Thin Lizzy was a hard rock band formed in Dublin, Ireland. You may know their biggest song, “The Boys Are Back In Town.” As luck would have it, that came from the album we’re talking about now: Jailbreak, released in March 1976. The album went Gold in the U.S. off the success of “The Boys Are Back In Town,” but it was not enough to earn the band a second U.S. hit. Their only other Hot 100 entry, “Cowboy Song,” did not get very high. However, they would continue scoring hits in the U.K. and their native Ireland, including one posthumous hit in 1991.
Sticking to Jailbreak, though, guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson have both been critical of the album. One issue that Robertson had in particular was with the song “Running Back.” He liked the song’s original arrangement, but not the finished version. This is because it was originally going to be the lead single, so a guy named Tim Hinkley was brought in to add keyboard parts and make the song more “commercial.” Ultimately, Robertson didn’t play on the finished version while Hinkley was not officially credited on the album sleeve.
Despite their misgivings, Jailbreak turned out great. It helped that frontman and bassist Phil Lynott was a really good songwriter. A few critics compared him (and specifically his style of songwriting) to Bruce Springsteen. It isn’t an exact comparison, but there are moments on Jailbreak where I can hear similarities. If that sparks your interest, give the album a spin.
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