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.

You and Me - The Cranberries

The Cranberries are my favorite band of the post-80s era. I’ve always been a big fan of Sinead O’Connor’s first couple of albums for encapsulating modern Irish life, worldview, and angst into truly original pop music ideas. The Cranberries seem to have taken this inspiration and expanded it through five consistently excellent albums between 1993 and 2001. Dolores O'Riordan’s swooping and soaring vocals certainly evoke Sinead’s (as well as Kate Bush around the edges, who of course is not Irish but had a very influential pop/traditional fusion sound, along with bands like Clannad , The Waterboys, and The Pogues). The songwriting and instrumentation range from sweet traditional sounds to novel modern rock. You and Me is a beautiful song with an unconventional tempo. The video in the link is the studio version synced to live footage from one of their European tours.