The Very Best Of Wild One [Original recording remastered]

This may get me killed, or at least beaten badly, but to me, Phil Lynott is the king of Rock 'n' Roll! This collection starts off with Thin Lizzy's biggest hit ("The Boys Are Back In Town") which is oddly enough, not one of their best songs. There's magic in tracks such as "Don't Believe A Word","Emerald" and "Bad Reputation" as the classic guitar duo of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson lets it rip with Phil's powerful, soulful vocals at the fore. This band was training ground for the great John Sykes (who later wrote the HUGE Whitesnake 1987 LP) and the legend we know as Gary Moore who can be heard here on the track which is considered by many to be his signature song, "Parisienne Walkways". Throughout their entire catalog, propelling the songs with some of the best rock drumming ever heard is the criminally underrated Brian Downey. Fourteen years after Lynott's tragic death, a reformed version of the band led by Gorham and Sykes have been gigging across Europe in tribute to their late friend. The fact that these shows consistantly sell out is further proof that great music is timeless and never really goes out of style. You're immortal, Phillip. Rest In Peace.

Phil Lynott was the archetypal 70s rock star with what could be argued are the archetypal set of rock star contradictions. Wild yet sensitive, sexual yet lyrical, this leather bound rocker also wrote some beautiful ballads. Wild One collects together the best of his work with Thin Lizzy and is an excellent representative collection.

After forming in Dublin in 1969, Lizzy had a one off hit in 1973 with a superb rock version of the Irish folk standard Whisky In The Jar. Whisky featured some exquisite work by original guitarist Eric Bell and is featured on Wild One along with another Bell co-composition The Rocker which showcased the harder sound to come. Bell was replaced soon after the band's "freak hit" with guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson joining Lynott and drummer Brian Downey to complete what was undoubtedly the definitive Lizzy line-up. Gorham and Robertson's dual riffing and harmonising guitars were key components of the classic Lizzy sound along with Lynott's tough yet occasionally sensitive vocals, lyrics and persona. Together they created several classics featured on Wild One such as Jailbreak, The Boys Are Back In Town, Don't Believe A Word and Bad Reputation over a series of hit albums. This culminated with the double Live & Dangerous LP (from which Rosalie and Still In Love With You are featured) which even now is still considered one of the best live albums of all time.

Unfortunately the youthful, fiery Robertson left the band soon after L&D and was replaced by a succession of guitarists over the next few years including Gary Moore, Snowy White and John Sykes. Although none of these line-ups quite matched the band with Robertson, they still produced some excellent music as featured tracks such as Do Anything You Want To and Chinatown testify as well as Gary Moore's solo single Parisienne Walkways which features vocals from Phil Lynott.

Thin Lizzy were the first rock band I saw live as a 15 year old on their farewell tour of 1983. Not a bad choice for a first gig though it was sadly one of the last concerts by this great band. Even more sadly, before I was 18 Phil Lynott was dead, a pointless victim of a lifetime of rock'n'roll indulgences.

Although acknowledged as a major act, it is perhaps surprising that Thin Lizzy are not more revered in the annals of rock music than they are. The sexism prevalent in much of their work may not have helped matters but this was the less politically correct 70s after all. Archetypal lyrics then by the archetypal rock star of his period, Wild One in an excellent, well-chosen overview of the tough yet sensitive Philip Lynott and is well worth acquiring.

This is a fantastic introduction to Thin lizzy. Almost every track is excellent. Catchy, rocking, easily accessible rock songs. From hearing classics on this cd, like dont believe a word, chinatown, jailbreak, waiting for an alibi, i have gone on to purchase a number of Lizzy's studio albums. Bizzare how this, along with other lizzy best of's has a couple of Gary Moore songs on it, and theyve tried to pretend they are thin lizzy tracks, (when they just have Phil Lynott on vocals), but those are excellent tracks too. Highly recommended.