Black Rose: A Rock Legend

Black Rose: A Rock Legend is the ninth studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. Released in 1979, it has been described as one of the band's "greatest, most successful albums".[2]

Black Rose: A Rock Legend
Cover art by Jim Fitzpatrick
Studio album by Thin Lizzy
Released	13 April 1979
Recorded	December 1978 – February 1979
Studio	Pathé Marconi EMI Studios, Paris, France, Good Earth Studios and Morgan Studios, London, UK[1]
Genre	Hard rock blues rock
Length	38:49
Label	Vertigo Mercury (Canada) Warner Bros. (US)
Producer	Tony Visconti and Thin Lizzy, Tony Visconti and Phil Lynott (on "With Love")
Thin Lizzy chronology
Bad Reputation (1977) Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979) Chinatown (1980)
Singles from Black Rose: A Rock Legend
"Waiting for an Alibi" / "With Love" Released: 23 February 1979 "Do Anything You Want To" / "Just the Two of Us" Released: 8 June 1979 "Do Anything You Want To" / "S&M" Released: 1979 (US only) "Got to Give It Up" / "With Love" Released: 1979 (US only) "Sarah" / "Got to Give It Up" Released: 5 October 1979

The album peaked at No. 2 in the UK charts.[3] It was the first time that blues rock guitarist Gary Moore remained in Thin Lizzy long enough to record an album after previous brief stints in 1974 and 1977 with the band.

Songs

The album included the second song Phil Lynott wrote about a member of his family titled "Sarah", the first song by this name having appeared on 1972's Shades of a Blue Orphanage, written about his grandmother, also named Sarah. The song on Black Rose is about his then new-born daughter.

The last track, "Róisín Dubh", consists of traditional songs, all arranged by Lynott and Moore, as well as many original parts. The song "Will You Go Lassie, Go" (also known as "Wild Mountain Thyme") is sometimes mistakenly credited as a traditional song, but was in fact written by William McPeake, and first recorded by Francis McPeake (and is credited on the album to "F. McPeak").

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	10/10[5]
Smash Hits	6/10[6]

In a contemporary favourable review for the Irish magazine Hot Press, Dermot Stokes remarked how "Black Rose marks no major departure" from Thin Lizzy's "crystallised" imagery and sound, although "a poppier feel insinuates itself here and there, seemingly by design". However, he was dubious about the rosy vision of Ireland offered in the title track and wondered whether the band had lost contact with the real life of their country.[7] Writing in Smash Hits, Red Starr stated that the album lacked "memorable melodies" and that the "blend of traditional tunes in the title track is an unholy mess". Starr acknowledged that fans of the band would be happy with the "reworking of their familiar hard rock style", but went on to note that there was nothing new for "the rest of us".[6]

In a modern review, Greg Prato of AllMusic described the album as "Thin Lizzy's last true classic album", and their "most musically varied, accomplished, and successful studio album". He praised Moore's presence as "a perfect fit", and singled out "Do Anything You Want To", "Waiting for an Alibi" and "Sarah" as stand-out tracks, among others. He also praised the title track, and its "amazing, complex guitar solo".[4] In his Collectors Guide to Heavy Metal, Martin Popoff defined the album "a charmed release", where "Waiting for an Alibi" and "Got to Give It Up" emerge as "two Thin Lizzy classics" and the title track is "on a plane more in league with fine literature than anything as base as rock 'n' roll."[5]

Track listings

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Do Anything You Want To"	Phil Lynott	3:53
2.	"Toughest Street in Town"	Scott Gorham, Lynott, Gary Moore	4:01
3.	"S & M"	Brian Downey, Lynott	4:05
4.	"Waiting for an Alibi"	Lynott	3:30
5.	"Sarah"	Lynott, Moore	3:33

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Got to Give It Up"	Gorham, Lynott	4:24
7.	"Get Out of Here"	Lynott, Midge Ure	3:37
8.	"With Love"	Lynott	4:38
9.	"Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend" I. "Shenandoah" II. "Will You Go Lassie Go" III. "Danny Boy" IV. "The Mason's Apron"	Lynott, Moore Traditional, arranged by Lynott and Moore Francis McPeake Traditional, arranged by Lynott and Moore Traditional, arranged by Lynott and Moore	7:06

Deluxe edition

A new remastered and expanded edition of Black Rose was released on 27 June 2011. This new edition is a 2-CD set, with the original album on disc one, and bonus material on disc two.

Disc two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Just the Two of Us" (B-side of "Do Anything You Want To")	Lynott, Gorham	2:47
2.	"A Night in the Life of a Blues Singer" (longer version)	Lynott	5:44
3.	"Rockula (Rock Your Love)"	Jimmy Bain	4:16
4.	"Don't Believe a Word" (slow version with Lynott and Moore vocals)	Lynott	3:18
5.	"Toughest Street in Town" (different version)		3:58
6.	"S&M" (Nassau sessions, 1978)		3:18
7.	"Got to Give It Up" (Nassau sessions, 1978)		3:25
8.	"Cold Black Night" (Nassau sessions, 1978)	Moore	3:37
9.	"With Love" (Nassau sessions, 1978)		4:33
10.	"Black Rose" (Nassau sessions, 1978)		4:04
Total length:			39:00

Singles

• Waiting For An Alibi/With Love – 7" (1979)
• Do Anything You Want To/Just The Two Of Us – 7" (1979)
• Do Anything You Want To/S & M – 7" (1979)
• Got To Give It Up/With Love – 7" (1979)
• Sarah/Got To Give It Up – 7" (1979)
• Star Trax EP: Jailbreak/Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed/The Boys Are Back In Town/Waiting For An Alibi – 7" (1979)

Personnel

Thin Lizzy

• Phil Lynott – bass guitar, lead vocals, twelve-string guitar, producer on "With Love"
• Scott Gorham – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Gary Moore – lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Brian Downey – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Jimmy Bain – bass guitar on "With Love"
• Huey Lewis – harmonica on "Sarah" and "With Love"
• Mark Nauseef – drums on "Sarah" (uncredited)[1]
• Judie Tzuke – backing vocals arrangement on "Sarah"

Production

• Tony Visconti – producer
• Kit Woolven – engineer
• Will Reid Dick, Chris Tsangarides – assistant engineers

Charts

Album Year Chart Position 1979 Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 29 UK Albums Chart[3] 2 Swedish Albums Chart[9] 8 Norwegian Albums Chart[10] 15 New Zealand Albums Chart[11] 48 Billboard 200 (US)[12] 81

Singles Year Single Chart Position 1979 "Waiting for an Alibi" Irish Singles Chart[13] 6 UK Singles Chart[3] 9 "Do Anything You Want To" UK Singles Chart[3] 14 Irish Singles Chart[13] 25 "Sarah" UK Singles Chart[3] 24 Irish Singles Chart[13] 26

Certifications

Country	Organization	Year	Sales
UK	BPI	1979	Gold (+ 100,000)[14]

References

1. Byrne, Alan (2006). Thin Lizzy: Soldiers of Fortune. London, UK: SAF Publishing. p. 131. ISBN 978-0946719815. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
2. Dave Simpson (7 February 2011). "Gary Moore: the guitarist as gunslinger". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
3. "Thin Lizzy Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
4. Prato, Greg. "Thin Lizzy - Black Rose review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
5. Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 280. ISBN 978-1894959025.
6. Starr, Red (17 May 1979). "Albums". Smash Hits. Vol. 1 no. 12. p. 25.
7. Stokes, Dermot (3 May 1979). "Black Rose". Hot Press. Retrieved 2018-02-22.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 308. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. "Thin Lizzy – Black Rose (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
10. "Thin Lizzy – Black Rose (Album)". Norwegiancharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
11. "Thin Lizzy – Black Rose (Album)". charts.nz. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
12. "Thin Lizzy Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
13. "The Irish Cahrts: search for Thin Lizzy". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
14. "BPI Awards Database: Search for Thin Lizzy". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 February 2018.