Whilst production conversations were progressing for Thin Lizzy's next album, they were under an immense amount of pressure. They needed a hit single, and subsequently a hit album in order to be kept by their record label.
They produced Jailbreak as their 6th album, with eye-catching cover art, and three hit singles, which gave them the commercial success they needed, and also inspired more bands to follow in their footsteps.
So, fifty years on, is Jailbreak still a hit?
Why did Jailbreak need to be such a hit?
Jailbreak was Thin Lizzy's sixth album, but all of their previous albums had been commercial failures, with only their fifth - Fighting - making an entry into the chart.
Because of this, their record label was on the verge of dropping them due to low sales, but they gave them one more chance to make a hit.
This chance was fuelled by the fact that Thin Lizzy were one of the hardest working live bands of their era. They had a signature sound, which attracted audiences - they just needed their big break into the charts.
Enter John Alcock:
John Alcock was hired to produce Jailbreak, and had the band working quickly. They quickly churned out 15 songs, which were whittled down to 10 which eventually made it onto the album.
'Running Back' was originally going to be the lead single for the album, due to the nature of the lyrics of 'The Boys Are Back In Town' - thought to be too aggressive.
Even though he helped them to produce their best-selling album so far, guitarists Scott Graham and Brian Robertson felt that the speed at which it was made impacted the quality of the record.
So, was it a success?
Commercially, this was Thin Lizzy's biggest success so far. This album gave them their big break in the US, as well as the UK, reaching number 18 and 10 in the charts respectively.
They took the album on tour, which was widely well received, but the tour had to be cut short due to the ill health of Phil Lynott, their vocalist.
It's safe to say that this album catapulted Thin Lizzy's musical career, as they went on to make 6 more studio albums, along with releasing 12 live albums, recorded across various concerts.
Jailbreak Today:
We see copies of Jailbreak come to our website very frequently, often first presses, with the original die-cut gatefold.
For Record Store Day 2025, they rereleased the album - entitled 'Jailbreak: Alternative Versions' - which contained demos, alternate takes and instrumentals.
