Universal Music Recordings has announced Thin Lizzy 1976, a box set celebrating the band’s impressive body of work from that year. Three tracks are available already to stream: “Jailbreak” (Demo), “Rocky” (Alternative Version 2), and “The Boys are Back in Town” (Live in Cleveland). The complete box set will be released on September 27th.
The 5CD/1Blu-Ray set contains the new stereo mixes and the original versions of the studio albums that the band released in 1976, Jailbreak and Johnny The Fox. The additional discs contain unreleased versions from the band’s vault, radio sessions, demos and an unreleased Cleveland, Ohio show recorded May 11th, 1976. The Blu-Ray contains an Atmos mix of both albums as well as the new stereo mixes and remastered versions of the original albums. The new mixes have been undertaken by Richard Whittaker, overseen by legendary Lizzy Guitarist Scott Gorham and mastered by Andy Pearce.
The collection is housed in a 10 x 10 box with a 40-page hard-backed book with sleeve notes by renowned music writer Mark Blake and packed with rare photos.
Jailbreak and Johnny The Fox are seen as the definitive Thin Lizzy studio albums, featuring hits and live favorites such as “The Boys Are Back In Town,” “Jailbreak,” “Warriors,” “Emerald,” “Don’t Believe A Word,” “Massacre,” and “Cowboy Song.”
Jailbreak was released in March 1976 and was seen as the band’s breakthrough album in America, reaching no.18 on the Billboard charts and becoming a top ten record in the UK. While on tour in the U.S., disaster struck when lead singer Philip Lynott contracted hepatitis. The band were quarantined, and the rest of the tour was cancelled. Determined to keep the band’s momentum going, Lynott started writing songs in his hospital bed, which led to a month in The Who’s Ramport Studios. These sessions produced Johnny The Fox.