Black Rose: A Rock Legend
Black Rose: A Rock Legend is Thin Lizzy's ninth studio album, released on 13 April 1979 on Warner Bros. Records. It follows Bad Reputation from 1977 and comes before Chinatown, and it sits comfortably in the hard rock and heavy metal camp that the band helped shape for a generation of listeners.
The record matters for two reasons. It is the first Thin Lizzy album that guitarist Gary Moore stayed around long enough to record, after short spells with the band in 1974 and 1977. It also gave the group their best UK chart showing, peaking at No. 2, and it became their fourth album in a row to be certified Gold by the BPI. If you want to hear Thin Lizzy at their most commercially successful, this is the place to start.
Black Rose: A Rock Legend: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 38:43Tracklist
- 1Do Anything You Want ToPhil Lynott3:53
- 2Toughest Street in TownGorham, Lynott, Moore4:01
- 3S & MBrian Downey and Phil Lynott4:05
- 4Waiting for an AlibiPhil Lynott3:30
- 5SarahPhil Lynott and Gary Moore3:31
- 6Got to Give It UpScott Gorham and Phil Lynott4:24
- 7Get Out of HerePhil Lynott and Midge Ure3:37
- 8With LovePhil Lynott4:38
- 9Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend7:04
- Produced by
- Thin Lizzy, Tony Visconti, Phil Lynott, Tony Visconti and Thin Lizzy, Tony Visconti and Phil Lynott (on "With Love")
- Recorded at
- Pathé Marconi EMI Studios, Paris, France, Good Earth Studios and Morgan Studios, London, UK
- Recorded
- December 1978 – February 1979
- Engineered by
- Kit Woolven
- Labels
- Warner Bros. Records, Vertigo, Mercury (Canada), Warner Bros. (US)
- Length
- 38:43
Line-up
- Brian Downey · drums (drum set)
- Scott Gorham · guitar, background vocals
- Phil Lynott · acoustic guitar, bass guitar, lead vocals
- Gary Moore · guitar, background vocals
- Huey Lewis · harmonica · guest
- Jimmy Bain · bass guitar · guest
Singles
- “Waiting for an Alibi” · 23 February 1979
- “Do Anything You Want To” · 8 June 1979
- “Got to Give It Up” · September 1979 (US)
- “Sarah” · 5 October 1979
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1979 | 2 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1979 | 81 |
| Swedish Albums · 1979 | 8 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1979 | 15 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1979 | 29 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1979 | 48 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Also released on 13 April
Every year →More from Thin Lizzy
Full discography →The best of 1979
All of 1979 →More on Warner Bros. Records
The label →Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 13 April 1979 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 13 April 1979 | |
| Wikidata | 13 April 1979 | |
| US release | April 1979 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 13 April 1979 | earliest UK or European date |
13 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DE | Vertigo | 042283039223 | other |
| April 1979 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| April 1979 | IE | — | other | |
| 13 April 1979 | GB | Vertigo | original | |
| 5 February 1989 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011314056 | other |
| 1996 | GB | Mercury Records | 731453229921 | other |
| 19 June 2001 | US | Wounded Bird Records | 664140333826 | other |
| 2011 | — | Mercury Records | 602527727004 | deluxe |
| 24 August 2011 | JP | Universal International | 4988005669513 | other |
| 9 November 2011 | JP | Vertigo | 4988005678232 | other |
| 13 April 2019 | XE | Mercury Records | 0602577207969 | other |
| — | — | UMC | 00602527727004 | deluxe |
| — | — | EMI | 00731453229921 | other |
Cover art sources
fanarttv · upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| fanarttv ✓ | 1000×1000 | upscaled: major: best source 1000x1000, upscaled to 1500 (x1.50) |
| coverartarchive | 400×400 | upscaled |