If
Thin Lizzy got a bit too grand and florid on
Johnny the Fox, they quickly corrected themselves on its 1977 follow-up,
Bad Reputation. Teaming up with legendary producer
Tony Visconti,
Thin Lizzy managed to pull off a nifty trick of sounding leaner and tougher than they did on
Johnny, yet they also had a broader sonic palette. Much of this is due, of course, to
Visconti, who always had a flair for subtle dramatics that never called attention to themselves, and he puts this to use in dramatic effect here, to the extent that
Lizzy sound stripped down to their bare bones, even when they have horns pushing them forward on "Dancing in the Moonlight" or when overdubbed vocals pile up on the title track. Of course, they were stripped down to a trio for most of this record: guitarist
Brian Robertson (who'd injured his hand) had to sit out on most of the recording, but
Scott Gorham's double duty makes his absence unnoticeable. Plus, this is pure visceral rock & roll, the hardest and heaviest that
Thin Lizzy ever made, living up to the promise of the title track. And, as always, a lot of this has to do with
Phil Lynott's writing, which is in top form whether he's romanticizing "Soldiers of Fortune" or heading down the "Opium Trail." It adds up to an album that rivals
Jailbreak as their best studio album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine