Renegade (Thin Lizzy album)
| Renegade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 November 1981 | |||
| Recorded | January–September 1981 | |||
| Studio | Compass Point Studios, Nassau, The Bahamas, Odyssey Studios and Morgan Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 40:51 | |||
| Label | Vertigo Mercury (Canada) Warner Bros. (US) | |||
| Producer | Thin Lizzy, Chris Tsangarides | |||
| Thin Lizzy chronology | ||||
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Renegade is the eleventh studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1981. Though not his first appearance, this was the first album in which keyboard player Darren Wharton was credited as a permanent member, becoming the fifth member of the line-up. As such, he made a contribution as a songwriter on the opening track "Angel of Death". However, even though he had officially joined the band, his picture was omitted from the album sleeve.
Departure of Snowy White
Renegade was the second and final album to feature guitarist Snowy White. By his own admission, White was more suited to playing blues than heavy rock and he quit by mutual agreement the following year. He went on to have a hit single with "Bird of Paradise" in 1983.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 10/10[2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Greg Prato of AllMusic claimed that Renegade is Thin Lizzy's worst album, with "blatant pop leanings and a production too similar to British heavy metal bands of the early '80s", blaming Snowy White's incompatibility with the group, Lynott's "flat vocals" and the band's drug problems. Prato named "The Pressure Will Blow", "Leave This Town" and "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" as the album's better songs.[1] David Fricke in his review for Rolling Stone stated his disappointment for Lynott's performance as singer and songwriter on the album, writing that "only the rousing chorus of "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" and the poignant sense of loss in "It's Getting Dangerous" hint at the sensitive yet anthemic writing and hard-rock smarts that usually separate Thin Lizzy from the lunkheads".[3] On the contrary, Canadian journalist Martin Popoff praised the album for its superb production and the professional state-of-the-art sound, calling Renegade "an absolute masterpiece of deeply soulful and richly textured hard rock", whose "fullness and maturity tend to emerge only when played repeatedly".[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angel of Death" | Phil Lynott, Darren Wharton | 6:18 |
| 2. | "Renegade" | Lynott, Snowy White | 6:08 |
| 3. | "The Pressure Will Blow" | Scott Gorham, Lynott | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Leave This Town" | Gorham, Lynott | 3:49 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" | Gorham, Lynott | 4:09 |
| 6. | "No One Told Him" | Lynott | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Fats" | Lynott, White | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Mexican Blood" | Lynott | 3:40 |
| 9. | "It's Getting Dangerous" | Gorham, Lynott | 5:30 |
A remastered and expanded edition of Renegade was released on 23 September 2013 and includes five bonus tracks:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Trouble Boys" | Billy Bremner | 3:32 |
| 11. | "Memory Pain" | Percy Mayfield | 4:44 |
| 12. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" (Extended version) | Gorham, Lynott | 6:16 |
| 13. | "Renegade" (Edited version) | Lynott, White | 5:25 |
| 14. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" (7" A Promo) | Gorham, Lynott | 3:18 |
Singles
- "Trouble Boys" / "Memory Pain" – 31 July 1981
- "Hollywood" / "The Pressure Will Blow"
- A picture disc single was also released.
- In the Netherlands, the B-side was "Mexican Blood". In Canada, the B-side was the Phil Lynott solo track, "Girls".
Personnel
Thin Lizzy
- Phil Lynott – bass guitar, vocals
- Scott Gorham – guitars, backing vocals
- Snowy White – guitars, backing vocals
- Darren Wharton – keyboards, organ, Minimoog, backing vocals
- Brian Downey – drums, percussion
Production
- Chris Tsangarides – producer, engineer
- Kit Woolven, Andrew Warwick – engineers
- Ian Cooper – mastering at Townhouse Studios, London
Charts
Album
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Singles
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References
- ^ a b Prato, Greg. "Renegade review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ^ a b Popoff, Martin (1 November 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 354. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ^ a b Fricke, David (15 April 1982). "Album Reviews: Thin Lizzy - Renegade". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy – Renegade (Album)". Swedishcharts.com. Media Control Charts. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ a b c "Thin Lizzy Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 34, No. 4, March 06, 1982". Library and Archives Canada. 6 March 1982. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Cahrts: search for Thin Lizzy". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ a b "Thin Lizzy Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
