It took literal years, but the boys are back in town.

Irish rockers Thin Lizzy will launch a new archival series with the October 9 release of Rock Legends, a career-spanning 6CD/1DVD box set that offers a new overview of their work through an almost entirely unreleased selection of tracks. The series celebrates their 50th anniversary as a band, and yesterday's announcement coincided with what would have been the 71st birthday of late frontman/bassist Phil Lynott as well as the forthcoming Songs For While I'm Away, a new documentary on Lynott's life and career.

Plans for a box on this scale have been gestating since 2012, when it was reported that Universal had acquired a decade's worth of tapes kept by Lynott featuring demos, alternate versions and outtakes. The final result certainly looks worth the wait: five of the six discs are entirely or nearly stocked with unreleased material - 74 of the set's 99 tracks - while another nine cuts are making their CD/digital debuts.

The set kicks off with a 22-track overview of the group's singles, all in their original edits or mixes as released on vinyl. From "Whiskey In The Jar" to "Jailbreak," "Dancing In The Moonlight" and, of course, the group's worldwide hit "The Boys Are Back In Town." From there, it's on to four discs of rarities: one devoted to their first three years on the Decca label and three devoted to their Vertigo/Mercury years. Highlights include both sides of their 1970 debut single, two Irish radio sessions from 1973 and 1974 and an archive of demos spanning between the releases of Nightlife (1974) and Thunder and Lightning (1983). The final CD collects 15 live performances from the group's 1980 tour (which featured Pink Floyd touring guitarist Snowy White as part of the line-up); Rock Legends closes with a DVD featuring the band's performance from a 1976 television special hosted by Rod Stewart and the 2015 BBC documentary Bad Reputation, both making their commercial debuts.

Rock Legends was compiled by longtime guitarist Scott Gorham and band expert Nick Sharp. Packaged in a 10" x 6" slipcase, the set also features copious book material, including a hardback collection of replica tour programs, selections from Lynott's poetry books, and quotes from not only all members of the band but famous fans like Slash, Lemmy Kilmister, Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, Joe Elliott and more. The box is available October 9 and can be pre-ordered below (links are still populating as of this initial post)!

Rock Legends (UMC, 2020)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Disc 1: The Singles

1. Whiskey In The Jar - 7″ Edit
2. Randolph's Tango - Radio Edit **
3. The Rocker - 7″ Edit
4. Little Darling - 7″ Single
5. Philomena - 7″ Single
6. Rosalie - 7″ Mix **
7. Wild One - 7″ Single
8. The Boys Are Back In Town - 7" Edit **
9. Jailbreak - 7" Edit **
10. Don't Believe a Word - 7″ Single
11. Dancing In The Moonlight - 7″ Single
12. Rosalie / Cowgirl's Song - 7″ Single
13. Waiting For An Alibi - Extra Verse
14. Do Anything You Want To - 7″ Single
15. Sarah - 7″ Single
16. Chinatown - 7" DJ/Radio Edit**
17. Killer On The Loose - 7″ Single
18. Trouble Boys - 7″ Single
19. Hollywood (Down On Your Luck) - 7" Edit **
20. Cold Sweat - 7″ Single
21. Thunder and Lightning - 7" Edit **
22. The Sun Goes Down - 7" Remix **

Disc 2: Decca Rarities (* except where noted)

1. The Farmer - Debut 7″ single (Parlophone DIP.513, 1970)
2. I Need You - Debut 7″ single B-side (Parlophone DIP.513, 1970) **
3. Whiskey In The Jar - Extended Version Rough Mix
4. Black Boys On The Corner - Rough Mix
5. Little Girl In Bloom - US Single Promo Edit
6. Gonna Creep Up On You - Acetate
7. Baby's Been Messin' - Acetate
8. 1969 Rock + Intro - RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973
9. Buffalo Gal + Intro - RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973
10. Suicide + Intro - RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973
11. Broken Dreams + Intro - RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973
12. Eddie's Blues/Blue Shadows + Intro - RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973
13. Dublin + Intro - RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973
14. Ghetto Woman - RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974
15. Things Ain't Working Out Down At The Farm - RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974
16. Going Down - RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974
17. Slow Blues - RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974

Disc 3: Mercury Rarities (* except where noted)

1. Rock and Roll With You - Instrumental Demo
2. Banshee - Demo
3. Dear Heart - Demo
4. Nightlife - Demo
5. Philomena - Demo
6. Cadillac - Instrumental Demo
7. For Those Who Love To Live - Demo
8. Freedom Song - Demo
9. Suicide - Demo
10. Silver Dollar - Demo
11. Jesse's Song - Instrumental Demo (from Fighting: Deluxe Edition - Mercury/Universal 2792227, 2012)
12. Kings Vengeance - Demo
13. Jailbreak - Demo
14. Cowboy Song - Demo

Disc 4: Mercury Rarities *

1. The Boys Are Back in Town - Demo
2. Angel From The Coast - Demo
3. Running Back - Demo
4. Romeo and The Lonely Girl - Demo
5. Warriors - Demo
6. Emerald - Demo
7. Fool's Gold - Demo
8. Weasel Rhapsody - Demo
9. Borderline - Demo
10. Johnny - Demo
11. Sweet Marie - Demo
12. Requiem For a Puffer (aka Rocky) - Alternate Vocal, "Rocky He's a Roller"
13. Killer Without a Cause - Demo
14. Are You Ready - Demo
15. Blackmail - Demo
16. Hate - Demo

Disc 5: Mercury Rarities *

1. S & M - Demo
2. Waiting For An Alibi - Demo
3. Got To Give It Up - Demo
4. Get Out Of Here - Demo
5. Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend - Demo
6. Part One: Shenandoah
7. Part Two: Will You Go Lassie Go
8. Part Three: Danny Boy
9. Part Four: The Mason's Apron
10. We Will Be Strong - Demo
11. Sweetheart - Demo
12. Sugar Blues - Demo
13. Having a Good Time - Demo
14. It's Going Wrong - Demo
15. I'm Gonna Leave This Town - Demo
16. Kill - Demo
17. In The Delta - Demo
18. Don't Let Him Slip Away - Demo

Disc 6: Chinatown Tour 1980 *

1. Are You Ready? - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
2. Hey You - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
3. Waiting For An Alibi - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
4. Jailbreak - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
5. Do Anything You Want to Do - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
6. Don't Believe a Word - Tralee (12/04/1980)
7. Dear Miss Lonely Hearts - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
8. Got To Give It Up - Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)
9. Still In Love With You - Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)
10. Chinatown - Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)
11. The Boys Are Back In Town - Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)
12. Suicide -Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)
13. Sha La La - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
14. Rosalie - Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)
15. Whiskey In The Jar - Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)

DVD
Night On The Town - Rod Stewart LWT TV Special Broadcast October 24, 1976

1. Jailbreak
2. Emerald
3. The Boys Are Back In Town
4. Rosalie / Cowgirl's Song

Bad Reputation
Never before commercially released 60-minute documentary made by Linda Brusasco and first broadcast on BBC4 in September 2015