Shades of a Blue Orphanage
Studio album by
Thin Lizzy
Released10 March 1972[1]
Recorded17 December 1971 - January 1972 [2]
StudioDe Lane Lea Studios, Wembley, London
Genre
Length40:09
LabelDecca
ProducerNick Tauber
Thin Lizzy chronology
Thin Lizzy
(1971) 		Shades of a Blue Orphanage
(1972) 		Vagabonds of the Western World
(1973)

Shades of a Blue Orphanage is the second studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 1972. The title is a combination of the members' previous bands: Shades of Blue and Orphanage.

"Sarah" was written for Phil Lynott's grandmother who raised him when his mother, Philomena, was unable to do so. This song should not be confused with the 1979 song of the same name, for Lynott's daughter, included on Black Rose: A Rock Legend.

A remastered and expanded version of Shades of a Blue Orphanage was released on 11 October 2010.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[4]
Pitchfork6.3/10[5]

Stuart Berman of Pitchfork stated that Thin Lizzy "weren’t lacking ambition at this stage, but rather direction", criticizing songs such as the album opener for its "early, clumsy stab at heaviosity from a band that, at this point, had a much better grasp of intimacy", but praising "Lynott’s lyrical voice" as a "sturdy anchor" to the band's output.[5] Martin Popoff defined Shades of a Blue Orphanage "a honest work", showing hints of Lynott's folk acoustic past, "some '60s-directed progressive psychedelia and even out of context rockabilly" typical of such early 1970s rock records.[4] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic was largely critical of the album, describing it as "disappointing", and both the opening track and the title track as "overblown and disjointed". However, he picked out "Baby Face" and "Buffalo Gal" as bright moments, and praised Lynott's "eloquent and personal" performance on "Sarah".[3]

Track listings

All tracks are written by Phil Lynott, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Rise and Dear Demise of the Funky Nomadic Tribes"Lynott, Eric Bell, Brian Downey7:06
2."Buffalo Gal" 5:30
3."I Don't Want to Forget How to Jive" 1:46
4."Sarah" 2:59
5."Brought Down" 4:19
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Baby Face"3:27
7."Chatting Today"4:19
8."Call the Police"3:37
9."Shades of a Blue Orphanage"7:06
Remastered CD edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Whiskey in the Jar" (full-length version)Traditional; arranged by Lynott, Bell, Downey5:45
11."Black Boys on the Corner" (B-Side of the single "Whiskey in the Jar") 3:24
12."Buffalo Gal" (1977 overdubbed and remixed version) 5:10
13."Sarah" (1977 overdubbed and remixed version) 2:47
14."Brought Down" (1977 overdubbed and remixed version) 3:06
15."Suicide" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session) 4:03
16."Black Boys on the Corner" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session) 3:07
17."Saga of the Ageing Orphan" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session) 3:39
18."Whiskey in the Jar" (BBC Radio 1 John Peel Session) 5:55
Total length:77:05

Singles

Personnel

Thin Lizzy
Additional musicians
Production

References

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (2011). Fighting My Way Back: Thin Lizzy 69–76. Power Chord Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-9811057-5-8.
  2. ^ Byrne, Alan (20 September 2015). Shades of a Blue Orphanage. Soundcheck Books. ISBN 9780992948085.
  3. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Thin Lizzy - Shades of a Blue Orphanage review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
  4. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 277. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  5. ^ a b Berman, Stuart (3 March 2015). "Thin Lizzy: Shades of a Blue Orphanage/Vagabonds of the Western World". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 March 2015.

External links

Thin Lizzy
Authority control databases
Categories