Album
Chinatown
Chinatown is the tenth studio album by the Irish band Thin Lizzy, released on 10 October 1980 on Vertigo. It sits between Black Rose: A Rock Legend and Renegade, and it marks a change in the band's guitar line-up. Snowy White arrived as the permanent replacement for Gary Moore, bringing experience from time spent working with Cliff Richard, Peter Green and Pink Floyd.
The record also introduces eighteen-year-old Darren Wharton on keyboards, who became a full member of the group later that year. White stayed on for the follow-up and toured with Lizzy between 1980 and 1982, so this album is the start of a short but distinct chapter. Its hard rock and blues rock leanings make it worth hearing for anyone curious about how the band sounded with a new guitarist and a young keyboard player on board.
Chinatown: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 40:52Tracklist
- 1We Will Be StrongPhil Lynott5:10
- 2ChinatownDowney, Gorham, Lynott, White4:43
- 3SweetheartPhil Lynott3:29
- 4Sugar BluesDowney, Gorham, Lynott, White4:20
- 5Killer on the LoosePhil Lynott3:54
- 6Having a Good TimePhil Lynott and Snowy White4:36
- 7GenocidePhil Lynott5:05
- 8Didn’t IPhil Lynott4:27
- 9Hey YouBrian Downey and Phil Lynott5:08
- Produced by
- Thin Lizzy, Kit Woolven, Thin Lizzy and Kit Woolven
- Recorded at
- Good Earth Studios, London
- Recorded
- April–August 1980
- Labels
- Vertigo, Mercury (Canada), Warner Bros. (US)
- Length
- 40:52
Line-up
- Brian Downey · drums (drum set)
- Scott Gorham · guitar, background vocals
- Phil Lynott · bass guitar, vocals, keyboard
- Snowy White · guitar
- Midge Ure · background vocals · guest
- Thin Lizzy · bass guitar · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1980 | 7 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1980 | 120 |
| Swedish Albums · 1980 | 13 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1980 | 16 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1980 | 20 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1980 | 31 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Silver |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
60.3
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
1.6k
ListenBrainz listeners
47k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
5.8k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Full discography →
New Day
1971
Thin Lizzy
1971
Shades of a Blue Orphanage
1972
Vagabonds of the Western World
1973
Nightlife
1974
Fighting
1975
Jailbreak
1976
Remembering, Part 1
1976
Johnny the Fox
1976
Bad Reputation
1977
Live and Dangerous
1978
Black Rose: A Rock Legend
1979
The Continuing Saga of the Ageing Orphans
1979
Renegade
1981
Thunder and Lightning
1983
Dedication
1991
Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy
1991
BBC Radio 1: Live in Concert
1992
The Peel Sessions
1994
Wild One: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy
1996
Whisky in the Jar
1996
One Night Only
2000
Vagabonds Kings Warriors Angels
2001
Greatest Hits
2004
The Definitive Collection
2006
UK Tour 75
2008
Still Dangerous: Live at Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977
2009
A Song For While I’m Away
2024
The Acoustic Sessions
2024
Here I Go Again
2024
Whiskey in the Jar
2024
1976
2024
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | October 1980 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 October 1980 | |
| Wikidata | 10 October 1980 | |
| US release | 1980 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1980 | earliest UK or European date |
13 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | GB | Vertigo | other | |
| 1980 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 07599234961 | other |
| 1980 | CA | Mercury Records | other | |
| 1980 | GB | — | other | |
| October 1980 | IE | Philips | original | |
| 5 February 1989 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011314094 | other |
| 18 April 1990 | GB | Vertigo | 042283039322 | other |
| 23 August 2005 | US | — | other | |
| 2011 | XE | Mercury Records | 602527726960 | deluxe |
| 27 June 2011 | GB | Mercury Records | deluxe | |
| December 2014 | GB | Universal | 600753542545 | other |
| — | — | EMI | 00042283039322 | other |
| — | — | UMC | 00602527726960 | deluxe |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · cropped: cropped from 1882x1864 to 1864x1864
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1882×1864 | cropped: cropped from 1882x1864 to 1864x1864 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |