowboy Song" mildly dilute Jailbreak's awesomeness. This is where I put my foot down and exclaim: "Why?". However, they're not total losses, as the random Wild West tribute shines due to Phil's solemn crooning, again proving himself as a well-rounded and talented front man and bassist taken from us far too soon. Musically, it's amusing, but its bland predecessor yields to the skip button. Closer "Emerald" is real banger; along with mega commercial radio star "The Boys Are Back In Town", it features the band's iconic ease with folksy Irish type melodies, riffed to oblivion and back, especially the former's killer pre-solo which translates into more wickedly phrased leads. As for the seminal staple, I was delighted to find out, as with Judas Priest's ultimate driving hit, "You've Got Another Thing Coming", it tucks within its happy-go-lucky confines more than meets the ear, particularly rhythm wise.
(https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Thin_Lizzy/Jailbreak/4446/) Review by CHAIRTHROWER. March 17th, 2025
01. Jailbreak (04:04)
02. Angel From The Coast (03:06)
03. Running Back (03:16)
04. Romeo And The Lonely Girl (03:58)
05. Warriors (04:12)
06. The Boys Are Back In Town (04:30)
07. Fight Or Fall (03:48)
08. Cowboy Song (05:18)
09. Emerald (04:04)
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