The late great Phil Lynott is one of those rock and roll figures that still looms large, decades after his death. So many bands and artists cite him and his band Thin Lizzy as an inspiration. I still have a battered old vinyl copy of Thin Lizzy’s Nightlife from 1974 and while it’s not their most popular album it’s still my favorite. That will illustrate that I am not the most diehard of Lizzy fans and therein lies my problem with this book.
Putterford conducted extensive interviews with family members, former bandmates, friends and other luminaries of the time. That’s great, but it seems as though hardly any editing was done, so many of the thoughts and stories really seem to ramble on a tad too long. To the writers credit, he doesn’t skew one way or the other, so people’s recollections will vary, as it does in real life. There are naturally the loving remembrances by his mother, family members and friends. Growing up outside of Dublin with his grandparents, he spent his summers and some holidays with his mother in Manchester. Race and his paternity were an issue at times, but he seemed to overcome this often, based on his considerable charm. He started performing early and was a fixture in the music scene, working in various bands before founding Thin Lizzy in 1969 with Brian Downey. The band, through several lineup changes went on to record some of the seminal rock songs of the era, including The Boys Are Back in Town, Jailbreak and Dancing in the Moonlight. Phil died in 1986 from complications due to his drug use.
This book is clearly geared toward the superfan, as each album is broken down song by song with extensive notes on production, who was mad a whom that day and throwing a fit or what drugs were being consumed. While I found some of this interesting, it was a tough slog for me at times. I am sure a more ardent fan will find this a treasure trove.
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