| Nightlife | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art byJim Fitzpatrick | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 8 November 1974[1] | |||
| Recorded | April and September 1974[2] | |||
| Studio | Saturn,Worthing;Trident andOlympic, London[3] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:11 | |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Producer | Ron Nevison,Phil Lynott | |||
| Thin Lizzy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Nightlife | ||||
Nightlife is the fourth studio album by Irish rock bandThin Lizzy, released on 8 November 1974 byVertigo Records. It was produced byRon Nevison and bandleaderPhil Lynott, and was the first album to feature the band as a quartet with newcomersScott Gorham andBrian Robertson on guitars.
Some reissue CDs, and occasionally other sources, spell the album title asNight Life, the same as the song title. However the original album title isNightlife.[2]
The song "Philomena" was written for Lynott's mother.[2]
The album cover, designed byJim Fitzpatrick, shows a panther-like creature in a city scene. The panther is often thought to be intended to represent Lynott,[2] but Fitzpatrick has confirmed that the panther referred to theBlack Panthers and African-American political figures likeMalcolm X andMartin Luther King Jr.[7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [8] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10[9] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic describedNightlife as an "underrated gem of a record", but a "complete anomaly within their catalog"... "a subdued, soulful record, smooth in ways that Thin Lizzy never were before and rarely were afterwards". He singles out "She Knows" as "gently propulsive, [and] utterly addictive", but adds that there are "still moments of tough, primal rock 'n' roll", such as "It's Only Money" and "Sha-La-La".[8]Martin Popoff judged the album "more enigmatic, sincere and philosophically complex than much else rock 'n' roll out there at the time", but also "too distant from the band's heart and soul" and overtly into black music, with Lynott "searching for ways to pay homage to his racial heritage."[9]
All tracks are written byPhil Lynott, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Knows" | Scott Gorham, Lynott | 5:13 |
| 2. | "Night Life" | 3:57 | |
| 3. | "It's Only Money" | 2:47 | |
| 4. | "Still in Love with You" | 5:40 | |
| 5. | "Frankie Carroll" | 2:02 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Showdown" | 4:32 | |
| 7. | "Banshee" | 1:27 | |
| 8. | "Philomena" | 3:41 | |
| 9. | "Sha-La-La" | Brian Downey, Lynott | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Dear Heart" | 4:35 |
The song "Night Life" borrows the title and chorus ofWillie Nelson's 1960 song "Night Life", but Nelson is not credited on the album.[14]
On the cassette version, the positions of "She Knows" and "Showdown" were reversed.
A remastered 2-CD set deluxe edition ofNightlife was released on 12 March 2012.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Knows" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 5:10 |
| 2. | "Sha-La-La" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 3:38 |
| 3. | "It's Only Money" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 2:44 |
| 4. | "Philomena" (BBC Session, 3 October 1974) | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Dear Heart" (BBC Session, 23 October 1974) | 4:28 |
| 6. | "Banshee" (BBC Session, 23 October 1974) | 2:43 |
| 7. | "Showdown" (demo withGary Moore) | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Still in Love with You" (demo with Gary Moore) | 6:27 |
| 9. | "It's Only Money" (demo with Gary Moore) | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Showdown" (alternate take) | 4:37 |
| 11. | "Still in Love with You" (rough vocal mix) | 6:02 |
| Total length: | 46:20 | |
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[15] | 19 |
| Chart (2025) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 33 |
| German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[17] | 5 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 62 |
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