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Jailbreak, Thin Lizzy's fifth and best American album, culminates their assimilation of various rock influences into a hard-edged, self-assured style. Guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson have incorporated stylistic tricks from Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townshend into an Allmans-like attack that works equally well on the gutsy title song and the soft rocker, "Fight or Fall." Bassist/writer/vocalist Phil Lynott's full-bodied voice is occasionally a dead ringer for Bruce Springsteen's. For example, "The Boys Are Back in Town" resembles a hard-rock "Kitty's Back," right down to the whispered "the boys are back." Like his melodies, Lynott's vocals are engaging, performed with enough
Read More spirit to hide Thin Lizzy's prime weakness: lyrics. Jailbreak rehashes the dead horse motif of rocker as outlaw, producing some embarrassingly thin and pretentious writing. "Cowboy Song," despite its sprightly twin-lead guitar work, is the prime casualty, but lines like "Oh, poor Romeo, sitting all on his owneo," threaten to unhinge the melodically compelling "Romeo and the Lonely Girl" as well. (RS 214) JOHN MILWARD Jailbreak is the record for which Thin Lizzy is best remembered. Packed from top to bottom with songs that became radio hits (and still see constant airtime in classic rock formats), Phil Lynott was at the peak of his powers as a songwriter, guitarist and arranger. "Cowboy Song" is awesome, and that Thin Lizzy twin guitar sound is all over the place. | 
