The band’s third studio record is widely regarded as Thin Lizzy’s breakthrough as it came on the heels of their first UK top ten single, "Whiskey In The Jar".
After working for two years with limited success, the project was viewed as the band’s last roll of the dice when the first two albums failed to chart. After the band moved to London from Dublin, they played every gig they could to keep themselves afloat.
While messing around in their rehearsal studio, Phil Lynott started busking the old Irish folk song "Whiskey In The Jar", which dates back to the 1700s. Their then manager remarked upon it and insisted that the band recorded, against their gut instincts. The single was released in November 1972 and rose to number 6 on the UK singles chart. However, the song didn’t sit well with the band, and despite its success, they left it off their forthcoming album.
Since then, the song, in arrangements influenced by the Lizzy version, has gone on to be covered by artists such as U2, Metallica, Belle & Sebastian, The Pogues, Pulp, Bryan Adams, Gary Moore and Simple Minds.
After a two-year struggle for recognition, Thin Lizzy had finally scored a breakthrough hit; it set the stage for the “Vagabonds Of The Western World” album, which would be their last with original guitarist Eric Bell. After an unsuccessful New Year's Eve show in Belfast, Bell was no longer in the band, which paved the way for Lynott's idea about having twin lead guitarists. After a short spell with very young Gary Moore filling in, Phil and drummer Brian Downey recruited American Scott Gorham and 18-year-old Glaswegian Brian Robertson, and a new adventure started.
To celebrate the album’s golden anniversary, deluxe CD and LP sets will feature rarities, radio sessions, unreleased music, rare photos, extensive sleevenotes by Mark Blake, and memorabilia; the reissue suite also includes the album remixed in Dolby Atmos, a first for any Thin Lizzy record.
Pick up your copy of “The Essential Thin Lizzy” here.
See also:
Black Star Riders release Catch Yourself On video
Black Star Riders stream new album Wrong Side Of Paradise
Black Star Riders offer free download of Wrong Side Of Paradise singles collection
Black Star Riders stream video for new single Riding Out The Storm
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