Ted Leo/Thin Lizzy comparisons

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Most of the reviews/interviews I've read since the release of "Hearts of Oak" have compared Ted Leo to Thin Lizzy. I get the hard rock/white soul thing, but it doesn't sound at all like Thin Lizzy.

Anybody have insight?

― mte, Sunday, 11 May 2003 14:31 (twenty-three years ago)

well, his cover of "Little Girl In Bloom" is pretty great. and you can hear the twin lead guitar thing in a few songs, "Timorous Me" especially.

― Al (sitcom), Sunday, 11 May 2003 16:05 (twenty-three years ago)

There's no way he's nearly as good as Thin Lizzy. Sorry.

― hstencil, Sunday, 11 May 2003 17:12 (twenty-three years ago)

I sort of hear him as coming from that place where Thin Lizzy and Nick Lowe intersect--a good portion of Hearts of Oak has the feel of a punked-up take on "So It Goes" (which always kinda evokes for me "The Boys Are Back In Town.")

― wl (wl), Sunday, 11 May 2003 17:23 (twenty-three years ago)

Also, isn't Thin Lizzy kind of a cool band to namecheck this year? Or was that last year? Seems to me they show up in a lot lately. Meme alert!

― JesseFox (JesseFox), Sunday, 11 May 2003 20:35 (twenty-three years ago)

Thin Lizzy has ALWAYS been supercool. I think Eddy said that the Pharmacists sound like Lizzy, even if Leo doesn't sound like Lynott. Don't know if he's right or not.

― Neudonym, Sunday, 11 May 2003 20:43 (twenty-three years ago)

Yeah, I love Thin Lizzy. I just don't hear them in the Pharmacists, at least not on "Hearts of Oak," which is all I have (with a handful of downloads from "Tyranny"). I got more of a Nick Lowe/pub rock vibe.

― mte, Sunday, 11 May 2003 23:37 (twenty-three years ago)

even if Leo doesn't sound like Lynott.

I've never been able to listen objectively to the Pharmacists because I can't get past Leo sounding so much like Lynott.

― j.lu (j.lu), Sunday, 11 May 2003 23:42 (twenty-three years ago)

I get the hard rock/white soul thing, but it doesn't sound at all like Thin Lizzy

this is some kind of joke, right?

― M Matos (M Matos), Monday, 12 May 2003 05:43 (twenty-three years ago)

hmmm, possibly because ted is a huge thin lizzy fan.

― simon 803 (simon 803), Monday, 12 May 2003 14:58 (twenty-three years ago)

also, if you listen to the "where have all the rude boys gone" song, the verses aren't completely unlike "the boys are back in town," only in the way he sings it though. He definitely worships Phil Lynott, and though the Pharmacists don't sound like TL, he incorporates the influence smoothly into his own thing.

― tinobeat (tinobeat), Monday, 12 May 2003 15:28 (twenty-three years ago)

A huge difference for me is that Ted Leo clutters the verses and even the choruses with words and overlong sentences, whereas as Phil Lynott had an amazing grasp of economy, esp. as regards lyrics/vocals. And also a much more efficient sense of melody.

I liked HoO for about two days and now it's just annoying. For me 8am All Day was the last good TL thing.

Who said "Beauty is in the economy", Henry James? What a great quote.

― scott m (mcd), Monday, 12 May 2003 15:39 (twenty-three years ago)

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