Black Rose: A Rock Legend

Black Rose: A Rock Legend
Studio album by Thin Lizzy
Released	13 April 1979
Recorded	Paris and London; December 1978 – February 1979
Genre	Hard rock
Length	38:49
Label	Vertigo (UK) Warner Bros. Records (US)
Producer	Tony Visconti
Thin Lizzy chronology
Live and Dangerous (1978) 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

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".

The album debuted and peaked at #2 in the UK album charts and is the band's most successful studio album. It was the first time that blues rock guitarist Gary Moore remained in Thin Lizzy long enough to record an album after previous stints in 1974 and 1977 with the band.

Songs

The album included the second song Lynott wrote about a member of his family entitled "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 newly born daughter.

The last track, "Róisín Dubh", consists of traditional songs, all arranged by Lynott and Moore, as well as original parts. The song "Will You Go Lassie, Go" (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 on the album credited to F. McPeak).

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

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".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Do Anything You Want To"	Philip 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
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 Trad., arr. Lynott, Moore F. McPeak Trad., arr. Lynott, Moore Trad., arr. Lynott, Moore	7:06

Remastered edition

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

Disc two

1. "Just the Two of Us" (B-side) (Lynott)
2. "A Night in the Life of a Blues Singer" (Longer version) (Lynott)
3. "Rockula (Rock Your Love)" (Jimmy Bain)
4. "Don't Believe a Word" (Slow version - Lynott/Moore vocals) (Lynott)
5. "Toughest Street in Town" (Different version) (Lynott, Moore, Gorham)
6. "S&M" (Nassau, 1978) (Lynott, Downey)
7. "Got to Give It Up" (Nassau, 1978) (Lynott, Gorham)
8. "Cold Black Night" (Nassau, 1978) (Moore)
9. "With Love" (Nassau, 1978) (Lynott)
10. "Black Rose" (Nassau, 1978) (Lynott, Moore)

Personnel

• Phil Lynott – bass guitar, lead vocals, twelve-string guitar
• Scott Gorham – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Gary Moore – lead guitar, backing vocals
• Brian Downey – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Huey Lewis – harmonica on "Sarah" and "With Love"
• Jimmy Bain – bass guitar on "With Love"