Thin Lizzy: At the BBC
Thin Lizzy
At the BBC
(Universal UK)
Starting out in what was, at that time, the trio of drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and of course songwriter/vocalist/bassist, the dearly departed Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzyâs quite heavy âLook What the Wind Just Blew Inâ begins disk one of Thin Lizzy: At the BBC. âWhiskey in the Jarâ comes next, from a 1972 John Peel radio session (thereâs a good amount of John Peel stuff here) and is the quintessential solid riff and strong Lynott vocal. Itâs not surprising as this is one of TLâs early hits, with Bell especially outfitting himself perfectly. âThings Ainât Working Out Down at the Farmâ is the first of the live cuts here and is another great example of Lynottâs vocal swagger and the trioâs tightness. I love the low rolling toms and Lynottâs bass in seething story-song âVagabond of the Western Worldâ from a 1973 John Peel session, a good early example of backing vocals from the band.
âThe Rockerâ is a loud jangly rocker with a truly truckinâ Lynott riff. This is really, for me, the first sparkling great on disk one. âBlack Boys on the Cornerâ snaps with menace, from a â74 Peel session with a chunkinâ âItâs Only Money,â from the same session ending this first CD.
The blistering âSha La Laâ is on disk two, with John Peel stuff from â74. Thereâs a whole bunch of in-concert stuff here from 1974 with the ballad âStill In Love With You,â a true Lynott love song gem. Back to in-studio stuff like âRosalie,â a tight darker-then-it-is-on-the-record âJailbreakâ and âCowboy Songâ (my personal Lizzy favorite) showcasing how tight bands of the 70âs were when they played these live, stressful radio performances. This second disk ends with a bunch of stuff from a 1981 Lizzy appearance at Englandâs Hammersmith Odeon, featuring âRenegadeâ and âKiller on the Looseâ as well as âCold Sweatâ and the shunk-shunk-shunk of âThe Boys Are Back In Town,â both from the Regal Theatre in 1983.
Though the BBC was notorious for wiping tapes of their shows, somebody did us a service trolling the archives and also asking for contributions by fans for these wonderful two disks worth of Thin Lizzy: At the BBC.