John Sykes & Phil Lynott Thin Lizzy

Bootlegs & other Rare Recordings

Thin Lizzy-Soldiers of Fortune (cdr)
Live at the Reading Festival, England 8/27/1977

  1. "Soldiers of Fortune" (6:06)
  2. "Jailbreak" (4:36)
  3. "Warriors" (4:17)
  4. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (4:18)
  5. "Massacre" (3:16)
  6. "Still In Love With You" (8:10)
  7. "Cowboy Song" (5:30)
  8. "The Boys Are Back in Town" (4:48)
  9. "Don't Believe a Word" (2:49)
  10. "Emerald" (4:35)
  11. "Bad Reputation" (6:34)

Not a terrible recording, considering this sounds to be an audience recording. The show itself is excellent. 1977 was a prime year for Thin Lizzy, when they were at the top of the heap, and this show certainly testifies to that. Thin Lizzy were regular guests to the Reading Festival up until 1983 when the band made their final appearance before the death of Phil Lynott.

In By 10 Thin Lizzy-Should Have Been in By 10 (cdr)
Live at the Rainbow, 3/29/1978

  1. "The Boys Are Back in Town" (4:46)
  2. "Emerald" (4:04)
  3. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (3:54)
  4. "Massacre" (2:57)
  5. "Still In Love With You" (7:55)
  6. "Don't Believe a Word" (2:38)
  7. "Are You Ready" (2:46)
  8. "Sha La La" (5:49)
  9. "Baby Drives Me Crazy" (6:17)
  10. "Me and the Boys" (5:19)

Excellent show, complete with drum solos, guitar solos and all the stuff that made a Thin Lizzy concert such a spectacle. "Sha La La" live simply shreds, as does "Baby Drives Me Crazy," "Emerald," and "Massacre." Shoot the whole show is excellent. "Me and the Boys" is a song that I don't think was ever recorded by the band, and one that I had not heard before receiving this bootleg. The sound quality on this boot isn't bad, although not perfect. Still completely listenable and enjoyable.

Live in Australia Thin Lizzy-Boys Are Back In Town: Live In Australia (Nippon Crown CRCL-7001)
Live at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Australia, October 1978

1. "Jailbreak" (4:30)
2. "Bad Reputation" (3:14)
3. "Cowboy Song" (5:13)
4. "Boys Are Back in Town" (5:02)
5. "Waiting for an Alibi" (5:01)
6. "Are You Ready" (4:39)
7. "Me And The Boys" (6:18)
8. "Baby Drives Me Crazy" (6:23)

Excellent show with Gary Moore on guitar, along with Scott Gorham. One strange thing is that Brian Downey is not present, instead American drummer Mark Nauseef is behind the kit. Excellent song selection complete with extended guitar solos, band introductions, and some Lynott crowd interaction. The packaging of this Japanese bootleg is very nice, right down to the color photographs that all come from the show that is on the disc. Even the front cover photo is even correct, with Mark in the shot, rather than Brian Downey. The sound quality isn't great, but isn't terrible either, however, the quality does wavers a bit throughout.

Out On Bail Thin Lizzy-Out on Bail (cdr)
Live in Preston , Europe 1980

  1. "Are You Ready?" (3:24)
  2. "Hey You" (5:29)
  3. "Waiting For An Alibi" (3:20)
  4. "Jailbreak" (4:35)
  5. "Do Anything You Want To/Don't Believe A Word" (6:39)
  6. "Dear Miss Lonely Heart" (5:46)
  7. "Still In Love With You" (9:36)
  8. "Chinatown" (4:49)
  9. "Cowboy Song" -listed as Romeo And the Lonely Girl (
  10. "The Boys Are Back In Town" (5:00)
  11. "Suicide" (5:27)
  12. "Sha La La" (6:20)
  13. "Sugar Blues" (5:42)
  14. "Baby Drives Me Crazy" (7:39)

Recorded live in Preston, Europe and released on Big Music (KTS/BIG 006) in Italy. Unfortunately for know I only have a cdr copy of this disc with color printouts of the cover art.

BBC Radio One Live Thin Lizzy-BBC Radio One Live in Concert (Winsong/BBC) 1994
Live at the 1983 Reading Rock Festival

1. "Jailbreak" (4:53)
2. "Thunder & Lightning" (5:00)
3. "Waitin' For An Alibi" (3:29)
4. "Are You Ready" (2:57)
5. "Baby Please Don't Go" (5:04)
6. "A Night in the Life of a Blues Singer" (6:58)
7. "The Holy War" (5:06)
8. "The Sun Goes Down" (5:57)
9. "Emerald" (4:10)
10. "The Cowboy Song" (6:09)
11. "The Boys are Back in Town" (4:44)
12. "Suicide" (5:06)
13. "Rosalie-Medley" (8:09)
......(Rosalie, Dancing in the Moonlight, The Cowgirl Song)
14. "Still In Love With You" (9:10)

Thin Lizzy are one of the few bands whose live albums are better than their studio albums. Somehow they manage to capture that live, raw energy that just makes the songs that much better. This live broadcast was recorded from the last night of the 1983 Reading Rock Festival and was the last time that Thin Lizzy performed in Britain before the tragic death of Phil Lynott. A great performance by a great band. This disc is a bit hard to find but I got lucky and found this one new at a chain store for $3.99.

Peel Sessions Thin Lizzy-Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit) 1994

1. "Whisky in the Jar" (5:52)
2. "Rosalie" (3:18)
3. "Suicide" (5:20)
4. "Emerald" (3:59)
5. "Cowboy Song" (5:13)
6. "Jailbreak" (4:06)
7. "Don't Believe a Word" (2:48)
8. "Little Darling" (3:07)
9. "Still in Love With You" (5:37)
10. "Vagabonds of the Western World" (4:27)
11. "Little Girl in Bloom" (4:42)
12. "Killer Without a Cause" (3;41)
13. "Bad Reputation" (2:50)
14. "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart" (3:30)
15. "Dancing in the Moonlight" (3:22)

Every review I have ever read of this disc rates it as tip notch; one of the best Thin Lizzy compilations to ever be released. The only problem with this is that it is also one of the rarest Thin Lizzy discs. Ocassionally I see copies on eBay and they always sell for well above $30. I myself have bid on it several times, only to be outbid by someone willing to pay much more than I am. Well, I finally won a copy for the bargain price of $21.03 plus $4 shipping. Before I get any more emails, however, NO I am not willing to part with this cd. I didn't even get the disc in the mail yet and I was already getting requests from people to trade or sell it. In any case, "The Peel Sessions" features live in the studio versions of great Lizzy tunes recorded between 1972 and 1977 for John Peel's 70's BBC radio show. According to AMG, this is the only "Peel Sessions" release to include liner notes written by John Peel himself, who is now deceased. I suppose this fact alone makes the disc highly collectible. It is the music contained herein, however, that I am most interested in. Despite being recorded live, the musicianship is tight and the band sounds excellent on each and every track. As with most BBC releases, the production is a bit more raw than the studio versions. This actually enhances the Thin Lizzy cuts, especially the older material. The packaging isn't bad, but isn't great either. One nice thing about it is that the recording dates were included for each song. The liner notes are an interesting read as well. John Peel mentions that Thin Lizzy recorded over 43 individual songs for the show. He also mentions that they recorded two versions of "Black Boys in the Corner." To bad this didn't also appear on the disc. Hmmm, perhaps in the future another Peel Sessions will be issued.

One question for all the Thin Lizzy maniacs who might happen to read this. Does anyone have any idea who is singing with Phil Lynott on "Still in Love With You?" The song is sung as a duet, but there is no listing of who sang on the track other than Phil Lynott. I'd be interested to know. Some have suggested it might be either Gary Moore, or Frankie Miller. The lyrics to 'Still In Love With You' are also completely different from the version found on the 'Night Life' disc.

Ask and ye shall receive:
Frankie Miller is singing with Phil on "Still in Love With You?" on the Peel Sessions. Thanks Fred T.

Delux BBC Files Thin Lizzy-Deluxe BBC Files (Five Dollar Records) 2000

DISC ONE

  1. "Little Girl in Bloom" (5:28)
  2. "Little Darlin'" (3:09)
  3. "Showdown" (2:35)
  4. "It's Only Money" (2:45)
  5. "Black Boys on the Corner" (4:10)
  6. "Sitiamoa" (3:06)
  7. "The Rocker" (5:08)
  8. "Things Ain't Working Out Town on the Farm" (4:25)
  9. "Slow Blues" (7:53)
  10. "Gonna Creep Up On You" (4:04)
  11. "Suicide" (4:40)
  12. "Half Caste" (4:01)
  13. "Whiskey in the Jar" (4:02)
  14. "Emerald" [not listed on the sleeve] (5:56)
  15. "Rosalie" (3:32)
  16. "Vagabonds of the Western World" (4:31)
  17. "Killer Without A Cause" (3:36)
  18. "That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart" (3:26)
  19. "Philomena" (2:23)

DISC TWO

  1. "Johnny" (4:28)
  2. "Fools Gold" (4:01)
  3. "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" (1:47)
  4. "Gonna Creep Up On You" (3:24)
  5. "Sha la la" (3:41)
  6. "Downtown Sundown" (3:37)
  7. "She Knows" (5:31)
  8. "It's Only Money" (3:26)
  9. "Still in Love With You" (6:12)
  10. "Showdown" (4:48)
  11. "Rock and Roll With You" (4:51)
  12. "Bad Reputation" (6:08)
  13. "Opium Trail" (4:44)
  14. "Are You Ready" (3:09)
  15. "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" (5:22)
  16. "Chinatown" (4:25)
  17. "Got to Give it Up" (6:05)
  18. "Hollywood" (3:47)

A collection of studio recordings made for various BBC Radio sessions (disc 1 & disc 2, tracks 1 - 11). Disc 2 tracks 12 - 18 were officially released live recordings that apparently only appeared on a Japanese box set. Being that most of this material is basically live in the studio and the live recordings are all direct from the soundboard, the sound quality on this bootleg is outstanding. There are a few mistakes in the tracks listing and a few bad cuts at the ends of some songs, but otherwise a stellar two disc set. The worst cut is "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed," which only has about half of the song. One of the more interesting songs is the early slide guitar version of "Suicide," which is pretty radically different from the original. "Things Aren't Working Out Down on the Farm" is another very rare track. "Sha La La" is a favorite tracks of mine, and the BBC version, while sounding like it was recorded in a studio, has a live feel to it with the drum solo included. Tracks 13-16 have been released on the "Peel Session" cd put out by Strange Fruit. Tracks 12-18 were also released on the Japanese double version of "Wild One" and are of a higher sound quality that the seven tracks on this bootleg.

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