After a healthy run of classic Thin Lizzy LPs getting expanded by Universal's U.K. arm, not to mention a box set of BBC sessions and rumors of an expansive, separate box of outtakes, there's still more product to release; this time, it's the conclusion of the aforementioned expanded album program with the re-release of the Irish band's final two studio albums, Renegade (1981) and Thunder and Lightning (1983).
Renegade is not one of the band's most notable efforts - the increasing incongruity between guitarist Snowy White (who'd only joined the band the year before, on 1980's Chinatown) and the rest of the band led him to mutually part ways with the band after Renegade, a record marred by bloated production that obscures even the best tunes, like single "Hollywood" and the title track. In fact, Renegade doesn't even get a full disc of bonus material, with only three edits and remixes of those aforementioned tracks appended to the disc.
Thunder and Lightning fared somewhat better, with a heavier sound, a new guitarist (John Sykes) and increasing songwriting prowess from young keyboardist Darren Wharton, who co-wrote four of the album's nine tracks. This album is greatly expanded, with a clutch of 1981 live tracks released as non-LP material and nine unreleased demos. Thin Lizzy would embark on a farewell tour, captured on the 1983 double album Life/Live; any hopes of a proper reunion would be dashed with the passing of lead singer/bassist Phil Lynott in 1986.
Both titles will be out in the U.K. on September 23. The full track list and pre-order links are after the jump.
Renegade: Expanded Edition (released as Vertigo 6359 083 (U.K.), 1981 - reissued Universal (U.K.), 2013)
- Angel of Death
- Renegade
- The Pressure Will Blow
- Leave This Town
- Hollywood (Down on Your Luck)
- No One Told Him
- Fats
- Mexican Blood
- It's Getting Dangerous
- Trouble Boys
- Memory Pain
- Hollywood (Extended Version) (12" A-side - Vertigo LIZZY 1012(?), 1981)
- Renegade (7" Edit) (exact origin undetermined)
- Hollywood (7" Version) (single A-side - Vertigo LIZZY 10, 1981)
Thunder and Lightning: Deluxe Edition (Universal (U.K.), 2013)
Disc 1: Original LP (released as Vertigo VERL 3 (U.K.), 1983)
- Thunder and Lightning
- This is the One
- The Sun Goes Down
- The Holy War
- Cold Sweat
- Someday She is Going to Hit Back
- Baby Please Don't Go
- Bad Habits
- Heart Attack
Disc 2: Bonus material
- Angel of Death (Live @ Hammersmith 1981)
- Don't Believe a Word (Live @ Hammersmith 1981)
- Emerald (Live @ Hammersmith 1981)
- Killer on the Loose (Live @ Hammersmith 1981)
- The Boys Are Back in Town (Live @ Hammersmith 1981)
- Hollywood (Live @ Hammersmith 1981)
- The Sun Goes Down (Demo)
- Bad Habits (Demo)
- This is the One (Demo)
- Thunder and Lightning (Demo)
- Cold Sweat (Demo)
- Baby Please Don't Go (Demo)
- Heart Attack (Demo)
- The Holy War (Demo)
- Someday She's Gonna Hit Back (Demo)
Tracks 1-2 included on "Cold Sweat" 12" - Vertigo LIZZY 1112, 1983
Tracks 3-6 included on bonus 12" with certain pressings of the album - Vertigo LIZLP 3, 1983
Release Round-Up: Week of January 20
Dancing in the Moonlight: Thin Lizzy's Major Live Works Getting Reissued
Release Round-Up: Week of October 30
Spread The Word Around: Long-Awaited Thin Lizzy Box Collects Trove Of Rarities
I'll definitely be picking these up. For the remasters of the main albums as much as anything else. I love Thunder and Lightning and a lot of people seem to rate Renegade pretty highly.
I've been waiting for these for a while. While "Renegade" is routinely dissed as quite possibly Lizzy's worst album (and many of the criticisms are justified, I'll admit), I don't think it's nearly as awful as many make it out to be. I would take a subpar Thin Lizzy album over a great album by MANY other artists almost any day of the week. Even at their worst, IMO, they were better than most.
"Thunder and Lightning" is the one I'm REALLY looking forward to. Maybe it wasn't the ultimate swan song, but it showed that Phil and the boys had quite a bit more left in the tank than I think even THEY thought they had. It's a very, very good record, and while I was initially put off by the more "metallic" direction the album hinted at, I've warmed more and more to it over the years. Sykes definitely gave Phil a swift boot in the arse, and he responded with some fine material. It was a nice way for the Lynott-led band to go out, I think. Not perfect by any stretch, but better than many, Including me, were expecting at that point.
Some have complained about the mastering on these Deluxe reissues, but I don't have any major gripes about them. They sound pretty nice to me, and my system, while not super-high-end, isn't exactly garbage either. I have the Metal Blade remasters of both albums, and those sound terrific. I'm curious how these Deluxes will stack up.
The last few years have been a good time to be a Lizzy fan. Now get these guys into the R&R HOF posthaste, and nearly all will be right in the TL universe! 🙂