Thin Lizzy - Shades Of A Blue Orphanage (Music CD)

A fascinating, all-over-the-map album by a band that hadn't yet found its own voice (although in retrospect hints of the band's ultimate direction can be heard here). Things get off to a roaring start with "The Rise and Dear Demise of the Funky Nomadic Tribes," which segues from Yes-derived staccato unison riffing into a funk-guitar workout influenced by Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. From there it's on to "Buffalo Gal," a melancholy folk-ish plaint that anticipates the working class Irish poetry Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott would develop to great effect later in the '70s; other stylistic detours include stabs at faux rockabilly ("I Don't Want to Forget How to Jive"), Mellotron-drenched confessional ballads (the title tune), and even a sort of visionary art-punk ("Call the Police). Pretty amazing, but the best was yet to come.