Shades of a Blue Orphanage

Shades of a Blue Orphanage
Studio album by Thin Lizzy
Released	10 March 1972
Recorded	Late 1971
Studio	De Lane Lea Studios, Wembley, London
Genre	Blues rock folk rock
Length	40:09
Label	Decca
Producer	Nick Tauber
Thin Lizzy chronology
Thin Lizzy (1971) Shades of a Blue Orphanage (1972) Vagabonds of the Western World (1973)

Shades of a Blue Orphanage is the second studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1972. The title is a combination of the members' previous bands: Shades of Blue and Orphanage.

"Sarah" was written for Phil Lynott's grandmother who raised him when his mother, Philomena, was unable to do so. This song should not be confused with the 1979 song of the same name, for Lynott's daughter, included on Black Rose: A Rock Legend.

A new remastered and expanded version of Shades of a Blue Orphanage was released on 11 October 2010.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	7/10
Pitchfork	6.3/10

Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic was largely critical of the album, describing it as "disappointing", and both the opening track and the title track as "overblown and disjointed". However, he picked out "Baby Face" and "Buffalo Gal" as bright moments, and praised Lynott's "eloquent and personal" performance on "Sarah". Stuart Berman of Pitchfork stated that Thin Lizzy "weren’t lacking ambition at this stage, but rather direction", criticizing songs such as the album opener for its "early, clumsy stab at heaviosity from a band that, at this point, had a much better grasp of intimacy", but praising "Lynott’s lyrical voice" as a "sturdy anchor" to the band's output. Martin Popoff defined Shades of a Blue Orphanage "a honest work", showing hints of Lynott's folk acoustic past, "some '60s-directed progressive psychedelia and even out of context rockabilly" typical of such early 1970s rock records.

Track listings

All tracks are written by Phil Lynott, except where noted

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Rise and Dear Demise of the Funky Nomadic Tribes" (Lynott, Eric Bell, Brian Downey)	7:06
2.	"Buffalo Gal"	5:30
3.	"I Don't Want to Forget How to Jive"	1:46
4.	"Sarah"	2:59
5.	"Brought Down"	4:19

Side two

No.	Title	Length
6.	"Baby Face"	3:27
7.	"Chatting Today"	4:19
8.	"Call the Police"	3:37
9.	"Shades of a Blue Orphanage"	7:06

Remastered CD edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Whiskey in the Jar" (full-length version, traditional arranged by Lynott, Bell, Downey)	5:45
11.	"Black Boys on the Corner" (B-Side of the single "Whiskey in the Jar")	3:24
12.	"Buffalo Gal" (1977 overdubbed and remixed version)	5:10
13.	"Sarah" (1977 overdubbed and remixed version)	2:47
14.	"Brought Down" (1977 overdubbed and remixed version)	3:06
15.	"Suicide" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)	4:03
16.	"Black Boys on the Corner" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)	3:07
17.	"Saga of the Ageing Orphan" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)	3:39
18.	"Whiskey in the Jar" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session)	5:55
Total length:		77:05

Singles

• Whisky In The Jar / Black Boys On The Corner – 7" (1972)
• Whisky In The Jar / Vagabonds Of The Western World / Sitamoia – 7" (1978)
• Whisky In The Jar / The Rocker – 7" (Reissue, 1979)
• Whisky In The Jar / The Rocker – 7" (Reissue, 1983)
• Whisky In The Jar / The Rocker/Sarah/Black Boys On The Corner – 12" (Reissue, 1986)

Personnel

Thin Lizzy

• Philip Lynott – vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
• Eric Bell – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
• Brian Downey – drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• Clodagh Simonds – harpsichord, keyboards, mellotron
• Gary Moore – additional guitar on tracks 12-14

Production

• Nick Tauber – producer
• Louie Austin – engineer
• Dick Plant, Tony Duggan, Desmond Najekodunmi – assistant engineer