Black Boys on the Corner
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| "Black Boys on the Corner" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Thin Lizzy | ||||
| from the album Vagabonds of the Western World (1991 re-issue) | ||||
| A-side | "Whiskey in the Jar" | |||
| Released | 3 November 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 23–25 September 1972[1][2] | |||
| Studio | Decca 4 | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[3] | |||
| Length | 3:24 | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Phil Lynott | |||
| Producer(s) | Nick Tauber, Derek Varnals | |||
| Thin Lizzy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Listen to the song Black Boys on the Corner or Buy it on amazon
"Black Boys on the Corner" is a song by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy, written by singer-bassist Phil Lynott. The song is notable for its heavy slide guitars parts and the use of bongo played by Brian Downey (quite a rare use by band) and its rhythm which was influenced by Isaac Hayes's 1971 hit single "Theme from Shaft".[4] It was intended to be released as the band's second single with "Whiskey in the Jar" on the B-side as it was suggested by Lynott but after their manager, Ted Carrol and Decca heard the song they persuaded band to release "Whiskey in the Jar" as A-side as it had more potential to become a hit. Despite band's unsatisfactory "Whiskey in the Jar" was released on the A-side and slowly climbed the charts till it reached number 1 in UK and Ireland.[5] Lynott makes various references to himself and his personal life in choruses such as his race, hobbies, being a musician and also to subjects of "shooting pool" & "rolling dices" which were common in low budget American movies.[6]
Recording[edit]
Thin Lizzy entered Decca 4 Studio which was a new built studio (a.k.a Tollington Park studio) on September 1972, the band had decided to record a new song by Lynott for a single release, and the choice was "Black Boys on the Corner" with "Whiskey In The Jar" on B-side. The sessions started on September 23 just after lunchtime and lasted till 4 o'clock in the morning of September 25 with presence of Nick Tauber as producer, Derek Varnals, Alan Leeming and Dave Baker as assistant engineers. The first track to be recorded was "Whiskey in the Jar" and backing tracks for both songs were recorded on the first day however because of guitar overdubs recording for "Whiskey in the Jar" the session ran longer than expected and lasted till 1 o'clock in the morning. They spent the next day (September 24) recording vocals and overdubbing for both tracks and again the sessions took longer than expected and lasted till 4 o'clock in the morning of September 25. More overdubs and final mixes for both songs were done by Nick Tauber and Derek Varnals on September 30.
Live Performance[edit]
The only known performance of the song from Eric Bell-era is for John Peel sessions for BBC (Recorded on November 14th 1972)[7] the guitars sound heavier and Lynott's voice is very unrecognizable and raspy in this performance. It was also performed during Gary Moore's stint with band in 1974 during the Vagabonds of the Western World tour, most notable performance from this era is also from John Peel session for BBC (Recorded on April 4th 1974)[8] but with a different arrangement and tempo.
Personnel[edit]
- Phil Lynott – bass guitar, lead vocals
- Eric Bell – lead guitar, slide guitar
- Brian Downey – drums, bongo
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- ↑ Black Boys on the Corner. Alan Byrne. 20 September 2015. p. 42. ISBN 9780992948085. Search this book on
- ↑ Black Boys on the Corner. Alan Byrne. 20 September 2015. p. 43. ISBN 9780992948085. Search this book on
- ↑ Byrne, Alan (20 September 2015). Are You Ready?: Thin Lizzy: Album by Album. ISBN 9780992948085. Search this book on
- ↑ Black Boys on the Corner. Graeme Thomson. 25 February 2016. ISBN 9781472121066. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
The rhythm of the song established in the opening interplay between splashy cymbals and bongo drums was influenced by Isaac Hayes's 1971 hit "Theme From Shaft
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- ↑ Black Boys on the Corner. Alan Byrne. February 2006. p. 47. ISBN 9780946719815. Retrieved 2 January 2023. Search this book on
- ↑ Black Boys on the Corner. Graeme Thomson. 25 February 2016. ISBN 9781472121066. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
and the depiction of black kids shooting pool and rolling dice owed more to the current trend for gritty low budget movies set in inner-city America
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- ↑ "Thinlizzyguide.com". Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- ↑ "Thinlizzyguide.com". Retrieved 2 January 2023.
