Thin Lizzy: Still Dangerous: Live at the Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977 Review

All of my reviews for live albums are essentially the same. I have a very simple format for reviewing live material, and in order for the album to get a good review it needs to satisfy these three basic criteria :

1. Does it sound live?
Answer: Most definitely. It doesn’t have that clean production sound that leaves you asking if this is just a rehashing of a bunch of songs with a live tag thrown on it. The crowd noise is audible but not disturbing, and the sound has its flaws, but when it comes to a live recording, that’s a good thing.

2. Does this recording make me want to attend the show?
Answer: This is a resounding yes! Thin Lizzy rocked this show from beginning to end. Even though the recording only clocks in at 45 minutes, they chose a good set of songs and did them plenty of justice. The energy was there and the musicianship was tight. Unfortunately I was born nine years too late to catch this show...

3. Does the band do enough to make the material sound fresh to justify purchasing the album?
Answer: Lizzy adds a little bit of a twist to a number of their songs which keeps things sounding new but at the same time holding true to their original form. It’s like throwing a little hot sauce on your fried chicken, it spices things up but the original flavor is still there.

This recording catches Thin Lizzy at their prime, with their quintessential lineup intact. Despite the set being a little short, this is exactly how a live album should sound. It does everything a live album should, and the songs selection is classic with hits ranging from "The Boys Are Back in Town" to "Jailbreak" and "Dancing in the Moonlight". Even for someone who doesn’t consider themself a big Thin Lizzy fan such as myself, I’ll be replaying this one over and over again.

Grade: A-