Jailbreak (album)



Jailbreak is the sixth studio album by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 1976. It proved to be the band's commercial breakthrough in the US, and the only Thin Lizzy album with a certification (in this case, Gold) in that country. The singles include "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town", the latter being Thin Lizzy's biggest hit.

Recording
After their previous two albums, Nightlife and Fighting, failed to generate sales, Thin Lizzy were given one last chance by their record label, Vertigo, to make a successful record. The band wrote songs and collected ideas in a studio in Buckinghamshire in late 1975, then convened at Ramport Studios in London in the new year. The band selected John Alcock as their producer, as he had worked in the studio extensively. The band worked diligently through February on the album. However, Gorham and Robertson felt that the speed at which it was completed adversely affected its quality. Both stated that the tightness of the songs made the album feel rigid. In particular, Robertson said that he would have liked more freedom to improvise on his lead guitar parts. Gorham also criticized Alcock's production, saying that he didn't particularly care for his guitar tone on the album.

Choice of singles
Initially, the song "Running Back" was chosen to be a single ahead of "The Boys Are Back in Town", the latter being seen as possibly too aggressive for some radio stations to play. Frontman and songwriter Phil Lynott and producer John Alcock decided to employ session musicians to add more commercial elements to some of the tracks to try to produce a hit single, and Tim Hinkley was brought in to add keyboard parts to "Running Back". Guitarist Brian Robertson was against the idea, as he liked the song as it had originally been arranged, in a blues format with his own additions of piano and bottleneck guitar. He later said, "I took enormous offence to [the changes]. I couldn't understand why they'd pay this guy a fortune just for playing what he did. Listen to it and tell me it's not bollocks." Robertson did not play on the finished version of the song and Hinkley is not credited on the album sleeve. Lynott said at the time that "Running Back" was "very much influenced by Van Morrison. I really like that song." Hinkley later recalled, "Robbo and Scott were not keen on it at all but they were overruled." Thirty-five years later, Robertson recorded his own versions of the song on his 2011 album Diamonds and Dirt.

Scott Gorham also revealed that "Romeo and the Lonely Girl" was also brought up as an option for a single, but was ultimately discarded, as "nobody was overexcited about it."

Reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic described Jailbreak as a "truly exceptional album", with "a dimension of richness that sustains, but there's such kinetic energy to the band that it still sounds immediate no matter how many times it's played". Highlighting Lynott's songs as "lovingly florid... crammed with specifics and overflowing with life", he claimed that Gorham and Robertson's guitar work is "intertwined, dual-lead guitar interplay that was one of the most distinctive sounds of '70s rock". Conversely, Robert Christgau likened the album's songs to Bruce Springsteen cast-offs, with Lynott's lyrical ideas as "boring", and Gorham's guitar lines as "second-hand". Stuart Bailie of Classic Rock magazine, reviewing the 2011 Thin Lizzy reissues, refers to Christgau's statements writing that both Springsteen and Lynott "were indebted to Van Morrison and his Celtic soul" and remarks how on Jailbreak "Lynott's best attributes were coming on strong."

Track listing
All songs written by Phil Lynott except where noted.

On the 1996 Mercury CD reissue, "Angel from the Coast" and "Running Back" are listed as the second track with only one running time, making it appear to be a single song called "Angel from the Coast Running Back", and there is no third track listed. However, all the songs are sequenced as on the original LP release.

Singles

 * "The Boys are Back in Town"/"Emerald" – 17 April 1976
 * Some countries, including the US and Canada, featured "Jailbreak" as the B-side.


 * "Jailbreak"/"Running Back" – 30 July 1976
 * "Cowboy Song"/"Angel from the Coast" (Canada and US only)

Remastered edition
On 24 January 2011, a new remastered and expanded version of Jailbreak was released. This new edition is a 2-CD set, with the original album on disc one, and bonus material on disc two.

However, the track listing on the back cover is incorrect, listing only ten songs, while the actual CD contains eleven tracks. Also, the songs are not in the correct order. The correct track listing is listed below.

It should be noted that only the bonus material on disc two has been remastered in 2010 (despite what it says on the back of the CD booklet). Disc one uses the same remaster as the 1996 edition. New remasters were made, but scrapped at the last minute before the release, for reasons unknown.

Disc two
The track listing was corrected on later versions of the release.
 * 1) "The Boys Are Back in Town" (Remixed version)
 * 2) "Jailbreak" (Remixed version)
 * 3) "The Boys Are Back in Town" (Alternate vocal - remixed version)
 * 4) "Emerald" (Remixed version)
 * 5) "Jailbreak" (BBC Session 12 February 1976)
 * 6) "Emerald" (BBC Session 12 February 1976)
 * 7) "Cowboy Song" (BBC Session 12 February 1976)
 * 8) "Warriors" (BBC Session 12 February 1976)
 * 9) "Fight or Fall" (Extended version – rough mix)
 * 10) "Blues Boy" (Previously unreleased studio track)
 * 11) "Derby Blues" (Early live version of "Cowboy Song" recorded 11 February 1975)

Original vinyl release
On the original vinyl release of the album, the back cover included a short story, which is also reprinted inside some editions of the new deluxe edition.

Tour
While touring to promote the album, in the US, Lynott was stricken with hepatitis. Finally, the tour management decided to cancel the remaining tour dates allowing him time to recuperate.

Personnel

 * Phil Lynott – bass guitar, lead vocals, acoustic guitar
 * Scott Gorham – lead and rhythm guitar
 * Brian Robertson – lead and rhythm guitar
 * Brian Downey – drums, percussion
 * Tim Hinkley – keyboards on "Running Back" (uncredited)
 * Jean Alain Roussel – Hammond B3 & Piano