Thin Lizzy: Jailbreak 12"

Charged by the creative force of Phil Lynott, legendary Irish hard-rockers Thin Lizzy combined working class romanticism and Irish folk law with piercing dual-guitar lines. Like artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, Lynott was a poet of the downtrodden who helped break down racial stereotypes in rock and became one of the most influential front men in hard rock and heavy metal. Originally issued in 1976, Jailbreak is Thin Lizzy's sixth studio album and commercial breakthrough in the U.S. thanks to the omnipresent hit singles "Jailbreak" and "The Boys Are Back in Town." Arguably the band's finest, Jailbreak is simultaneously tough and touching, barbarous and balletic. If Lynott's poetic pretensions sometimes seep through, most of the album shows off his effortless command of power and economy. If heavy rock has a tendency to wrestle each song to the ground with brute force, Thin Lizzy were uniquely capable of the quick kill, the knockout punch, graceful as a boxer or bullfighter. Jailbreak is a testament to that.