Nicky WoulffeThin Lizzy give the box treatment to their debut album Thin Lizzy from 1971.
This was the day when Lizzy were a three man line up with Philip Lynott, Eric Bell and of course the man at the back Brian Downey, on the Drums. Any of us who are old enough to remember and buying Lizzy’s first effort will know that like all debut records, it had its moments.
One track that stood out particularily on the record was the “Friendly Ranger of Clontarf Cowboy”. It had that wonderful guitar riff from Eric Bell which diffently took its influence from the great Jimi Hendrix. The album is heavenly influenced by the blues and folk genres. This is evident with songs like “Ray Gun” and the great “Look What The Wind Blew In” .
The sound of a bygone era
This album, originally released on Decca Records, suffered a bit on the production side of things back in 1971. But this new boxset has a lot going for it, because of the production updates along with the inclusion of 26 tracks outtakes and reproduced record. It has, with all boxsets, a lovely booklet with loads of pictures from a bygone era of Lizzy at a different time in their development as a band.
This is a record that is some distance away from the twin guitar sound of Robertson and Gorham. It would develop into the distinctive sound of Lizzy on Jailbreak, or the wonderful Johnny The Fox and the quintessential Live and Dangerous.
I have gone through the boxset with a open mind. It is, for a Thin Lizzy collector, probably worth the money for the extra tracks and outtakes along with the beautifully produced booklet. But if you have the 1971 original album, or the 2010 repress you are probably best off sticking to these .
If you are a Lizzy completist then this box set is for you.
Final Thoughts
Lizzy have always been one of my favourite bands and always will be. This boxset brings you back to the roots of the band and where the the journey begins. Finally, Lizzy fans will love the re-recorded tracks and the outtakes from the original album.
Happy listening my friends! Enjoy Thin Lizzy at their rawest .
