In 2010 the Thin Lizzy deluxe editions began appearing. The deluxe treatments came out at about the pace of two a year, finally reaching the end in 2013 with the release of the final two deluxe remasters. For Thin Lizzy fans, me included, these deluxe editions are gold. Some were better thought out than others, but regardless, there isn't one of these remasters a true Thin Lizzy fan would want to do without.
The first album to get the deluxe treatment was Thin Lizzy. Not only does this deluxe version include the rare New Day EP (which was part of a 1990s repackaging as well), it includes additional tracks, among them overdubbed and remixed versions of Look What the Wind Blew In, Honesty Is No Excuse, Dublin, and Things Ain't Working Out Down at the Farm.
Shades of a Blue Orphanage came next. Some killer stuff here. Overdubbed and remixed versions of Sarah, Brought Down, and Buffalo Gal, some Peel Session recordings, including the original version of Suicide with Eric bell on guitar (the song was officially recorded during the Gorham/Robertson-era Lizzy), and the full-length version of Whiskey in the Jar.
Vagabonds of the Western World is one of my favorite of the deluxe remasters. It includes a ton of B-sides, overdubbed and remixed stuff, promo releases, live Peel sessions, and live BBC Radio Bob Harris sessions. It also includes four bonus tracks that were issued on the 1991 repackaging of the album. Some of the extra tracks include live versions of Little Girl in Bloom, Suicide, Gonna Creep up on You, and Bob Harris sessions featuring Little Darling and Showdown.
An interesting note. There was an album called The Continuing Saga of the Ageing Orphans. I searched forever trying to find this recording because it featured different versions of Thin Lizzy songs recorded elsewhere. The album has been out of print and is almost impossible to get hold of, but the first three deluxe CD remasters actually include all of the recordings from The Continuing Saga of the Ageing Orphans.
Nightlife in its deluxe form has some tasty stuff on it as well. BBC sessions recordings of some of the songs from the album, a demo version of Showdown (with Gary Moore on guitar), an unreleased alternate take of Showdown, and an unreleased alternate take of Still in Love with You.
Fighting came on strong with B-sides, rough mixes, and some BBC session stuff, along with some studio takes and some no-vocal tracks.There are also some tunes that may have been intended for the album originally but never made the cut. Plenty of extras to sink your teeth into, including an instrumental version of Wild One, Try a Little Harder with an alternate vocal, BBC treatments of Rosalie and Suicide (now with the Gorham and Robertson guitar duo), and an extended version of Spirit Slips Away.
The deluxe edition of the Jailbreak album is a masterpiece. The recording includes remixed versions of
The Boys Are back in Town, Emerald, and Jailbreak, an alternate-vocal version of The Boys Are back in Town, and extended rough mix of Fight or Fall, Derby Blues (early version of Cowboy Song), and BBC recordings of Jailbreak, Emerald, Warrior, and Cowboy Song.
The deluxe version of Johnny the Fox includes instrumental run-throughs of Fools, Gold, Rocky, and Massacre, a remixed version of Don't Believe a Word, and BBC sessions of some of the songs from the album. There's also something called Scott's Tune (an unfinished Scott Gorham composition).
Bad Reputation's deluxe treatment was made up primarily of BBC sessions of some of the songs, including Killer Without a Cause, That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart, and Downtown Sundown. There's also a soundcheck of Me and the Boys. Not a big offering compared to some of the earlier releases.
The Live and Dangerous Deluxe version only had two new tracks on it, Opium Trail and Bad Reputation, but it did come with a DVD of the concert Live and Dangerous, Live at the Rainbow Theatre 1977. The album was actually not remastered in 2010, just the two new songs.
Black Rose (a Rock Legend) in deluxe form includes different versions of many of the songs from the album, including Toughest Street in Town (different lyrics), a killer track called Rockula (Rock Your Love), the slow version of Don't Believe a Word, and the long version of A Night in the Life of a Blues Singer. A slight improvement over the offerings on Bad Reputation, but it seemed at this point the Thin Lizzy camp was starting to run out of steam on the deluxe remasters. Some of the included material could be found elsewhere and wasn't entirely new to hardcore Thin Lizzy fans.
The Chinatown deluxe edition contained a few gems, but again, some of the stuff included had been released elsewhere and hardcore Lizzy fans had already heard it. Among the gems, live versions of songs from the album (live in 1980) featuring Snowy White on guitar, including a number from one of Lynott's solo albums, a tune called Dear Miss Lonely Hearts. There are some soundcheck recordings here that have been released elsewhere, but for those who haven't heard them, they are pretty cool. There is also a single version of We Will Be Strong, an edited version of the same track, and the B-side Don't Play Around (also released elsewhere. All in all, a cool deluxe version, but I wish there would have been more unreleased stuff as opposed to the stuff that was already floating around.
The Renegade deluxe edition was a huge disappointment for me. This is one of my favorite Lizzy records and I was looking forward to the deluxe treatment. What we get is five additional tracks. They include the Trouble Boys single (available elsewhere), a B-side, Memory Pain (also available elsewhere), an extended version of Hollywood (Down on Your Luck), an edited version of Renegade, and the 7" promo of Hollywood (Down on Your Luck). That's it. The only real gem here is the extended version of Hollywood (Down on Your Luck). This deluxe version falls way short.
Thunder and Lightning is the last of the Thin Lizzy albums to get the deluxe treatment. This one finishes off in grand style. Besides live recordings from 1981 (Angel of Death, Emerald, The Boys Are Back in Town, Hollywood (Down on Your Luck), and Killer on the Loose), there are demo versions of all of the songs from the Thunder and Lightning album. Very cool.
While there were some low points in this run of deluxe reissues, all in all it's been a good run with a lot of awesome material unearthed to satisfy Thin Lizzy freaks. Would I have liked to see more on each CD? Absolutely. I can never get my fill of Thin Lizzy. That said, I have all the deluxe editions and treasure them.
The first album to get the deluxe treatment was Thin Lizzy. Not only does this deluxe version include the rare New Day EP (which was part of a 1990s repackaging as well), it includes additional tracks, among them overdubbed and remixed versions of Look What the Wind Blew In, Honesty Is No Excuse, Dublin, and Things Ain't Working Out Down at the Farm.
Shades of a Blue Orphanage came next. Some killer stuff here. Overdubbed and remixed versions of Sarah, Brought Down, and Buffalo Gal, some Peel Session recordings, including the original version of Suicide with Eric bell on guitar (the song was officially recorded during the Gorham/Robertson-era Lizzy), and the full-length version of Whiskey in the Jar.
Vagabonds of the Western World is one of my favorite of the deluxe remasters. It includes a ton of B-sides, overdubbed and remixed stuff, promo releases, live Peel sessions, and live BBC Radio Bob Harris sessions. It also includes four bonus tracks that were issued on the 1991 repackaging of the album. Some of the extra tracks include live versions of Little Girl in Bloom, Suicide, Gonna Creep up on You, and Bob Harris sessions featuring Little Darling and Showdown.
An interesting note. There was an album called The Continuing Saga of the Ageing Orphans. I searched forever trying to find this recording because it featured different versions of Thin Lizzy songs recorded elsewhere. The album has been out of print and is almost impossible to get hold of, but the first three deluxe CD remasters actually include all of the recordings from The Continuing Saga of the Ageing Orphans.
Nightlife in its deluxe form has some tasty stuff on it as well. BBC sessions recordings of some of the songs from the album, a demo version of Showdown (with Gary Moore on guitar), an unreleased alternate take of Showdown, and an unreleased alternate take of Still in Love with You.
Fighting came on strong with B-sides, rough mixes, and some BBC session stuff, along with some studio takes and some no-vocal tracks.There are also some tunes that may have been intended for the album originally but never made the cut. Plenty of extras to sink your teeth into, including an instrumental version of Wild One, Try a Little Harder with an alternate vocal, BBC treatments of Rosalie and Suicide (now with the Gorham and Robertson guitar duo), and an extended version of Spirit Slips Away.
The deluxe edition of the Jailbreak album is a masterpiece. The recording includes remixed versions of
The Boys Are back in Town, Emerald, and Jailbreak, an alternate-vocal version of The Boys Are back in Town, and extended rough mix of Fight or Fall, Derby Blues (early version of Cowboy Song), and BBC recordings of Jailbreak, Emerald, Warrior, and Cowboy Song.
The deluxe version of Johnny the Fox includes instrumental run-throughs of Fools, Gold, Rocky, and Massacre, a remixed version of Don't Believe a Word, and BBC sessions of some of the songs from the album. There's also something called Scott's Tune (an unfinished Scott Gorham composition).
Bad Reputation's deluxe treatment was made up primarily of BBC sessions of some of the songs, including Killer Without a Cause, That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart, and Downtown Sundown. There's also a soundcheck of Me and the Boys. Not a big offering compared to some of the earlier releases.
The Live and Dangerous Deluxe version only had two new tracks on it, Opium Trail and Bad Reputation, but it did come with a DVD of the concert Live and Dangerous, Live at the Rainbow Theatre 1977. The album was actually not remastered in 2010, just the two new songs.
Black Rose (a Rock Legend) in deluxe form includes different versions of many of the songs from the album, including Toughest Street in Town (different lyrics), a killer track called Rockula (Rock Your Love), the slow version of Don't Believe a Word, and the long version of A Night in the Life of a Blues Singer. A slight improvement over the offerings on Bad Reputation, but it seemed at this point the Thin Lizzy camp was starting to run out of steam on the deluxe remasters. Some of the included material could be found elsewhere and wasn't entirely new to hardcore Thin Lizzy fans.
The Chinatown deluxe edition contained a few gems, but again, some of the stuff included had been released elsewhere and hardcore Lizzy fans had already heard it. Among the gems, live versions of songs from the album (live in 1980) featuring Snowy White on guitar, including a number from one of Lynott's solo albums, a tune called Dear Miss Lonely Hearts. There are some soundcheck recordings here that have been released elsewhere, but for those who haven't heard them, they are pretty cool. There is also a single version of We Will Be Strong, an edited version of the same track, and the B-side Don't Play Around (also released elsewhere. All in all, a cool deluxe version, but I wish there would have been more unreleased stuff as opposed to the stuff that was already floating around.
The Renegade deluxe edition was a huge disappointment for me. This is one of my favorite Lizzy records and I was looking forward to the deluxe treatment. What we get is five additional tracks. They include the Trouble Boys single (available elsewhere), a B-side, Memory Pain (also available elsewhere), an extended version of Hollywood (Down on Your Luck), an edited version of Renegade, and the 7" promo of Hollywood (Down on Your Luck). That's it. The only real gem here is the extended version of Hollywood (Down on Your Luck). This deluxe version falls way short.
Thunder and Lightning is the last of the Thin Lizzy albums to get the deluxe treatment. This one finishes off in grand style. Besides live recordings from 1981 (Angel of Death, Emerald, The Boys Are Back in Town, Hollywood (Down on Your Luck), and Killer on the Loose), there are demo versions of all of the songs from the Thunder and Lightning album. Very cool.
While there were some low points in this run of deluxe reissues, all in all it's been a good run with a lot of awesome material unearthed to satisfy Thin Lizzy freaks. Would I have liked to see more on each CD? Absolutely. I can never get my fill of Thin Lizzy. That said, I have all the deluxe editions and treasure them.
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