4:00
Black Rose: A Rock Legend, 1979
Written by Scott Gorham, Phil Lynott, and Gary Moore
One of the most punk-adjacent cuts in Thin Lizzy's catalog, this song bursts open with slashing guitars that could've come straight from the Sex Pistols (Phil Lynott's mates, and kindred spirits in attitude if not in polish). The guitars are hard edged, Brian Downey's drumming snaps like a snare in an alley, while Lynott spits his lines with the rhythmic swagger of a boxer turned street poet. "Like a rat in a pack it attacks / From the back / Through a crack in a track / And you take a smack." The song paints a grimy cityscape, a Lou Reed vignette refitted with power chords and defiant Irish soul. The chorus crashes in over a dependable "Louie Louie" chord, a gang chant that feels both desperate and triumphant. Then Moore detonates a furious solo, full of sharp bends and molten tone, showing he was such a natural (albeit brief) fit for Lizzy's mix of toughness and melody.
No comments:
Post a Comment