Phil Lynott (2,579 views)

[Henny Macc]

Philip Parris Lynott (August 20, 1949 - January 4, 1986)
Years active: 1967-1985
Country of origin: Ireland
Recorded vocal range: B1-G♯5 (B1-A♭5) - 3¾ octaves

Band history:

• 1967-1968 - Skid Row (lead vocals)
  
• 1969-1983 - Thin Lizzy (lead vocals, bass)
• 1978-1989 - The Greedies (lead vocals, bass)
• 1980-1986 - Phil Lynott (lead vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards)
• 1984-1985 - Grand Slam (lead vocals, bass)

Recorded high notes:
G♯5/A♭5: "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)"
G5: "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)", "Leave This Town"
E5: "Angel of Death"
D5: "Try a Little Harder"
C♯5/D♭5: "Gonna Creep Up on You" BBC Radio 1 John Peel session, "The Rocker", "Try a Little Harder"
B4: "Soldier of Fortune", "The Rise and Dear Demise of the Funky Nomadic Tribes"
A♯4/B♭4: "Baby Drives Me Crazy", "Call the Police", "Do Anything You Want To", "Fighting My Way Back", "Jailbreak", "Johnny", "Look What the Wind Blew In", "Mama Nature Said", "Massacre", "Remembering"
A4: "Baby Drives Me Crazy", "Baby Face", "Baby Please Don’t Go", "Bad Habits", "Black Boys on the Corner", "Call the Police", "Downtown Sundown", "Get Out of Here", "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)", "It's Getting Dangerous", "Killer Without a Cause", "King's Vengeance", "Little Darling", "Look What the Wind Blew In", "Mama Nature Said", "Philomena", "Renegade", "Return of the Farmer's Son", "She Knows", "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart", "The Hero and the Madman", "The Holy War", "The Rise and Dear Demise of the Funky Nomadic Tribes", "The Rocker", "This Is the One", "Toughest Street in Town", "Vagabond of the Western World"
G♯4/A♭4: "Bad Habits", "Bad Reputation", "Ballad of a Hard Man", "Borderline", "Buffalo Gal", "Chatting Today", "Clifton Grange Hotel", "Cowboy Song", "Diddy Levine", "Do Anything You Want To", "Don't Believe a Word", "Emerald", "Fight or Fall", "Get Out of Here", "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)", "Jailbreak", "Johnny", "Little Darling", "Mama Nature Said", "No One Told Him", "Opium Trail", "Remembering", "Remembering Part Two (New Day)", "Renegade", "Rocky", "Sarah", "Sha La La" live 1977, "Suicide" live 1977, "Sweetheart", "The Boys Are Back in Town", "Thunder and Lightning", "Toughest Street in Town", "Try a Little Harder", "Wild One"
G4: "Angel of Death", "Baby Face", "Black Boys on the Corner", "Broken Dreams", "Call the Police", "Cold Black Night", "Cruising in the Lizzymobile", "Dancing in the Moonlight (It's Caught Me in Its Spotlight)", "Don't Play Around", "Fighting My Way Back", "Fools Gold", "Genocide (The Killing of the Buffalo)", "Gonna Creep Up on You", "Heart Attack", "Hey You", "Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)", "Honesty Is No Excuse", "It's Only Money", "Killer on the Loose", "King's Vengeance", "Look What the Wind Blew In", "My Sarah", "Philomena", "Ray-Gun", "Return of the Farmer's Son", "Róisín Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend" Nassau session 1979, "Sitamoia", "Slow Blues", "Soldier of Fortune", "Someday She Is Going to Hit Back", "Spirit Slips Away", "Suicide", "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart", "The Rise and Dear Demise of the Funky Nomadic Tribes", "Things Ain't Working Out Down at the Farm", "Thunder and Lightning", "Toughest Street in Town", "Try a Little Harder", "Waiting for an Alibi", "Whiskey in the Jar"
F♯4/G♭4: "Angel from the Coast", "Are You Ready", "Baby Drives Me Crazy", "Baby Please Don’t Go", "Chatting Today", "Chinatown" live in Cork 1980, "Clifton Grange Hotel", "Cold Sweat", "Dear Lord", "Diddy Levine", "Didn't I", "Do Anything You Want To", "Don't Believe a Word", "Fighting My Way Back", "For Those Who Love to Live", "Freedom Song", "Get Out of Here", "Got to Give It Up", "Half Caste", "Having a Good Time", "It's Getting Dangerous", "Johnny", "Killer on the Loose", "Killer Without a Cause", "King's Vengeance", "Massacre", "Me and the Boys", "Mexican Blood", "My Sarah", "Night Life", "No One Told Him", "Old Flame", "Old Moon Madness", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Remembering Part Two (New Day)", "Renegade", "Rockula (Rock Your Love)", "Rocky", "Romeo and the Lonely Girl", "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose): A Rock Legend", "Running Back", "Sarah", "She Knows", "Showdown", "Silver Dollar", "Southbound", "Suicide", "Sweetheart" soundcheck at the Hammersmith Odeon 1980, "The Holy War", "Thunder and Lightning", "Toughest Street in Town", "Try a Little Harder", "Vagabond of the Western World", "We Will Be Strong", "With Love"

Recorded low notes:
C3: "Fats", "Frankie Carroll", "Out in the Fields", "Showdown", "Sitamoia", "The Sun Goes Down", "This Is the One"
B2: "A Song for While I'm Away", "Baby Please Don’t Go", "Bad Habits", "Dear Heart", "Didn't I", "Dublin", "Fight or Fall", "Half Caste", "Here I Go Again", "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed", "Mexican Blood", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Rudolph's Tango", "South Bound", "This is the One", "With Love")
A♯2/B♭2: "Do Anything You Want To", "Got to Give It Up", "Saga of the Aging Orphan"
A2: "Dear Heart", "Frankie Carroll", "Half Caste", "Here I Go Again", "It's Getting Dangerous", "Showdown", "Sitamoia", "Southbound", "The Sun Goes Down", "Vagabond of the Western World"
G♯2/A♭2: "A Song for While I'm Away", "Bad Habits", "Cowboy Song", "Fight or Fall", "Get Out of Here", "Mexican Blood", "Please Don't Leave Me", "Saga of the Aging Orphan", "The Holy War", "Things Ain't Working Out Down at the Farm"
G2: "Broken Dreams", "Do Anything You Want To", "Frankie Carroll", "Renegade", "Showdown", "The Sun Goes Down"
F♯2/G♭2: "Bad Reputation", "Dear Heart" BBC session 1974, "Don't Hurt Me This Way (Please Don't Leave Me '97)", "Fools Gold", "Got to Give it Up", "King's Call", "Old Moon Madness", "Renegade", "The Holy War"
F2: "Boogie Woogie Dance", "Cowboy Song", "Saga of the Aging Orphan", "The Friendly Ranger at Clontorf Castle"
E2: "Chatting Today", "Dear Heart" BBC session 1974, "Frankie Carroll", "Leave This Town", "Mexican Blood", "Night Life", "Old Moon Madness", "Sweetheart", "The Friendly Ranger at Clontorf Castle", "The Holy War"
D♯2/E♭2: "Bad Reputation", "Don't Believe a Word" slow version, "Fools Gold", "Killer on the Loose" live at the Hammersmith Odeon 1981, "Old Moon Madness"
D2: "Out in the Fields", "Renegade", "The Sun Goes Down"
C♯2/D♭2: "Mexican Blood"
C2: "Out in the Fields"
B1: "Showdown" BBC 1 Bob Harris session

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable notes}
D6: "Sha La La" BBC session 1974 - inhaled whistle note

.......................................................
*Blue marks soft falsetto or clear whistle notes.
*Italics mark non-sung notes.
*Underlines marks notes sung in backing vocals or otherwise obscured/muffled in the mix.

The renowned bassist and vocalist of Thin Lizzy, known for his recognizable tone and characteristic singing approach. He serves as a surprising example of someone who's range and tessitura barely changed over the years, as just about all of his albums from the beginning of his career to the end feature the same patterns of him singing mostly around the third and fourth octave, occasionally trailing higher, and usually showing off some low singing or speaking in at least a few songs. Though he was never much in the ways of a technical vocalist, it seems that his support in the fourth octave could actually be quite impressive at times, given his ability to spit out rapid fire lines on G4 on songs like "Thunder and Lightning". Going up to the top of the fourth octave was less common for him, and non-yelped fifth octave notes were quite rare, but the easy of some of his B♭4s suggests that he may have had more to his high range that we never got to hear. His second octave, however, was used quite healthily and demonstrated lots of ease and casually ability to apply notes down to E2 in regular song use. Considering that I've heard him described as "someone we thought we'd never hear a fifth octave note from" on earlier incarnations of TRP, though, I'm glad I was able to stumble across a few!

SPOILER: Click to show

{Best displays of vocal range}
"Renegade" (D2-A4)
"Showdown" BBC 1 Bob Harris session (B1-F♯4)
"The Holy War" (E2-A4)
"Mexican Blood" (C♯2-F♯4)
"Bad Reputation" (D♯2-G♯4)
"Chatting Today" (E2-G♯4)
"Sweetheart" (E2-G♯4)
"Killer on the Loose" live Hammersmith Odeon 1981 (D♯2-G4)
"Fools Gold" (D♯2-G4)
"Cowboy Song" (F2-G♯4)

I've notewatched Thin Lizzy's full studio discography and some live content, but none of his material with Grand Slam or his solo albums, so feel free to come forth with anything noteworthy from those if you've heard them.