Thin Lizzy - Wild One The Very Best of Thin Lizzy

YOURZ

In 1978, not long after I turned 15, I went with some similarly-aged friends, caught a ferry into the city and walked around to stand on the steps of the iconic Sydney Opera House and watch a free concert, sponsored by the hippest radio station of that time, 2SM, and featuring headliners Thin Lizzy, as well as Wha Koo (who?), Jon English and a personal favourite, The Sports.

But it was Lizzy we were there to see and they didn't disappoint.  Here they were, one of my childhood hero bands, playing live in front of me (and thousands of others).  I have a vivid memory of standing on top of a garbage bin so I could watch them perform Bad Reputation live. Of all the bands I idolised as a teenager, these guys were the first I ever saw live.  It was a defining moment of my teens, hanging with friends, sharing cigarettes and sneaky sips of warm beer while listening to music.  I spent a lot of my life since then doing more or less the same thing.

More importantly, hearing them do The Boys Are Back In Town and being part of that crowd singing along, at such a time and in such a setting, I just knew I wanted to be a musician.  Thinking back now, this event probably set a precedent.  Seems as though the most significant times of my life have occurred at a rock and roll show.  And for that, I'm truly and deeply grateful.

That jukebox in the corner blasting out my favorite song
The nights are getting warmer, it won't be long
Won't be long till summer comes
Now that the boys are here again

The boys are back in town

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

This album came to our house because of a mix-up by a friend of mine.  She'd heard a song on the radio and was convinced it was Thin Lizzy, so she bought the CD.  Turned out to be someone else entirely, but it did kind of sound like Rosalie - although I've completely forgotten who it was.

So given that she knew YourZ is a rock pig from way back, she figured it'd find a good home at ours.  And it has, although I have to admit I haven't given it nearly enough listens.  Again, the complaint - too much good music, not enough time.

And this time I have no feel-good, musical-moment tale to tell.  I will say that I knew more of the songs on this album than I thought I did, and had a good time rocking out to them.  As a final note to self: don't play this in the car again, it encourages speeding.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP anyway


For more information go to http://www.thinlizzy.org/

Fu Manchu - In Search Of

YOURZ

Let's talk about ‘boy’ music, which, according to Mine, is exemplified by Fu Manchu. According to her, ‘boy’ music is big, dumb and loud, the sort of music where the lyrics don’t have much value apart from separating the riffage from the lead breaks. I can’t deny she's pretty much described this Californian quartet perfectly but why she sees this as a bad thing is beyond me.

With 1996’s In Search Of…, Fu Manchu’s manifesto continued to be about the important things in life – skating, fast cars, faster girls and substance-fuelled good times. And the formula must be a good one because they are still at it, having released their tenth studio album, Signs Of Infinite Power, late in 2009.

I was introduced to this band sometime in the mid-90’s. My memories of this period are somewhat hazy but I do remember hanging out at a friend’s place, smoking ridiculous amounts of pot and listening to lots of music, including Fu Manchu. But don’t ask me which album or even which songs. All I remember is stoner rock never sounded better. It still doesn’t.

These days, listening to this music only serves to remind me of how much I’ve forgotten. But man, we had a great time regardless.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP, dude and pass the bong...


MINE

Why bother? That's my first reaction listening to Fu Manchu and it hasn't worn off some days later. I mean, if I wanted to listen to Deep Purple or Black Sabbath circa 1975 or thereabouts, I would.

Not that I would, mind you. I spent entirely too much of the mid-70s listening to those bands because my girlfriends had older brothers who we wanted to hang around with - who wouldn't relinquish stereo rights. So listening to Fu Manchu just made me feel spotty and anxious. And like I wanted a menthol cigarette and to talk on the phone a lot.

But mostly I felt - bored. I mean, why do a bunch of Californian stoner boys want to make music like Thin Lizzy? Their mix is what YourZ calls "lo-fi" and I call "bad" - I can't understand more than about three words in any song because the vocals are buried. No, if I want to hear this sort of music made relevant for the 2000s I'll choose Wolfmother, thank you very much.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT


For more infornation: http://www.fu-manchu.com/

In our collection, we also have The Action Is Go, King Of The Road, Start The Machine and Signs Of Infinite Power