Nightlife is the fourth studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released on 8 November 1974 by Vertigo Records. It was produced by Ron Nevison and bandleader Phil Lynott, and was the first album to feature the band as a quartet with newcomers Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson on guitars.
| Nightlife | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Jim Fitzpatrick | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 November 1974[1] | |||
| Recorded | April and September 1974[2] | |||
| Studio | Saturn, Worthing; Trident and Olympic, London[3] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:11 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Producer | Ron Nevison, Phil Lynott | |||
| Thin Lizzy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Nightlife | ||||
Some reissue CDs, and occasionally other sources, spell the album title as Night Life, the same as the song title. However the original album title is Nightlife.[2]
The song "Philomena" was written for Lynott's mother.[2]
Album artwork
editThe album cover, designed by Jim Fitzpatrick, shows a panther-like creature in a city scene. The panther is often thought to be intended to represent Lynott,[2] but Fitzpatrick has confirmed that the panther referred to the Black Panthers and African-American political figures like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.[7]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[9] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described Nightlife as an "underrated gem of a record", but a "complete anomaly within their catalog"... "a subdued, soulful record, smooth in ways that Thin Lizzy never were before and rarely were afterwards". He singles out "She Knows" as "gently propulsive, [and] utterly addictive", but adds that there are "still moments of tough, primal rock 'n' roll", such as "It's Only Money" and "Sha-La-La".[8] Martin Popoff judged the album "more enigmatic, sincere and philosophically complex than much else rock 'n' roll out there at the time", but also "too distant from the band's heart and soul" and overtly into black music, with Lynott "searching for ways to pay homage to his racial heritage."[9]
Cover versions
edit- American metal band Slough Feg covered "Sha-La-La" on a 2006 split with Bible of the Devil, and again on their 2011 live album Made in Poland.[10]
- Concrete Blonde covered "It's Only Money" on their 1989 album Free.[11]
- "It's Only Money" was re-recorded 35 years later by Robertson on his 2011 solo album Diamonds and Dirt.[12]
- The Obsessed covered "It's Only Money" on their 2017 album Sacred.[13]
- John Norum covered "It's Only Money" on his 2010 album Play Yard Blues.
- Sade covered “Still In Love with You” as a new track on her 2011 collection The Ultimate Collection.
Track listings
editAll tracks are written by Phil Lynott, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Knows" | Scott Gorham, Lynott | 5:13 |
| 2. | "Night Life" | 3:57 | |
| 3. | "It's Only Money" | 2:47 | |
| 4. | "Still in Love with You" | 5:40 | |
| 5. | "Frankie Carroll" | 2:02 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Showdown" | 4:32 | |
| 7. | "Banshee" | 1:27 | |
| 8. | "Philomena" | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Sha-La-La" | Brian Downey, Lynott | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Dear Heart" | 4:35 |
The song "Night Life" borrows the title and chorus of Willie Nelson's 1960 song "Night Life", but Nelson is not credited on the album.[14]
On the cassette version, the positions of "She Knows" and "Showdown" were reversed.
Remastered edition
editA remastered 2-CD set deluxe edition of Nightlife was released on 12 March 2012.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Knows" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 5:10 |
| 2. | "Sha-La-La" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 3:38 |
| 3. | "It's Only Money" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Philomena" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Dear Heart" (BBC Session, 23 October 1974) | 4:28 |
| 6. | "Banshee" (BBC Session, 23 October 1974) | 2:43 |
| 7. | "Showdown" (demo with Gary Moore) | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Still in Love with You" (demo with Gary Moore) | 6:27 |
| 9. | "It's Only Money" (demo with Gary Moore) | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Showdown" (alternate take) | 4:37 |
| 11. | "Still in Love with You" (rough vocal mix) | 6:02 |
| Total length: | 46:20 | |
Singles
edit- Philomena/Sha-La-La – 7" (1974)
- It’s Only Money/Night Life – 7" (1974)
- Showdown/Night Life – 7" (1974)
Personnel
edit- Thin Lizzy
- Phil Lynott – bass guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar
- Scott Gorham – guitars, backing vocals
- Brian Robertson – guitars
- Brian Downey – drums, percussion
- Additional musicians
- Frankie Miller – joint lead vocals on "Still in Love with You"
- Gary Moore – lead guitar on "Still in Love with You" & tracks 7–9 on disc 2
- Jean Alain Roussel – Hammond B3, piano on tracks 1, 4, 5 and 10
- Jimmy Horowitz – orchestral arrangements on tracks 1, 5 and 10
- Production
- Ron Nevison – producer, engineer, mixing
- Ted Sharp – engineer
- Arnie Acosta – mastering at The Mastering Lab, Los Angeles
Charts
edit| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[15] | 19 |
References
edit- ^ Popoff, Martin (2011). Fighting My Way Back: Thin Lizzy 69–76. Power Chord Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-9811057-5-8.
- ^ a b c d Byrne, Alan (2006). Thin Lizzy: Soldiers of Fortune. London, UK: SAF Publishing. pp. 65–86. ISBN 978-0946719815.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy - Nightlife". Thin Lizzy Guide.com. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ^ Popoff, Martin. "Nightlife – Classic THIN LIZZY Line-Up Born 40 Years Ago Today". bravewords.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 829. ISBN 9780862415419.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy singles".
- ^ "Nightlife album cover". Jim Fitzpatrick official website. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Thin Lizzy - Nightlife review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ a b Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 278. ISBN 978-1894959025.
- ^ Made in Poland (CD booklet). Slough Feg. Warsaw, Poland: Megadisc. 2011. MEGACD1.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Free (CD booklet). Concrete Blonde. Culver City, California: I.R.S. Records. 1989. IRSD-82001.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Diamonds and Dirt (CD booklet). Brian Robertson. Hannover, Germany: SPV GmbH. 2011. SPV 309072 CD.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Sacred (CD booklet). The Obsessed. Upper Darby, Pennsylvania: Relapse Records. 2017. RR7361.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Adams, Scott (10 September 2012). "Thin Lizzy: Nightlife and Fighting, Reissues". Ink 19.com.
- ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 10, 2024.