"The Rocker" is a song by Irish rock group Thin Lizzy, included on their 1973 album Vagabonds of the Western World. It was also released as a single in a 2:41 edited format; the original album track stretched to 5:17, with most of the extra length being taken up by an extended guitar solo by Eric Bell. There is an accompanying performance on Dutch TV programme TopPop to the song which features Gary Moore recorded in 1974 during his first of two spells with the band.[4]
| "The Rocker" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover of the German single release L–R: Bell, Downey, Lynott | ||||
| Single by Thin Lizzy | ||||
| from the album Vagabonds of the Western World | ||||
| B-side | "Here I Go Again" or "A Ride in the Lizzy Mobile" | |||
| Released | 9 November 1973 (UK) [1] | |||
| Recorded | 24 May 1973 (recording)[2] 17–19 July 1973 (mixing)[3] | |||
| Studio | AIR Studios and Decca 4, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:45
5:12 (album version) | |||
| Label | Decca | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Phil Lynott, Brian Downey, Eric Bell | |||
| Producer(s) | Nick Tauber and Phil Lynott | |||
| Thin Lizzy singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| TOPPOP: Thin Lizzy - "The Rocker" on YouTube | ||||
The B-side of the single in most territories was the album track "Here I Go Again", but in Germany the non-album track, "A Ride in the Lizzy Mobile", was used. This track later appeared on the four-CD box set Vagabonds Kings Warriors Angels as "Cruising in the Lizzy Mobile".
The single failed to chart in the UK, but reached No. 11 in Ireland and spent four weeks on the chart.[5] However, it became a live favourite and was one of the few songs from Eric Bell's time with the band to survive his departure and become part of the live repertoire of the Brian Robertson/Scott Gorham lineup (who performed the song in a lower key than the original). It was the final track on the band's 1978 live album Live and Dangerous.[6]
The lead guitar solo features a prominent phase effect.
Charts
edit| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[7] | 14 |
Personnel
editCover versions
editRaven covered the song for their 1994 album Glow.[8]
British heavy metal band Saxon covered the song on their 2021 album of covers, Inspirations.[9]
In popular culture
editThe song was remixed for the PlayStation 3 video game Gran Turismo 5: Prologue.
The song is featured in the soundtrack of the 2013 film Rush.[10]
References
edit- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Thin Lizzy - The Rocker". hitparade.ch.
- ^ "Thin Lizzy - Rocker". Google books. Alan Byrne. p. 50. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
And purposely took time out on May 24 to record their next single, "Rocker
- ^ "Thin Lizzy - Rocker". Google books. Alan Byrne. p. 53. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
the album was compiled and mixed over July17-19 but further work was done on "The Rocker
- ^ "TOPPOP: Thin Lizzy - The Rocker". February 25, 2013 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Irish Charts - Thin Lizzy". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ "Live and Dangerous - Thin Lizzy | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Rocker". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
- ^ "Raven – Glow (1994, CD)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ "Inspirations - Saxon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (2013-08-28). "Watch: New Clip From 'Rush' Plus Details On The Soundtrack Which Includes David Bowie, Thin Lizzy & Hans Zimmer". IndieWire. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
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