By 1980, Thin Lizzy had undergone countless line-up changes. At this point, the guitar spots were filled by the venerable Scott Gorham and the much maligned "Snowy White". Although Snowy was certainly never a great fit for Lizzy, he did a fairly decent job in my humble opinion. First up is "We Will Be Strong", a fairly optimistic about never giving up (something I'm sure Phil Lynott was considering for Lizzy at this point). Not a Lizzy classic, but the classic twin guitars are in effects and the song really drives along with a fairly fast beat and soaring chorus. The title track is next. "Chinatown" is perhaps the most remembered song from this album. Telling tales of shady back-alleys, criminal activity, and getting into trouble in alleys, the song is a classic Lynott tribute to the outlaw life that shaped much of Lizzy's style and songwriting. The song swaggers along with a chunky verse riff, but stumbles with a pointless and boring chorus. Former lead guitarist "Gary Moore" is sorely missed on this tune. While the twin leads impress and the solos moderately dazzle, Moore and certainly earlier guitarist Brian Robertson always packed in the danger and punch characteristic of Lizzy solos.
"Sweetheart" is next. Turning up the distortion, it shows that Chinatown is a remarkable loud album. Basically a pop song wrapped in metallic leather, the song exemplifies Lynott himself. Hard on the outside, but soft and poetic on the inside. But the contrast is a bit much on this song, and it feels confused and causes too stark a contrast between hard music and soft and sweet lyrics. Lead guitars are quite nice, but overpower Lynott's bass and even vocals at times. Not great. "Sugar Blues" is probably one of my least favorite Lizzy tunes. Sounding rushed and very jammy, the song feels unfinished. For me, without Gary Moore, Lizzy struggled to write blues songs that really hit the mark musically. "Killer on the Loose" was a single from the album. It failed to make an impact, and I can see why. Snowy White seems to be going through the motions on this track, and the guitars fail to impress. Also, after years of hard-living and substance abuse, you can start to hear Lynott's voice showing the signs of the damage he was doing to his body. His voice is hoarse on this track, and lacks the grit and strength of earlier albums.
"Having a Good Time" was certainly the band philosophy of Thin Lizzy at this time. Basically a celebration of the rock n' roll lifestyle, it is obviously a fun song and a great party anthem. Slightly sad given the conditions of Lynott's death, but a great party song. My only issue is the solo, Snowy shows his limitations, and shows that pop music was really more his thing. "Genocide" is easily the best song on the album, and a true classic. Telling of the dangers of animal extinction, a hard riff and killer vocals set the tone perfectly. Solos kick the crap out of any other song on the album, and shows a return to form after some pretty boring and laid back songs. Great song. "Didn't I" basically tries to repeat 'Still In Love With You", and is a fairly generic sounding weeper about lost love. The song sounds quite dated with Darren Wharton's cheap-sounding synthesizers backing up a crooning Lynott. Not a fav of mine. The album closes with "Hey You", a fairly decent rocker about isolation and persecution, something that Lynott certainly experienced being one of the small amount Afro-Irish people in his country. Pretty good song, with crunchy guitars and fairly angry lyrics.
Chinatown is not Thin Lizzy's best album, not even close. But no Thin Lizzy album really blows, and this is no exception. The main issues are the mix (guitars are too high in the mix), the rushed nature of the album, and the addition of less than stellar Snowy White to the line-up. If your looking for a killer Lizzy album, go with "Vagabonds of the Western World" or "Fighting" instead of this also-ran. Not bad, but below par for Ireland's greatest rock band.
Rating-6.5/10
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