Thin Lizzy’s Greatest Hits 2-LP set brings together all the band’s hits and live favourites on vinyl for the first time in a non-limited edition form. Released on July 30 through UMC, Greatest Hits was put together with Lizzy expert Nick Sharp having overseen the track listing, which is all killer, no filler and pure unadulterated Thin Lizzy.
Thin Lizzy is unquestionably one of the true icons of British rock. Nobody has ever sounded like them, yet they have influenced countless others. Phil Lynott’s poetic lyricism, the unmatchable dual guitar precision and peerless melodies, all of this is part of the Lizzy heritage and what they have left behind is powerful and influential.
The band formed as a three-piece in Dublin and 1970 but didn’t achieve their breakthrough until 1973 when they had their first hit single, a version of the traditional Irish song “Whiskey in The Jar”, which reached number six in the UK.
There was to be a further shake-up when the band decided to expand the line-up to a four-piece, with Scottish teenager Brian Robertson and American Scott Gorham both coming in on guitar and creating the Lizzy signature sound. The 1976 album Jailbreak proved to be the moment that Thin Lizzy arrived on the world stage as an unstoppable force. The album stormed to number 10 in the UK and number 18 in America, and the band’s enduring anthem “The Boys Are Back in Town” was a transatlantic hit single. It got to number eight in Britain and number 12 in the States.
In 1978, the band released Live and Dangerous, which is rightly regarded as one of the all-time great live albums. The band finally called it a day in 1983, with their final British performance being a headlining slot at the Reading Festival that August.
On January 4, 1986, Lynott tragically died at the age of 36 but left behind a catalogue of songs that stands head and shoulders above any of his peers.
In their relatively short career, the band scored 8 top 20 hits over 8 years and no less than 8 albums in the UK top 20, 3 of which would make the top 10 and 4 the top 5.
Thin Lizzy’s Greatest Hits is out on July 30 and is available for pre-order.
Side One:
“The Boys Are Back in Town”
“Jailbreak”
“Don’t Believe A Word”
“Dancing in The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me in Its Spotlight)”
“Waiting for An Alibi”
“Rosalie (Live)”
Side Two:
“Do Anything You Want To”
“Chinatown”
“Sarah (Version 3)”
“Fighting My Way Back”
“Killer on The Loose”
“Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)”
Side Three:
“Thunder and Lightning”
“Renegade”
“Still in Love with You”
“The Sun Goes Down”
Side Four:
“Whiskey in The Jar”
“Bad Reputation”
“The Rocker”
“Showdown”
“Cold Sweat”
“Wild One”