Description

The cd version of the album is much rarer than the vinyl. The vinyl version however features three bonus tracks that aren’t on the cd version. Two of the bonus tracks are single tracks. This double vinyl comes with gatefold cover Thin Lizzy was formed in the late 60s by Irish singer/songwriter/bassist Phil Lynott, Lizzy, though not the first band to do so, combined romanticized working-class sentiments with their ferocious, twin-lead guitar attack. As the band's creative force, Lynott was a more insightful and intelligent writer than many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-class dramas of love and hate influenced by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and virtually all of the Irish literary tradition. Also, as a black man, Lynott was an anomaly in the nearly all-white world of hard rock, and as such imbued much of his work with a sense of alienation; he was the outsider, the romantic guy from the other side of the tracks, a self-styled poet of the lovelorn and downtrodden. His sweeping vision and writerly impulses at times gave way to pretentious songs aspiring to clichéd notions of literary significance, but Lynott's limitless charisma made even the most misguided moments worth hearing. This collection features only material from the three first albums when the band were on Decca records. There are some classic tracks here even if many of the biggest hits would came when the left Decca. Theres only one hard to find track on this album and that’s ‘Sitamoia’. The track first turned up in August 1976 as an exclusive track on the Decca compilation album ‘Remembering Part 1’. Decca would also released it on an Uk three track EP together with ‘Whiskey In The Jar’ and ‘Vagabonds Of The Western World’ in 1978. ‘Sitamoia’ was written by Brian Downey and dates to around 1974, during Gary Moore's first tenure with Lizzy. When Gary was in Lizzy he played with a blistering originality and metallic flair that is rivaled by few. ‘Sitamoia’ was recorded during a period that bridges the gap between Lizzys prog/folk beginnings (the Eric Bell era), and their rise to becoming the greatest Hard Rock band of the 70's (the Robertson/Gorham era). The tribal beat layed down by Brian Downey, Moore's Celtic melody line and mid-song gig, the soaring, intertwining fiddle parts, and Lynott's plaintive vocals and vague lyrics, all combine to make ‘Sitamoia’ one of the most dramatic track Thin Lizzy ever recorded. I say this without any hesitation, humour, or irony… if you are unable to appreciate the splendour of this song… you, my friend, are awash in a sea of your own stupidity. Track listing: 1. Black Boys On The Corner-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 2. Little Girl In Bloom-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 3. Randolphs Tango-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 4. Return Of The Farmers Son-from Thin Lizzy 1971 5. Remembering-from Thin Lizzy 1971 6. Whisky In The Jar-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 7. The Rocker-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 8. Buffalo Gal-from Shades Of A Blue Orphanage 1972 9. Sitamoia-from Remebering Part 1 1976 10. A Song For While Im Away-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 11. Baby Face-from Shades Of A Blue Orphanage 1972 12. Ray Gun-from Thin Lizzy 1971 13. Sarah-from Shades Of A Blue Orphanage 1972 14. Eire-from Thin Lizzy 1971 15. Vagabond Of The Western World-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 16. The Friendly Ranger At Clontarf Castle-from Thin Lizzy 1971 17. Mama Nature Said-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 18. Here I Go Again-from The Rocker single 1973 19. The Hero And The Madman-from Vagabonds Of The Western World 1973 20. Little Darling-from Little Darling single 1974