Search - Thin Lizzy :: Definitive Collection

Not Bad

Dr. Robert | Oneonta, AL USA | 06/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"'The Definitive Collection' is the second career-spanning single-disc Thin Lizzy compilation released in the U.S. (or at least the second that is easy to find in stores). The other, 'Dedication,' was released in 1991. They're both pretty similar, although there are a few noticable differences. Here's some of the goods and the bads of 'The Definitive Collection':



GOOD

- Although Lizzy may not have become a superstar act during their twelve year career, they were, in my opinion, just as good as a Led Zeppelin or an Aerosmith. You get sixteen choice tracks from them on this disc.

- In addition to the obvious hits like "Whisky In The Jar" and "The Boys Are Back In Town," there are a few somewhat obscure classics from the early years present, such as the Allmans-style blues number "Still In Love With You."

- This collection includes the live version of Seger's "Rosalie," which is far superior to the studio version (I believe 'Dedication' has the studio cut).

- All tracks are digitally remastered, resulting in an overall much better sound quality than the first compilation.



BAD

- Although all of the songs here are good, there are a few I would trade for. I was really dissapointed not to see "Black Rose" here; many fans consider it to be the band's finest hour.

- There are no tracks from the 'Thunder And Lightning' album, which featured the master John Sykes on guitar.



I would advise casual fans to go ahead and go for this one, but if you want to dig deeper into Thin Lizzy, see if you've got the extra cash for the two-disc 'Greatest Hits' anthology or the five "classic" albums ('Jailbreak,' 'Johnny The Fox,' 'Bad Reputation,' 'Live & Dangerous,' and 'Black Rose')."

Yeah, I know this is good, but...

Erick Bertin | Santo Domingo, Heredia Costa Rica | 09/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"But it is not GREAT!! And it could have (should have!) been great! Of course, you can't possibly ask for more bang for the buck (I mean, this CD is less than $10...), but...Thin Lizzy is an awesome, often overlooked band from the seventies driven by the great, late Phil Lynott, that essentially invented the dual guitar attack that was later adopted by countless hard rock/heavy metal acts (Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Skid Row, Def Leppard, etc), even though Thin Lizzy themselves remained firmly rooted in the terrain of hard rock.



Therefore, their impact and influence in heavy music has been deep. They probably never achieved the same level of success in the U.S as in other parts of the world (with the exception of the immortal track "The Boys are back in town"), Europe especially, and that explains why the compilations released stateside have been...let's say, flawed... At this point, there is not a proper career spanning compilation released in the U.S that makes justice to the band's full body of work (there is, however, an expensive european 2 CD counterpart that does the job...just so you know).



Anyway...if you are looking for an introduction to Thin Lizzy, this could be a good place to start (even though it completely bypasses the second half of the band's career): all the tracks are great, my personal favorites being "Waiting for an Alibi" and "Don't believe a word", both featuring awesome guitar work and Phil's undeniably catchy and endearing lyrics and vocals. But my personal recommendation is that you spend a little more and get the other stateside compilation, "Dedication", simply because it includes two additional tracks that are worth the extra cash..."

Not bad, but not good, get Dedication if you can only afford

Pans Labyrinth | 01/07/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"IMO, the greatest band to ever grace a stage was Thin Lizzy. I love alot of music, Zeppelin, Free, Deep Purple on and on, but Thin Lizzy does it for me. Tops. None higher than Phil Lynott. This cd has alot, but it's just a reissue of Dedication minus She Knows and Fighting My Way back, which are both excellent. But you get Jailbreak, The Boys are back in Town, Chinatown, Bad Reputation, Still In Love with You, and 11 others. I personally like all of their albums, Johnny the Fox and Black Rose being the best, but if you are new to Lizzy try this. After you are mesmerized...and you will be, just go ahead and seek out (the 4 cd box) Vagabonds Kings Warriors Angels plus get Live and Dangerous. You will not regret it oneiotta"