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All tracks are mixed except one. We weren't quite satisfied with my vocals on "On the Slab," so the possibility of having Bobby Liebling from Pentagram guest on vox on that song was brought up by Chris Kozlowski. I left lyrics and a short note for Bobby before departing for Cali. Bobby phoned yesterday and we had a good talk about "On the Slab". We're honored to have Bobby workin' with us on this one and expect to have the track finished up in about another week. Really lookin' forward to this one, as it's dedicated to Thin Lizzy bassist/singer Phil Lynott, a big hero to Bobby and the Falcon dudes.>

Just got a CD-R of Bobby Liebling singing On the Slab, and I have to say that I was blown away by his performance—and I hope you'll feel the same way when you hear it.

I sang it on the demo and also in the studio. Wasn’t 100% satisfied with my performance, so we decided to let Bobby have a crack at it. We haven’t been playing it live, but we will, and I’ll be handling the vocals. Unless of course we get to play with PENTAGRAM or just in the D.C. area, in which case I’ll invite Bobby up on stage!

The possibility of having Bobby sing a tune on the FALCON album was brought up by Darin McCloskey, and I think all three of us were up for it. But we had a very limited time to get the recording done. It was towards the end of our fifth and last day of recording when I went back to try to sing “On The Slab” again. While I felt I was doing better at it than I had the day before, it was still the one song that we thought could be a bit better. So, Chris Kozlowski again brought up Bobby, and we all jumped at the chance. I left a brief note and the lyrics for Bobby with my phone number. Greg and I flew back to L.A., and Bobby called me about two days later to say how floored he was by the track. Which in turn just blew my mind, ’cause I really admire Bobby as a songwriter. He was thrilled to be able to pay tribute to his (and our) hero, Phil Lynott. When he said how much “On The Slab” nailed THIN LIZZY’s style, I was just speechless. To this day I’ve never met Bobby, but we had some good long talks on the phone, and I hope to see him the next time I’m in the Maryland/D.C./Virginia area

The song is dedicated to the late Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy

I liked what little Lizzy I heard on the airwaves as a small kid, but it took years till I owned an album. I went slightly backwards. I was a die-hard Maiden fan in the late ’80s, but didn’t get into Lizzy and Wishbone Ash until the early ’90s. I’ve been paying a lot more attention to the older dual axe attack bands like Lizzy, Wishbone Ash and Bubble Puppy/Demian than Maiden for a long time now. Maiden popularized the twin harmony leads, but the older bands were a little less one-dimensional. Once I got Jailbreak back in the ’90s I went nuts, snagged Lizzy’s entire catalog. Even the Eric Bell-era stuff. I found myself writing those Irish and Celtic inflected melodies and dual harmony parts. What about my tribute to Phil Lynott on the S/T Falcon album? “On the Slab” is an enormous nod to Lizzy. Specifically the Brian Robertson/Scott Gorham lineup. Phil penned amazing lyrics and was one of the best pick-playing bassists ever. He was a poet, a bad-ass and tortured at the same time. The junk may have made him manipulative, but otherwise he was one of the true geniuses of rock.

From their first album on, Thin Lizzy has been one of my biggest musical influences, although it may not always be obvious. And even though their early albums are a bit spotty, I’ve got a special fondness for the Eric Bell lineup. Cirith Ungol played covers of “Gonna Creep Up On You”, “Vagabonds Of The Western World”, and “Return Of The Farmers Son” for quite a few years.

Lyrics

Shootin' up and tappin' your veins
You're burning out, hangin' by gallows high
Makin' my gallows high
Stars goin' nova before their time
At the end of your rope
You'll inhale your death off a slab
On the slab

Chorus:
I still remember those days when rock legends they died hard
Never learning their lesson, stickin' those needles in their arms
Never heeding that warning till they're laid out on a slab

Turning off and turning out
Dropping off Earth's face
Escaping reality's walls
Tasting evil flowers, staring into space
Fading out and sinking low
You're losing touch
You're dyin' hard
Never growing up
Always giving in

Chorus
Solo - Perry

Reaching out for blue skies
Clawing at that gray soil
Taking the long slide down to a beggar's grave
Excuses so lame to glorify your game
Long since gone
Your family, they cry
Your beligerence
You gave up everything dear
Leaving your friends in fear
Leaving your friends in tears

Chorus