Updated Edition for 2018!Most bands come and go through a revolving musical door, barely stepping out long enough to make a lasting impression. Bands lost in time wishing for immortality. Thin Lizzy were immortals. Nearly thirty years after their implosion you can turn on your television and still hear "The Boys Are Back in Town" rumbling out of some commercial advertisement, or rocking some hundred million dollar stadium during a football game. Their remarkable influence is everywhere, especially when you consider the impact they had on fellow musicians. From U2 to Metallica to Nirvana to the Darkness over three generations of rockers have made it clear that they owe a little something to Phil Lynott and his rebel group of musicians. The Thin Lizzy story is a classic tale of excessive rock n' roll behavior. Overindulgence in girls, alcohol, and drugs provided the backdrop of a surreal tale that began in small Irish clubs in the 1960s and rose to packed stadiums by the late '70s. Thin Lizzy didn't just talk the talk; they walked the walk and rocked it even harder. Fronted by the classic line-up of bass-playing frontman Philip Lynott, drummer Brian Downey and guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, Thin Lizzy soared to astonishing heights from 1975 to 1978 hitting their stride by releasing four classic albums in a row. In 1979, they reached their peak with their most successful album Black Rose no doubt inspired by the return of the legendary Irish guitarist Gary Moore. But Moore quickly left the group, disgusted by the band's inability to clean up its drug habits. The bad habits remained. By 1983, they had become victims of their self-destruction and after releasing their 13th and final studio album Thunder and Lightning they decided to retire the band in a farewell tour. Throwing salt on the wound, add the breakup of Lizzy with a divorce and separation from his wife and kids. Lynott had now lost both of his families, and his heroin addiction consumed him. The end came for Phil in 1986, after the Lizzy leader died from rock n' roll excess, resulting in blood poisoning and non-responsive organs. The 36-year-old left behind two daughters, a secret love child, a broken band, a mother who adored him, and a legion of fans shocked, saddened and heartbroken. But as the years passed a magical thing happened, instead of fading into obscurity, Lizzy's legend grew. One of rock's biggest mysteries is why Thin Lizzy never crossed over to the big time in America? Maybe in the 21st century and twenty-five years after the death of their legendary front man, they might finally get a chance. America fascinated Phil; he wrote songs about American themes better than many American songwriters. But Ireland held a big part of his soul, and Phil was uniquely Irish. Ireland has the most poets per square inch than anywhere in the world, and Phil Lynott joins Yeats, Wilde and Byron as one of its greats. Every bit as Irish and every bit as talented Lynott evolved into one of the greatest poets of his generation.This Biography of Philip Lynott and Thin Lizzy is an observation from an American perspective that focuses on the staggering quality of Lynott's lyrics, the incredible musicianship of the band and a Rock n' Roll PSA with an overall warning to the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.Contains New Pictures!
