Renegade (Thin Lizzy album)
| Renegade | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Thin Lizzy | ||||
| Released | 15 November 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Studio |
Odyssey Studios and Morgan Studios, London, Compass Point Studios, Nassau, The Bahamas | |||
| Genre | Hard rock, blues rock | |||
| Length | 40:51 | |||
| Label |
Vertigo (UK) Mercury (Canada) Warner Bros. (US) | |||
| Producer | Thin Lizzy, Chris Tsangarides | |||
| Thin Lizzy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Martin Popoff | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | [3] |
Renegade is the eleventh studio album by Irish band Thin Lizzy, released in 1981. Though not his first appearance, this was the first album in which keyboard player Darren Wharton was credited as a permanent member, becoming the fifth member of the line-up. As such, he made a contribution as a songwriter on the opening track "Angel of Death". However, even though he had officially joined the band, his picture was omitted from the album sleeve.
Departure of Snowy White
Renegade was the second and final album to feature guitarist Snowy White. By his own admission, White was more suited to playing blues than heavy rock and he quit by mutual agreement the following year. He went on to have a hit single with "Bird of Paradise" in 1983.
Reception
Greg Prato of AllMusic claimed that Renegade is Thin Lizzy's worst album, with "blatant pop leanings and a production too similar to British heavy metal bands of the early '80s", blaming Snowy White's incompatibility with the group, Lynott's "flat vocals" and the band's drug problems. Prato named "The Pressure Will Blow", "Leave This Town" and "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" as the album's better songs.[1]
Track listing
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Angel of Death" | Phil Lynott, Darren Wharton | 6:18 |
| 2. | "Renegade" | Lynott, Snowy White | 6:08 |
| 3. | "The Pressure Will Blow" | Scott Gorham, Lynott | 3:46 |
| 4. | "Leave This Town" | Gorham, Lynott | 3:49 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 5. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)" | Gorham, Lynott | 4:09 |
| 6. | "No One Told Him" | Lynott[4] | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Fats" | Lynott, White | 4:02 |
| 8. | "Mexican Blood" | Lynott | 3:40 |
| 9. | "It's Getting Dangerous" | Gorham, Lynott | 5:30 |
A remastered and expanded edition of Renegade was released on 23 September 2013 and includes five bonus tracks:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Trouble Boys" | Billy Bremner | 3:32 |
| 11. | "Memory Pain" | Percy Mayfield | 4:44 |
| 12. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck) [Extended Version]" | Gorham, Lynott | 6:16 |
| 13. | "Renegade [Edited]" | Lynott, White | 5:25 |
| 14. | "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck) [7" A Promo]" | Gorham, Lynott | 3:18 |
Singles
- "Trouble Boys" / "Memory Pain" – 31 July 1981
- "Hollywood" / "The Pressure Will Blow"
- A picture disc single was also released.
- In the Netherlands, the B-side was "Mexican Blood". In Canada, the B-side was the Phil Lynott solo track, "Girls".
Personnel
Thin Lizzy
- Phil Lynott – bass guitar, vocals
- Scott Gorham – guitars, backing vocals
- Snowy White – guitars, backing vocals
- Darren Wharton – keyboards, organ, Minimoog, backing vocals
- Brian Downey – drums, percussion
Production
- Chris Tsangarides – producer, engineer
- Kit Woolven, Andrew Warwick – engineers
- Ian Cooper – mastering
References
- 1 2 Prato, Greg. "Chinatown review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
- ↑ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ↑ Fricke, David (15 April 1982). "Album Reviews: Thin Lizzy - Renegade". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 18 May 2007. Retrieved 2015-01-25.
- ↑ Note that Allmusic lists Gorham as a co-writer, although the album credits do not.