Latest news with #ThinLizzy
Extra.ie
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
On this day in 1977: Thin Lizzy released 'Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)'
On July 29, 1977, Thin Lizzy released 'Dancing In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In Its Spotlight)' – a 'delicious evocation of life as a teenager, coming of age in Dublin during the 1960s,' as Hot Press editor Niall Stokes once described it. The single went on to feature on the band's acclaimed eighth album, Bad Reputation, which they produced with the legendary Tony Visconti, and released that September. To mark 'Dancing in the Moonlight's anniversary, we're sharing some special reflections on the track… 'We were 16 when we formed the band, and we were trying to learn other people's songs – and we weren't very good at it. Occasionally, one would speak to us. I remember us trying to work out 'Don't Believe A Word', and I couldn't understand exactly what he meant. 'Don't believe me when I tell ya/Not a word of this is true/Don't believe me when I tell ya/I'm in love with you' – just a great lyric device. We tried playing that, just murdered that one. 'They were such good songs to murder. 'The Boys Are Back In Town', we murdered that one. We still play that one in soundcheck. 'Dancing In The Moonlight', we play that one in soundcheck too, that's so beautiful. So Van Morrison… '…People always refer to [the line in 'Dancing In The Moonlight'] 'chocolate stains on my pants'. There's a lot of reference to the cinema in his lyrics and going to the cinema. I think that actually formed his view of the world, the way he talks about the Stella in 'Shades Of A Blue Orphanage'. And, yeah, a poetic spirit through and through.' 'That one took a bit of time. That's the third version of it. It started to develop its own atmosphere, and then I realised that the best thing was to pull the vocal right back. To me, it's like you're singing it to yourself on that walk home; there's much more solitude in the song. The lyrics are just incredible, it's one evocative image after the next. 'People forget that side of Phil Lynott. They see the guy in the leather pants playing the bass, but they forget how great he was at writing lyrics. I think that's why I've always identified with him. There was this real loner at the heart of it all.' 'There may have been many Phil Lynotts, but any Dubliner must always come back to one memory that will forever celebrate and redeem him. The sight of Lynott and Thin Lizzy that 1977 night in Dalymount Park when he and his band were momentarily kings of the city and we all left beneath the blessing of the floodlights, internally singing 'Dancing in the Moonlight'…'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Robin George: Remembering the 'most overlooked' rock guitar great
Once heralded as the next greatest rock guitarist and touted as a member of Duran Duran and Thin Lizzy, but due "cruel twists of fate", fame always eluded Robin George. The artist, who died last year, is remembered by a dedicated group of fans and a new book which charts his career highs, as well as the catalogue of bad breaks that plagued it. Featured on the front cover of Kerrang! magazine, described as "The Axe of Tomorrow" with a lauded debut album and collaborations with Phil Lynott and Robert Plant, George had all the ingredients to be a huge star. But it was never to be. The Wolverhampton-born musician was one of the most "insanely" talented guitarists ever, said author Martin Tracey, "but also one of the most overlooked". He suffered so many bad breaks, he added, "including studio thefts, industry collapses, the tragic loss of key collaborators"."Which all conspired to keep true global fame agonisingly just out of reach," Mr Tracey said. George's musical career started at the Smithy studios in Worcester, where he worked as a session guitarist as well as producer and engineer. It was there he would meet musicians such as Roy Wood, founder member of The Move and ELO, as well as members of the rock band Magnum. He was the "full package," Mr Tracey added, "including the chiselled good looks"."But there came a point where he wanted to make his own mark."A first album, released in 1985, Dangerous Music, and single Heartline was seemingly shortly after its release his record label Bronze Records collapsed, hampering the album's distribution."That was his first bit of bad luck." George was then courted by Birmingham band Duran Duran as a possible replacement for John Taylor, with headlines in the Sun newspaper to that effect, Mr Tracey said. "There were journalists camping in his garden from the tabloids in his little cottage in Wolverhampton."But I think he was too true to his own sound and his own principles around rock music, so didn't go for it." His next collaboration was with Phil Lynott in star was at the time a solo artist but had wanted to reform Thin Lizzy, eyeing a spot for George. The pair performed together on TV in a Razamatazz Christmas Special on 18 also wrote and recorded an album's worth of songs together, the author said."It was coming up to Christmas and Phil said he wanted to take the tape home to make some changes, but then, in January, Robin takes a phone call telling him Phil had sadly passed away, which devastated him." Lynott died in January 1986 from heart failure aged only 36, after years of alcohol and drug addiction."The one and only tape, which was in Phil's possession, went with him," Mr Tracey an interview years later, George claimed he had tracked the tape down, although the owner refused to part with it. Another collaboration, with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant, also ended in disaster. "There was a lot of songs written and recorded, but there was a theft in the studio, and the tapes got stolen, along with some instruments," said Mr Tracey."He thinks the tapes were just binned."Both artists were massive in Wolverhampton at the time. One fan recalled seeing them together in a local pub, the author said."He told me he and his mate walked into the Hollybush and they were sitting together, and his mate went, 'there's Robin George, there's Robin George', and they never even thought 'oh, he's sitting next to Robert Plant.'" His fans "meant the world to him," added the author. One, Richard Jennings, described seeing the George play at Newcastle Polytechnic's students union "We were part of the poly's Rock Soc (society), and someone came up with the idea of asking him to be the club's president," he the gig "we went and knocked on the door of what would be classed as the green room, and he was just such a nice guy, very accommodating, and nothing was too much trouble. "And he accepted, it was a bit of a buzz for us to have such a cool guy rock guitarist as an honorary president."Years later Mr Jennings reconnected with the musician via social media, describing him as a "cracking guy" who was always happy to Earl had also seen a live show in the 1980s, again reconnecting with the artist on Facebook 10 years ago. "It was just a delightful relationship really, you asked him a question and he would get back to you immediately with an honest answer," he said. George continued making music after moving with his wife Debbie to Spain, where he died in April 2024 aged 68."He faced his illness like he faced the knock backs in his career, where he would just dust himself down, and get back up," added Mr Tracey."He was such a resilient man, I've never known anyone with that sort of drive to just keep going again."Announcing his death, his family said: "He was devastated when he was no longer able to play his beloved guitars but he continued to write songs, do interviews, make videos and tell his story here on Facebook and through his biography."He desperately wanted his music to live on because music was in his heart and soul. Robin leaves behind his adored wife, four beloved children, two beautiful sisters, nine lovely grandchildren, many dear friends and the animal family that he rescued over the years." Heartline: The Authorised Biography of Robin George is available as a paperback and e book via the author. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Fans to gather to mark 20th anniversary of unveiling Phil Lynott statue in Dublin
Thin Lizzy fans will gather in Dublin this August to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the unveiling of a statue dedicated to the memory of the band's late front man Phil Lynott. The 2.4 metre bronze commemoration of the singer was unveiled on the city's Harry Street, off Grafton Street, on 19 August 2005 on what would have been his 56th birthday by Lynott's late mother Philomena. It was an emotional day and marked the culmination of many years of hard work for the woman who had dedicated her life to her son's memory and legacy. On the day, she said, "I'm the proudest woman in the land." Sculpted by Paul Daly, the statue was erected outside Bruxelles Bar in 2005 and hundreds turned up to witness the unveiling. It was commissioned and paid for by the Róisín Dubh trust, which was set up to commemorate the life and work of the singer, who passed away aged 36 in January 1986. The unveiling was also attended by Lynott former Skid Row band mate Brush Shiels and guitarist Gary Moore. The statue has since become a Dublin landmark and a site of pilgrimage to rock fans from all over the world. On 23 August, The Phil Lynott Convention will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the day, with events starting at 1pm with an open invite to gather at the statue to sing and read poetry. There will also be a visit the city's Rock and Roll Museum for a guided tour of their Phil Lynott collection. There will then be music and stories in The Halfpenny Bridge from 4pm and live music at The Grand Social on Liffey Street from Swedish band Philomania, who have been playing Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy music since the 1990s. The line-up also includes Rory Gallagher tribute act Deuce and Thin Lizzy tribute act Falling Hazard, who will be recording a song especially written for Phil Lynott and the forthcoming rock opera The Warrior. in 2013, the Phil Lynott statue was knocked from its plinth and damaged by two men, who later presented themselves to gardaí in relation to the incident. It was also damaged by a motorist in 2015.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Following significant rate hikes, bonds are back in the game
Guess who just got back today Them wild-eyed boys that had been away Haven't changed, had much to say But man, I still think them cats are crazy The boys are back in town —Thin Lizzy Government bonds: The gift that (usually) keeps on giving Historically, bonds have provided investors with two main benefits. First, their yields have provided a reasonable, if unspectacular return. Second, they have offered diversification value, muting overall portfolio losses during bear markets. By owning high quality bonds, you got paid for protecting your portfolio during times of market turmoil, which is akin to receiving (rather than paying) a premium for fire insurance — a remarkably sweet deal indeed. However, these benefits have historically ranged from significant to nonexistent, depending on the investment environment. A bear market sedative As the accompanying table illustrates, in five of the six equity bear markets before that of 2022, bonds provided investors with much needed gains, thereby mitigating the overall damage to their portfolios. During the tech wreck of the early 2000s, a balanced portfolio that was 60 per cent weighted in the S&P 500 and 40 per cent weighted in seven- to 10-year U.S. Treasuries declined 16.41 per cent, as compared with a fall of 42.46 per cent for the all-stock portfolio. In the global financial crisis (GFC) of 2007-2009, the balanced portfolio lost 23.92 per cent versus a loss of 45.76 per cent in equities. The ZIRP era and the erosion of bond powers During the GFC, central banks entered hyper-stimulus mode to stave off a collapse of the global financial system and avoid a worldwide depression. ZIRP (zero interest rate policy) stances became the norm for monetary authorities around the world, with rates remaining at historically low levels for the next 14 years. Although stimulative policies were successful in making the recession less severe than would have otherwise been the case, they also robbed bonds of their two key attributes. First, high quality bonds ceased to offer reasonable yields. Second, ultra low rates also limited the ability of bonds to provide capital gains during times of equity market turmoil, thereby hindering their diversification value. In 2016, Pacific Investment Management Co. co-founder and 'Bond King' Bill Gross commented that to repeat the bond market's 7.5 per cent annualized return over the past 40 years, yields would have to drop to negative 17 per cent. The math just didn't work. A clear warning sign As the saying goes, 'Hindsight is 20/20.' It is easy to understand what should have been done after an event has already happened, even if it was not obvious at the time. However, market behaviour during the COVID crash offered a clear warning that all was not well in bond land. The accompanying table compares countries by their pre-pandemic short-term rates and the returns of their 10-year government bonds during the subsequent bear market. There is a near perfect relationship across countries in terms of where their short-term rates stood prior to the pandemic and the subsequent return of their 10-year bonds. In the countries that initially had relatively high short-term rates, such as the U.S., Canada and Norway, 10-year bonds produced substantial gains and mitigated the damage caused by the vicious decline in stocks. In countries that started with rates that were neither relatively high nor low, such as the U.K. and Australia, 10-year bonds provided some, albeit lower, amounts of protection. Lastly, in countries that started with the lowest rates, such as Sweden, Japan, Germany and Switzerland, not only did government bonds fail to mitigate stock losses but their returns actually declined. Given the strong correlation between where pre-COVID rates stood in different countries and the subsequent ability of their bond markets to offset stock market losses, it was clear there was little, if any, gas left in the tank in the post-COVID world of zero rates, leaving investors largely unprotected. From hedge to Texas hedge Post-COVID, not only did ultra-low rates obliterate the insurance value of bond holdings, but the unprecedented amounts of monetary and fiscal stimulus that had been injected into the global economy left bonds particularly vulnerable to capital losses. Against this backdrop, when the rubber of stimulus hit the road of inflation in early 2022, central banks were forced to raise rates at a clip not seen since the Volcker era of the 1980s, resulting in painful declines in bond prices. Canadians snap up most U.S. bonds since 2023 TD Bank uses automation to trade more bonds In livestock trading, a Texas hedge refers to a scenario where cattle ranchers buy cattle futures contracts despite already owning cattle, thereby doubling their risk exposure. In 2022, when fears of a Fed-induced recession caused stock prices to tank, bonds not only failed to provide diversification but acted as a Texas hedge, declining alongside stocks. From early August 2020 through late October 2022, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond index suffered a peak-trough loss of 18.5 per cent. Bonds are back in the game Following the most significant rate hiking cycle in decades, bonds are once again 'back in the game.' They offer reasonable yields, thereby restoring their prospects for delivering moderate returns, decreasing their risk and enhancing their diversification value. Given these resurgent qualities, bonds once again constitute a valuable component of many investors' portfolios. Noah Solomon is chief investment officer at Outcome Metric Asset Management LP. _____________________________________________________________ If you like this story, sign up for the FP Investor Newsletter.
Irish Independent
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
The Indo Daily: Self Aid: How Ireland tried to sing its way out of unemployment
Forty years later, Live Aid is remembered as a cultural and humanitarian high point – a moment when music tried to change the world. But in Ireland, it sparked a very different idea. Less than a year after Live Aid, Dublin hosted Self Aid. This wasn't about famine relief in Africa. It was about Ireland's own wounds: rampant unemployment, economic stagnation and a generation losing faith. The goal was to rally support, raise funds and – perhaps more importantly – raise morale. It featured the biggest names in Irish music: U2, The Boomtown Rats, Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy. It was the first and only concert of its kind in Ireland But did it work? Today on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Tony Boland, former music director at RTÉ, and by Tony O'Brien, former Irish Independent journalist and now media consultant, to go back to the day Ireland staged its own Live Aid – and ask why, nearly 40 years on, Self Aid still raises eyebrows.
