Lizzy Goes Brains Over Braun

The choice of repertoire is more or less predictable. There are no lesser known arias, and Gott sei Dank they have been grouped by opera but, within the operas, not in the order of appearance. The ordering of the operas seems haphazard, too. "What an ungrateful nit-picker!" I can hear readers mumble. "Of course they have decided the order to achieve as much variety as possible". But I am not so sure. Why, in that case, start the recital, after the Zauberflöte overture with two arias in a row sung by Russell Braun?

The choice of repertoire is more or less predictable. There are no lesser known arias, and Gott sei Dank they have been grouped by opera but, within the operas, not in the order of appearance. The ordering of the operas seems haphazard, too. "What an ungrateful nit-picker!" I can hear readers mumble. "Of course they have decided the order to achieve as much variety as possible". But I am not so sure. Why, in that case, start the recital, after the Zauberflöte overture with two arias in a row sung by Russell Braun?

Recorded during Thin Lizzy's first Australian tour in 1978 (at a huge festival), Boys Are Back In Town was released for the first time in America through Rhino nearly 20 years after the actual concert (it was available as a Japanese import for years). The tour featured the Black Rose line-up of Lizzy - singer/bassist Phil Lynott, plus guitarists Scott Gorham and Gary Moore - but regular drummer Brian Downey was replaced by session-man Mark Nauseef for the shows (Downey remained behind to sort out 'personal problems' and would later re-join).

1989 should have been a colossal year for Lizzy Borden. The L.A. band's last album, 1987's 'Visual Lies' was still buzzing in the underground and its "Me Against the World" single was a fixture on MTV's Headbanger's Ball. The stage was set for the band's next release to take them to the level at which groups like Queensrÿche and Megadeth rested. But instead of recording another album filled with straight-forward metal anthems, Lizzy Borden unleashed a completely different type of animal on us.

Although Enigma Records was better known for its connection to the mid-'80s Paisley Underground scene (Rain Parade, Game Theory, etc.), the Los Angeles-based indie was also among the first to document the rebirth of glam metal, which overtook the L.A. club scene at the same time, by issuing the first album by Mötley Crüe, Poison, and others. The glam-poppy Lizzy Borden was also ran in the hair metal sweepstakes, but its debut album, 1985's Love You to Pieces, holds up better than many other documents from the era. The packaging, complete with faux-goth band logo and the requisite hot big-haired chick in lingerie, is crushingly obvious, and the entire album flirts with cliché.

Extremely limited eight disc (seven CDs plus DVD) collection of rare recordings from the Irish rockers. This release is collated from all of the BBC owned Lizzy recordings that still exist in the archive and charts the inexorable rise of the band: from the first steps as a three piece on the Decca label, to the glory days as one of the greatest live acts of all time. This collection brings together a raft of sessions and live recordings form throughout the band's career including the last concert with Phil Lynott from the Reading festival in 1983. Included also is a DVD of the bands sought after appearances on Top of the Pops and the Old Grey Whistle Test a well as concerts from throughout the band's career. This is a first for the band as these recordings have never been available in one place before. With comprehensive notes by Classic Rock's Malcolm Dome who tells the story of the bands history at the BBC.

"A "comeback" of sorts for Lizzy and the crew, and he hasn't missed a beat. His smooth-ranged voice hasn't lost a bit over the past ten-plus years, as there's a little Bruce Dickinson, some Seb Bach, and more. If not for the "shock" factor of his overall image and career, Lizzy could very well have filled the lead vocal slot for a number of metal bands over the past decade– Maiden and Skids included.
There is a solid late '80s/early '90s metal feel to the release, and the writing smacks with a certain non-chalant feel, ala Blackie Lawless and Dee Snider, perhaps. (metal-reviews.com)