Band:	Thin Lizzy
Album:	Chinatown
Style:	Hard rock, Heavy metal
Release date:	1980
Guest review by:	omne metallum

01. We Will Be Strong
02. Chinatown
03. Sweetheart
04. Sugar Blues
05. Killer On The Loose
06. Having A Good Time
07. Genocide
08. Didn't I
09. Hey You

Disc I [2011 remastered edition]
01. We Will Be Strong
02. Chinatown
03. Sweetheart
04. Sugar Blues
05. Killer On The Loose
06. Having A Good Time
07. Genocide
08. Didn't I
09. Hey You

Disc II [2011 remastered edition]
01. Don't Play Around [Single version]
02. We Will Be Strong [Single version]
03. Sugar Blues [Live City Hall, Cork, 1980]
04. Whiskey in the Jar [Live City Hall, Cork, 1980]
05. Are You Ready [Live City Hall, Cork, 1980]
06. Chinatown [Live City Hall, Cork, 1980]
07. Got to Give It Up [Live RDS Hall, Dublin, 1980]
08. Dear Miss Lonely Hearts [Live RDS Hall, Dublin, 1980]
09. Killer on the Loose [Live Hammersmith Odeon, 1981]
10. Chinatown [Edited version]
11. Chinatown [Soundcheck, Cork, 1980]
12. Don't Play Around [Soundcheck, Hammersmith, 1980]
13. Sweetheart [Soundcheck, Hammersmith, 1980]
14. Didn't I [Soundcheck, Cork, 1980]
15. Hey You [Soundcheck, Cork, 1980]

With Gary Moore leaving the band again, Thin Lizzy entered the 1980s with a new look, sporting two new members in Wharton and White behind the keyboard and guitar respectively. Chinatown was the start of the end of the band; while it is not a bad album, it wasn't the strong stepping stone the band needed to find their feet and adjust themselves at the time.

When the final notes of "Hey You" ring out, you will find yourself in a strange position; liking the album and not finding that much to take umbridge with, yet knowing the band could do better. Having released such stellar albums in the past, Thin Lizzy were unable to release good albums without them feeling like a let down.

The band are still at the top of their game when it comes to playing, Downey showing off his skills on "Sugar Blues" with Lynott throwing in good bass licks and riffs across the album. White's more refrained approach fits in well with the album, crafting some underrated guitar work on tracks like "Chinatown" and "Sweetheart". Sonically, the band are close to firing on all cylinders or at the very least most of them.

The production has a warmth to it that plays perfectly to the songs on the album. Lynott's bass sits perfectly in the mix, underneath the guitars but still high in the mix so as to sound as a third guitar. White's blues-infused riffs are given their own style and not forced into the space vacated by Robertson and Moore.

I find myself like a moth to flame when listening to the tracks "Sugar Blues" and "Hey You", two songs that have a hypnotic bass that draws you in before the rest of the band kick in and hold you in place. If you are a fan of the straight-up rock the band are known for, then "Killer On The Loose" and "Sweetheart" will be two more classics to add to your playlist.

"Having A Good Time" comes off as Lynott singing out a mad lib he made while reading a rhyming dictionary; it does as it says on the tin and it is a fun song, but it really feels like the band stumbled in from the pub and threw what they came up with onto the album. "Didn't I" isn't a bad song, but it just passes you by as it plays; I wouldn't skip it, but I wouldn't search it down either. Given these are the two worst songs on the album, they still have a surprising level of quality to them.

Chinatown is not an album to be slept on; a good but not great release in the grand scheme of Thin Lizzy albums, but that is a class of music that is above what most other bands ever achieve. Worthy of any rock fan's collection, Chinatown is a solid album.