Thin Lizzy - Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits

  by John Clarkson

published: 21 / 6 / 2007

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Review

It has only been three years since Universal released 'Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits' amidst an extensive press and TV campaign, yet here it is again,already being recycled. In the 21 years since front man and bassist Phil Lynott died in early January 1986 at the age of 36 of heart complications and pneumonia after taking a drugs overdose, there have been several Thin Lizzy retrospectives. 'Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits', which spreads across two CDs and a sprawling 36 tracks, is, however, the definitive compilation. There were always two sides to Lynott-the hedonistic, macho hard rocker of the hit singles such as 'The Boys are Back in Town', 'Do Anything You Want To', 'Chinatown' and 'The Rocker', and the sensitive poet and bruised heart of album tracks as 'Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)', 'The Sun Goes Down' and 'Still in Love With You'. Both sides of his personality (and all of these songs) are featured in abundance here. 'Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits' features tracks from all eras of Lynott's 15 years with the band, showcasing Thin Lizzy's beginnings in the late 60's in Dublin as an Irish folk rock act ('Whisky in the Jar'); its subsequent mainstream success in the 70's as a hard rock band ('Jailbreak', 'Bad Reputation', ''Waiting for an Alibi', 'Killer on the Loose'), and, in contrast to other Lizzy compilations, it also highlights several tracks ('Thunder and Lightning', 'Cold Sweat', 'Renegade' and 'Angel of Death') as well from the group's underrated final two albums from the early 80's, 'Renegade' and 'Thunder and Lightning'. And that is not all. There are also songs from Lynott's solo career which expanded from both before and briefly after Thin Lizzy's break up in 1983 , including former 'Top of the Pops' theme tune 'Yellow Pearl', his paean to Elvis 'King's Call' and his final 1985 hit with ex-Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore, 'Out in the Fields'. 'Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits' was re-released just a few days before and to loosely coincide with Father's Day. There is also a Thin Lizzy tour of sorts towards the end of the year with long term member Scott Gorham and 80's guitarist John Sykes, who revived the group together in 1996, both back on board. It was, however, a bestseller when it came out last time, and one has to question, with so many Thin Lizzy fans having bought it then and so recently, if there will be many takers this time. Compilations, however, don't come much finer than this, and for anyone who missed out on it in 2004 this is very much worth searching out.

Track Listing:-

1 The Boys Are Back In Town
2 Jailbreak (Album Version)
3 Don't Believe A Word (Album Version)
4 Dancing In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In It's Spotlight)
5 Rosalie (Cowgirl's Song) (Live)
6 Waiting For An Alibi
7 Do Anything You Want To (Album Version)
8 Sarah
9 Chinatown (Album Version)
10 Killer On The Loose (Album Version)
11 Trouble Boys
12 Hollywood (Down On Your Luck) (Live (1983))
13 Cold Sweat
14 Thunder And Lightning
15 The Sun Goes Down
16 Dedication
17 Still In Love With You
18 She Knows
19 Yellow Pearl (First 7" Remix)
20 Whiskey In The Jar
21 Out In The Fields
22 Parisienne Walkways [feat. Phil Lynott]
23 Emerald (Album Version)
24 Bad Reputation
25 Wild One
26 Fighting My Way Back
27 Showdown
28 Black Rose (Live (1983))
29 Dear Miss Lonely Hearts
30 The Rocker
31 Are You Ready (Live (1983))
32 Renegade
33 King's Call
34 Angel Of Death

Band Links:-

http://www.thinlizzy.org/
https://www.facebook.com/ThinLizzyOffi
https://twitter.com/thinlizzy
http://www.thinlizzyband.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Liz

Label Links:-

http://www.umusic.co.uk/
http://www.universalmusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/UniversalMusi
https://twitter.com/umg