Shades of a Blue Orphanage
Shades of a Blue Orphanage is the second studio album by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released on 10 March 1972 on Decca Records. It followed their self-titled debut of 1971 and came before Vagabonds of the Western World. The title nods to the members' earlier groups, Shades of Blue and Orphanage, blending the two names into one.
The record sits in the band's early years, with hard rock and blues rock shaping its sound. Its most personal moment is "Sarah", written by Phil Lynott for his grandmother, who raised him when his mother, Philomena, could not. It shouldn't be mistaken for the later song of the same name that Lynott wrote for his daughter, which appears on Black Rose: A Rock Legend in 1979. A remastered and expanded edition arrived on 11 October 2010.
Shades of a Blue Orphanage: tracklist and credits
9 tracks · 40:13Tracklist
- 1The Rise and Dear Demise of the Funky Nomadic TribesBell, Downey, Lynott7:07
- 2Buffalo GalPhil Lynott5:30
- 3I Don’t Want to Forget How to JivePhil Lynott1:46
- 4SarahPhil Lynott2:59
- 5Brought DownPhil Lynott4:19
- 6Baby FacePhil Lynott3:28
- 7Chatting TodayPhil Lynott4:19
- 8Call the PolicePhil Lynott3:37
- 9Shades of a Blue OrphanagePhil Lynott7:07
- Produced by
- Nick Tauber
- Recorded at
- De Lane Lea Studios, Wembley, London
- Recorded
- 17 December 1971 – January 1972
- Engineered by
- Louis Austin
- Labels
- Decca Records, Decca
- Length
- 40:13
Line-up
- Eric Bell · acoustic guitar, guitar
- Brian Downey · drums (drum set), percussion
- Phil Lynott · acoustic guitar, bass guitar, lead vocals
- Clodagh Simonds · harpsichord, mellotron · guest
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 March 1972 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 10 March 1972 | |
| Wikidata | 10 March 1972 | |
| UK / Europe release | 10 March 1972 | earliest UK or European date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | Decca Records | 00042282052728 | other |
| — | XE | Deram | 042282052728 | other |
| — | XW | UMC-Decca | 00602498444825 | other |
| 10 March 1972 | XE | Decca Records | original | |
| 1988 | DE | London Records | 042282052728 | other |
| 1993 | XE | Deram | 042282052728 | other |
| 1993 | DE | Deram | 042282052728 | other |
| 19 October 2010 | XE | Decca Records | 602498444825 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 600×594 | upscaled |