Chinatown
Chinatown finds Thin Lizzy welcoming Snowy White and joining Phil Lynott’s story-shaped vocal to a smoother twin-guitar feel.
Spotify
Track List
- We Will Be Strong
- Chinatown
- Sweetheart
- Sugar Blues
- Killer on the Loose
- Having a Good Time
- Genocide (The Killing of the Buffalo)
- Didn't I
- Hey You
Liner Notes
Chinatown is Thin Lizzy's tenth album, on which they moved forward with a new lineup, layering the fluidity of their twin guitars with urban shading. Following Gary Moore's departure, Snowy White, the former touring guitarist of Pink Floyd, joined. Darren Wharton, then 18, came in on keyboards, adding new color to the band's sound. White had played second lead alongside David Gilmour on Pink Floyd's The Wall tour, and gelled well with Gorham. Recording took place at Good Earth Studios in London.
Tense songs line up, from the title track "Chinatown" to the divisive single "Killer on the Loose." Based on Jack the Ripper, "Killer on the Loose" became a UK Top 10 hit despite the controversy it stirred. The guitars of Gorham and White keep their old-time shine. The album reached No. 7 in the UK, a solid step forward under the new lineup. It came at a time when Lynott was slipping deeper into drugs, yet the band's twin-guitar appeal remained intact. A record where tension and flamboyance coexist.