Black Rose: A Rock Legend

Black Rose: A Rock Legend
Studio album by Thin Lizzy
Released	13 April 1979
Recorded	Paris & London, Dec. 1978 - Feb. 1979
Genre	Hard rock
Length	38:49
Label	Vertigo Records (UK) Warner Bros. Records (USA)
Producer	Tony Visconti
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
Thin Lizzy chronology
Live and Dangerous (1978) Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979) Chinatown (1980)

Black Rose: A Rock Legend is the ninth studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1979.

The album debuted at its #2 peak in the UK album charts and is the band's most successful studio album to date. For the first time rock/blues guitarist Gary Moore stayed in the band long enough to record an album having had previous stints in 74 and 77 as well as working with Lynott in the rock band Skid Row in the late 60s and early 70s.

Around this time Moore recorded the album Back on the Streets with Lynott, spawning the UK top 10 single "Parisienne Walkways" (with Lynott on vocals). He left Lizzy that year following a dispute but worked with Phil Lynott again on his tours in 1984 and 1985 and on the top 5 single "Out in the Fields" and accompanying album Run for Cover, on what were to be Lynott's final performances before his untimely death in January 1986.

Axl Rose has the cover of "Black Rose: A Rock Legend" tattooed on his right upper arm, and once said that he "wanted to show it to Phil Lynott, but then he died on me".^{[citation needed]}

The album included the second song Lynott wrote about a member of his family entitled "Sarah", the first song by this name having appeared on 1972's Shades of a Blue Orphanage. This version however was about his daughter.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Do Anything You Want To" (Lynott) – 3:53
2. "Toughest Street in Town" (Gorham, Lynott, Moore) – 4:01
3. "S&M" (Downey, Lynott) – 4:05
4. "Waiting for an Alibi" (Lynott) – 3:30
5. "Sarah" (Lynott, Moore) – 4:20

Side two

1. "Got to Give It Up" (Gorham, Lynott) – 4:24
2. "Get Out Of Here" (Lynott, Ure) – 3:37
3. "With Love" (Lynott) – 4:38
4. "Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend" (Lynott, Moore) – 7:06
   1. Shenandoah
   2. Will You Go Lassie Go
   3. Danny Boy
   4. The Mason's Apron

Singles

• "Waiting for an Alibi" / "With Love" - 23 February 1979
• "Do Anything You Want To" / "Just the Two of Us" - 8 June 1979

In the USA, the B-side was "S&M".

• "Got to Give It Up" / "With Love" (USA only)
• "Sarah" / "Got to Give It Up" - 5 October 1979

In some countries, three different sleeves were available, each featuring Lynott, Downey and Gorham. Moore had left Thin Lizzy by the time the single was released.

Personnel

• Brian Downey - drums, percussion
• Scott Gorham - lead guitar, backing vocals
• Phil Lynott - bass, vocals, twelve-string guitar
• Gary Moore - lead guitar, backing vocals

With

• Huey Lewis - harmonica on "Sarah" and "With Love"
• Jimmy Bain - bass on "With Love"