Black Rose: A Rock Legend would prove to be
Thin Lizzy's last true classic album (and last produced by
Tony Visconti). Guitarist
Brian Robertson was replaced by
Gary Moore prior to the album's recording.
Moore had already been a member of the band in the early '70s and served as a tour fill-in for
Robertson in 1977, and he fits in perfectly with
Lizzy's heavy, dual-guitar attack.
Black Rose also turned out to be the band's most musically varied, accomplished, and successful studio album, reaching number two on the U.K. album chart upon release.
Lizzy leader
Phil Lynott is again equipped with a fine set of originals, which the rest of the band shines on -- the percussion-driven opener "Do Anything You Want To," the pop hit "Waiting for an Alibi," and a gentle song for
Lynott's newly born daughter, "Sarah." Not all the material is as upbeat, such as the funky "S&M," as well two grim tales of street life and substance abuse -- "Toughest Street in Town" and "Got to Give It Up" (the latter sadly prophetic for
Lynott).
Black Rose closes with the epic seven-minute title track, which includes an amazing, complex guitar solo by
Moore that incorporates Celtic themes against a hard rock accompaniment.
Black Rose: A Rock Legend is one of the '70s lost rock classics. ~ Greg Prato