Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy

Thin Lizzy is a staple of the Classic Rock format in the form of their two major hits, both from 1976, The Boys are Back in Town and Jailbreak. But I bet few American radio listeners know that they were from Ireland. Their sound, from guitar riffs through Phil Lynott’s vocals, is quintessentially American. In fact they were doing this early enough to arguably lay claim to partially inventing a sound that later Southern Rock bands like 38 Special were still mining well into the 80s. It would make an interesting musicology master’s thesis project to quantify exactly what makes Thin Lizzy sound this way and what mix of influences produced such an iconic result. The live version of Jailbreak linked above is a little too fast and doesn’t quite capture the simple power of its central guitar riff. I recommend picking up the studio version. But on the other hand, as a document of the live hard rock experience in its heydey, the video is perfect.