Though it's not of the best quality visually or sound wise, Are You Ready? is a must have DVD for fans of the legendary hard rock band Thin Lizzy. Shot in 1981 in Loreley, Germany for the TV series Rockpalast, this full show features a whopping 19 songs that span through most of Thin Lizzy's history up to that point. The line-up at this point in time featured new guitarist Snowy White, who replaced the departed Brian Robertson for a few years before John Sykes was brought in for the Thunder and Lightning album. Keyboard player Darren Wharton is also in the band at this time, joining Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Downey, and White. Twin guitar mastery and classic hard rock songs are in your immediate future once you pop this baby in your player!
There's lots of issues here with poor video quality and drop offs in sound, especially the guitars during the first few songs (at times, either White or Gorham will be almost inaudible), but things improve at least in the sound department a few songs in. The band is in fine form, especially the core members Lynott, Gorham, and Downey. Wharton you can hardly hear for most of the show, and White, despite being a fine player, seems to lack the aggressive style of predesessors Robertson and Gary Moore, though he does shine on the more bluesy numbers like "Sugar Blues" or "Baby Drives Me Crazy". He also has an almost bored look on his face which is kind of unsettling, especially when your guitar partner across the stage Scott Gorham is completely fired up. Gorham plays like a man on a mission here, perhaps feeling that with Robertson out of the band that he can really shine in the face of the more reserved White. The always charasmatic Lynott has the crowd in the palm of his hand, leading the band through such classics as "Jailbreak", "Genocide", "Don't Believe a Word", "Chinatown", "Hollywood", "Cowboy Song", and of course, "The Boys Are Back in Town". The close of the set is supercharged, with stellar versions of "Rosalie", "Desaster" (which is actually "Angel of Death") and "Emerald" (a rousing version despite some out of tune guitar) closing things out in fine fashion.
Even with a strong and long set list, there are a few questionable clunkers in the set, such as the generic "Trouble Boys", "Memory Pain", and "Sugar Blues"-where's "Massacre" guys? And there's a feeling you get when watching Phil sing "Got to Give It Up" that is all too chilling, seeing as how drugs and alcohol lead to his death a few years later. Such as shame that this great talent left us all too early at age 36, but at least we have a great body of recorded work and a fun visual document in this DVD.
Track Listing
- Are You Ready?
- Genocide
- Waiting For An Alibi
- Jailbreak
- Trouble Boys
- Don't Believe A Word
- Memory Pain
- Got To Give It Up
- Chinatown
- Hollywood
- Cowboy Song
- The Boys Are Back In Town
- Suicide
- Black Rose
- Sugar Blues
- Baby Drives Me Crazy
- Rosalie
- Desaster
- Emerald
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