Bad Reputation Songs Ranked
Bad Reputation is the eighth studio album by the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 1977. As the front cover suggests, most of the tracks feature only three-quarters of the band, with guitarist Brian Robertson only credited on three tracks. He had missed most of their previous tour, following a hand injury sustained in a brawl, and this album turned out to be his last studio effort with Thin Lizzy. On 27 June 2011, a new remastered and expanded version of Bad Reputation was released. Thin Lizzy’s usual cover artist, Jim Fitzpatrick, did not contribute to the cover of Bad Reputation, after a misunderstanding between himself and Lynott. With the deadline for the submission of the cover drawing near, Lynott travelled to the US to meet Fitzpatrick at his home in Madison, Connecticut but went to Madison, Wisconsin by mistake. Unable to meet with Fitzpatrick in time, Lynott agreed to use an image by Sutton Cooper which featured the band as a trio, without Robertson. Here are all of Bad Reputation songs ranked.
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9. Dear Lord
“Dear Lord ends the album with a flourish. All echoey and grand. Tony Visconti must have wanted that orchestral feel. It works to an effect, then the song fades in like a Solid Gold episode back from commercial and we’ve returned to the late 70s.”
8. Downtown Sundown
“Whats really interesting is here, there isn’t one ballad or slow song, whatever you wanna call it in the bands prime years body of work that you could call bad. Lynott was a true master of writing beautifully emotionally touching songs. But Downtown Sundown actually isn’t one of his best songs, there’s some nice delicate guitar work in it and it does work pretty well but it doesnt quite tug at your heartstrings the way Fight Or Fall, Old Flame, Borderline or The Wild One could.”
7. Dancing in the Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight)
“Dancing In The Moonlight gets that boogie woogie snap your fingers tilt. Add some saxophone and where are we? Is this a Thin Lizzy album? Yes it is. Great little offshoot.”
See more: Thin Lizzy Albums Ranked
6. Opium Trail
“Opium Trail continues the harder edged stuff. A fast paced rocker that is sort of strange in that it pretty much demonstrates Phil’s growing fascination with heroin. But nonetheless the song rips. “
5. Soldier of Fortune
“This was a turning point for them. Bad Reputation is an overall darker album and if you like dark, this is one for you. Starting off with Soldier Of Fortune, it has another preachy intro with that soundtrack style whirlwind of sound in the background before those awesome twin guitar lines come in and remind us, this is Thin Lizzy, we are going to rock.”
4. Bad Reputation
“The title track. It just cooks, it’s a monster of a song and qualifies as heavy metal, for probably one of the few times in the bands catalog until they would do Thunder & Lightning in 1983. This song is pure attitude and has some blitzkrieg Brian Downey drum work and a slightly more mid shifting (serious to more melodic uptempo) lead lines, it’s actually kinda brilliant and how they combine 2 different moods in one song. It’s a masterful Thin Lizzy track.”
See more: Thin Lizzy Songs Ranked
3. South Bound
“Southbound is another Boys Are Back In Town clone, but its still a great semi ballad/light rocker. Very melodic and pretty, although it does suffer from slight over production.”
2. Killer Without a Cause
“Killer Without A Cause roughs you up some more with some blistering guitar work. The main riff is just okay, a minor highlight but there’s sections of great lead work and in the 2nd verse the song changes vibes and adds some acoustic guitar work behind the electric riff that really helps the song rise above what could’ve been a pedestrian track.”
1. That Woman’s Gonna Break Your Heart
“That Woman’s Gonna Break Your Heart is another of the tried and true light rockers that were one of 3 main styles you find on any Lizzy album. It’s got a good dark vibe balanced with some fine acoustic punctuated with electric guitar work, but it doesn’t have a prime main riff.”