CoronaVinyl Day 433 (T): The Rocker (1971-1974) by Thin Lizzy

For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.

Today's CoronaVinyl category is "T," and I don't have any more albums by "T" artists who haven't already been featured on CoronaVinyl, so it will be repeated "T" artists from here on out.  My selection today was the 1977 Think Lizzy compilation The Rocker (1971-1974), which is the U.S. version of the 1976 UK compilation Remembering - Part 1 (though with one different track).

As the title implies, the album features songs the band released between 1971 and 1974 -- or, in other words, from right before they really hit their stride and found their signature sound.  You know I'm a huge Thin Lizzy fan, and I was excited whenever I picked this album up a few years ago as part of a larger lot of records.  The cover is beat up and open at the bottom, but thankfully the record itself is in pristine condition.

All of the songs are from the Eric Bell era, before the group had its signature twin lead guitar attack with Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson.  Bell was a founding member of the group and came up with the band's name, but left the group in late 1973 for health reasons.

Because of the band's popularity after Bell left, I think some of the early Thin Lizzy albums and songs get overlooked, but they were still pretty damn good.  The album features songs from two of the band's first three albums -- 1971's self-titled album and 1973's Vagabonds of the Western World, though nothing from 1972's Shades of a Blue Orphanage -- and a few singles from that time period, as well.  "Whiskey in the Jar" is the only song on the album that was a hit outside of Ireland.

The album is not available on Spotify, so I'll embed YouTube videos of my favorite song from each side below.  Here is the track listing, along with what album the song was from or whether it was a single or previously unreleased.

Side 1
1.  "Black Boys on the Corner" (B-side to "Whiskey in the Jar" single, 1972)
2.  "Honesty is No Excuse" (Thin Lizzy, 1971)
3.  "Randolph's Tango" (single, 1973)
4.  "Little Girl in Bloom" (Vagabonds of the Western World, 1973)
5.  "Sitamoia" (previously unreleased, 1974)

Side 2
1.  "Little Darling" (single, 1974)
2.  "Remembering" (Thin Lizzy, 1971)
3.  "Gonna Creep Up on You" (Vagabonds of the Western World, 1973)
4.  "Whiskey in the Jar" (single, 1972)
5.  "The Rocker" (Vagabonds of the Western World, 1973)

Favorite Song on Side 1:  "Sitamoia"
I had never heard this song until today.  It's one of two non-album tracks on the album ("Little Darling" is the other) that the band recorded with Gary Moore when he briefly replaced Bell, before Gorham and Robertson joined the band.  Of course, Moore would float in and out of the band's periphery during the next few years before joining the band for good for 1979's Black Rose: A Rock Legend album, and then leaving the band before the next album was recorded.  Anyway, this song is kind of unlike anything else Thin Lizzy was doing at the time.  It has a blistering tribal beat, the strange repeating title, and then Phil Lynott busting out impassioned lyrics about Lord knows what, with a Celtic interlude featuring Moore on guitar and a fiddle.

Favorite Song on Side 2:  "The Rocker"
The second side of the album is definitely the more rocking of the two sides, and it was tough not to go with "Whiskey in the Jar" because I fucking love that song.  But I had to go with the song that inspired the album's title.  "The Rocker" lives up to its name, with a great guitar riff from Bell and snarling lyrics from Lynott.  As he sings/yells, "I'm a rocker!"  He certainly was.