release date: Mar. 4, 1983
format: digital
[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,15]
producer: Thin Lizzy and Chris Tsangarides
label: Vertigo - nationality: Ireland
Track highlights: 2. "This Is the One" - 3. "The Sun Goes Down" - 5. "Cold Sweat" - 8. "Bad Habits"
12th and final studio album by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy following 1½ years after Renegade (Nov. 1981) is once again produced with sound engineer Tsangarides. Since the 81-album, guitarist Snowy White left and is here replaced by John Sykes.
The style of the band has changed since the twin-guitars ruled the soundscape in the second half of the 70s. Here, Thin Lizzy play a more generic hard rock with traits from pop rock and / or a soft rock scene, which imo doesn't make it one of the band's better, which is a sad way to end, I think. However, I also know that fans of the band generally think better of this and many consider it bettering the predecessor. I don't agree on this. To me, this is without great songs, or the best one is the boldest pop rock tune "The Sun Goes Down", which admittedly, is far from the best songs on Jailbreak. I simply think of it as an album of outtakes, or say: a band going through the motions trying to repeat what used to work but just without great hooks or catchy phrases, and instead they, once again, seems to be in search of a new style. It's predominantly hard rock-shaped, and pop rock is just one mainstream style you'll find here. Track #4 "The Holy War" could be labelled dance rock and sounds misplaced here. And then Scott Gorham and John Sykes are not Gorham and Brian Robertson - had they only tried to evoke some of the magic twin-guitar harmonics, but instead Gorham plays without originality, or he has role is more subdued on account of keyboards and screaming guitars, while Lynott does his best to come up with something original. People, who have been close to or former band members have described the destructive life-style that was part of Thin Lizzy, and Lynott is said to face harder days in hiding his drug abuse, which ultimately had serious effects on his life. The band went on a long tour playing songs from the album but Lynott disbanded Thin Lizzy in late '83 at a time when Gorham wanted to quit. In '84, he formed a new band, Grand Slam, who is said to have been a pale imitation of Thin Lizzy.
Thunder and Lightning is not the band's worst album but it's not among their best.
Not recommended.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Smash Hits 3 / 10 stars ]
