Not really, because a lot of those bits you hear on the album are mine.

Phil was obviously the dominant songwriter. Maybe myself and Robbo shouldвЂ™ve got a credit. There was like a rule, I donвЂ™t know where it comes from, but if you donвЂ™t write thirty seconds of part of the chord structure, itвЂ™s not really writing. Well, there is a bone of contention there. So should you and Robbo have had a co-songwriting credit on it?

Chris goes: вЂњThereвЂ™s something about this I really like.вЂќ ThatвЂ™s really how that song got on the album, because Chris liked what he was hearing in demo form. We looked at it like an anti-war song at first. It was Chris OвЂ™Donnell who picked up on it. Then we just put it away and didnвЂ™t really think about it. He went: вЂњYeah, something like that!вЂќ Robbo said why donвЂ™t we make a harmony. So I play the chords and it sounded okay, but IвЂ™m thinking, well, shit, man, what the fuck can you make out of these? I said: вЂњHow about this?вЂќ and played the riff we now know. We were sitting around one day, and he was on his bass guitar, just kind of вЂdunga dunga dungaвЂ¦вЂ™ He goes: вЂњWhat do you think?вЂќ I said well, it sounds like вЂdunga dunga dungaвЂ™ He goes: вЂњYeah, yeah, I know. But it was one of those songs none of us never really paid attention to. Writing on the road and no time to demo things, it became a much bigger chore to push us to be able to write and record. Then after The Boys Are Back In Town hit, all the time just evaporated. There were a lot of peaks and valleys, especially on those first couple of albums, until we finally got into our stride around the time of Jailbreak and Johnny The Fox, which came out the same year. I think every album we did, there was an element of: well that songвЂ™s killer, maybe not so much that one. It seemed to take its cue from the rousing Sha La La вЂ“ the only out-and-out rocker on Nightlife вЂ“ and just keep building. We all walked out scratching our heads, going: вЂњWhat the fuck just happened there?вЂќ ThatвЂ™s when Phil goes: вЂњFuck these producers, IвЂ™ll produce the next one.вЂќ I went: вЂњOh shit. So weвЂ™ll just take it down a notch.вЂќДЄnd Nevison was like: вЂњCould you turn it down a little bit more?вЂќ And the volume kept going down and down, to where the songs just didnвЂ™t have that drive any longer. But when we got into the studio, Ron Nevison, the producer, kept saying: вЂњJust turn the guitars down a little.вЂќ Robbo and I would look at each other and go: вЂњThis is our first album, and this guyвЂ™s just worked with Led Zeppelin. The rehearsals for that album were exactly the same way as when I went down and jammed with them: everything was loud, it was big. Was the thinking: this is where we should be going too? But 1974 was the year of Little Feat, the Average White Band, Rod Stewart doing Motown, BowieвЂ™s Young Americans. It got written off for its unexpectedly laid-back, funk-brother vibe. The first Lizzy album of the new LynottDowney-Robertson-Gorham era was Nightlife. Now if I reverse the whole thing, and say a new guy comes in years later and goes: вЂњYou know, Scott, The Boys Are Back In Town, this is a whole new thing. LetвЂ™s get rid of Whiskey In The Jar.вЂќ You know, like it was that easy. So after about six months of playing this damn song, I go to Phil and say, you know, Whiskey In The Jar, itвЂ™s great, but we got a new band now, we gotta stand on our own two feet, you know? He goes: вЂњYeah, I get it.

Thin lizzy band members