Vagabonds of the Western World
Cover art by Jim Fitzpatrick
Studio album by
Thin Lizzy
Released21 September 1973[1]
Recorded11 April – 19 July 1973[2][3]
StudioAIR Studios and Decca 4, London
Genre
Length39:59
LabelDecca
ProducerNick Tauber, Phil Lynott
Thin Lizzy chronology
Shades of a Blue Orphanage
(1972) 		Vagabonds of the Western World
(1973) 		Nightlife
(1974)

Vagabonds of the Western World is the third studio album by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 1973. It was the band's last album with original guitarist Eric Bell and the first to feature the artwork of Jim Fitzpatrick, whose work would appear on many subsequent albums by the band.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[5]
Pitchfork7.0/10[6]

Pitchfork reviewer Stuart Berman remarked how the band were "starting to kick out the jams with greater confidence and consistency" on this album, with Phil Lynott producing "the sound of a spiritually adrift musician ecstatically discovering his true calling" on "The Rocker". Berman also commented favourably on the "swinging" "Mama Nature Said", the "gorgeous soul serenade 'Little Girl in Bloom'" and the title song.[6] Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic described the album as Thin Lizzy's "first sonically satisfying album", with Lynott "brimming with attitude and dangerous swagger" on "The Rocker", their "first bona fide classic". He described "Little Girl in Bloom" as "absolutely flawless", and noted Eric Bell's slide guitar playing on the environmentalist "Mama Nature Said", but criticised "The Hero and the Madman" and "Slow Blues" as "overblown" and "tepid" respectively.[4] Canadian journalist Martin Popoff remarked on the album's "crusty sound quality and style-searching waywardness", mixing influences ranging from American blues, to Motown, to early metal. He rated Vagabonds of the Western World the lowest of all Thin Lizzy's albums for four tracks which "seem either simple and out-of-character or dated", "bearing scant few traces of the high class Lizzy imprint."[5]

Track listings

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mama Nature Said"Phil Lynott4:52
2."The Hero and the Madman"Lynott6:08
3."Slow Blues"Brian Downey, Lynott5:14
4."The Rocker"Eric Bell, Downey, Lynott5:12
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
5."Vagabond of the Western World"Lynott4:44
6."Little Girl in Bloom"Lynott5:12
7."Gonna Creep Up on You"Bell, Lynott3:27
8."A Song for While I'm Away"Lynott5:10

When the album was repackaged for CD in 1991, it included the respective A and B-sides of the two singles released at around the same time. "Whiskey in the Jar" was Lizzy's first hit.

1991 CD edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Whiskey in the Jar"Traditional; arranged by Bell, Downey, Lynott5:44
10."Black Boys on the Corner"Lynott3:21
11."Randolph's Tango"Lynott3:49
12."Broken Dreams"Bell, Downey, Lynott4:26
Total length:57:19

Remastered and expanded release

On 11 October 2010 Vagabonds of the Western World was reissued as a 2CD deluxe edition. This version was remastered with bonus tracks. The original album and bonus material is featured on disc 1, while disc 2 features bonus material.

Disc one bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
9."Randolph's Tango" 3:49
10."Broken Dreams" 4:26
11."The Rocker" (single version) 2:41
12."Here I Go Again" (B-side of the single "The Rocker")Lynott4:41
13."Cruising in the Lizzymobile" (originally "A Ride in the Lizzy Mobile", B-side of the German single "The Rocker")Bell4:07
14."Little Darling"Lynott2:55
15."Sitamoia"Downey3:20
16."Slow Blues" (1977 overdubbed and remixed version) 5:01
17."Randolph's Tango" (radio promo edit) 2:25
18."Whiskey in the Jar" (radio promo edit) 3:43
Total length:77:07
Disc two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Rocker" (BBC Radio One in Concert) 5:53
2."Things Ain't Working Out Down at the Farm" (BBC Radio One in Concert)Lynott7:32
3."Slow Blues" (BBC Radio One in Concert) 7:29
4."Gonna Creep Up on You" (BBC Radio One in Concert) 3:27
5."Suicide" (BBC Radio One in Concert)Lynott4:28
6."Vagabond of the Western World" (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) 4:27
7."Gonna Creep Up on You" (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) 3:22
8."Little Girl in Bloom" (BBC Radio One Rock On Session) 4:41
9."Sitamoia" (BBC Radio One Bob Harris Session) 3:45
10."Little Darling" (BBC Radio One Bob Harris Session) 3:05
11."Slow Blues" (BBC Radio One Bob Harris Session) 5:31
12."Showdown" (BBC Radio One Bob Harris Session)Lynott4:40
13."Black Boys on the Corner" (BBC Radio One John Peel Session) 4:12
Total length:60:32

Singles

In Germany, the B-side was "A Ride in the Lizzy Mobile".
In the USA, the B-side was "The Rocker".

Personnel

Thin Lizzy
Additional musicians
Production

References

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (2011). Fighting My Way Back: Thin Lizzy 69–76. Power Chord Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-9811057-5-8.
  2. ^ Vagabonds of the Western World. Alan Byrne. 20 September 2015. p. 50. ISBN 9780992948085. Retrieved 31 December 2022. sessions for what was to become Vagabonds of the Western World began in earnest on April 11
  3. ^ Vagabonds of the Western World. Alan Byrne. 20 September 2015. p. 53. ISBN 9780992948085. Retrieved 31 December 2022. the album was compiled and mixed over July17-19 but further work was done on "The Rocker
  4. ^ a b Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Thin Lizzy – Vagabonds of the Western World review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  5. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (October 2003). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 1: The Seventies. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. pp. 277–278. ISBN 978-1894959025.
  6. ^ a b Berman, Stuart (3 March 2015). "Thin Lizzy: Shades of a Blue Orphanage/Vagabonds of the Western World". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 March 2015.
  7. ^ a b c "The Irish Cahrts: search for Thin Lizzy". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Thin Lizzy Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
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