
THIN LIZZY
Acoustic Sessions
DeccaTrack listing:
01. Mama Nature Said
02. A Song For While I'm Away
03. Eire
04. Slow Blues
05. Dublin
06. Whiskey In The Jar
07. Here I Go Again
08. Shades Of A Blue Orphanage
09. Remember Pt. 2
In the history of rock 'n' roll, has there even been a cooler band than peak-era THIN LIZZY? That was a rhetorical question, by the way. There hasn't.
Defying the vagaries of time and fashion, the Irish legends remain one of those bands that are such an integral part of the rock and metal tapestry that they command utmost respect, even 39 years on from the untimely passing of talismanic frontman Phil Lynott. Of course, there has been no shortage of posthumous cash-ins and dubious compilations over the years, but one thing that is certain is that the remaining members of the band's classic lineups are fully committed to keeping their legacy alive.
For the casual observer, LIZZY's gradual return to business in the 1990s was an opportunity that bore plenty of fruit, and the band's ongoing live formation, featuring vocalist Ricky Warwick alongside guitarist Scott Gorham, keyboard player Darren Wharton (who played on THIN LIZZY's three great early '80s albums) and JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis, has been enthusiastically received at countless festivals over the last 25 years. Armed with an abundance of immortal anthems, they could hardly fail.
Meanwhile, on an altogether different tip, "Acoustic Sessions" seeks to shine a light on the era of the band that is generally overlooked and undervalued. Written and originally recorded between 1971 and 1973, these songs are stripped down versions of tracks taken from early THIN LIZZY's joints "Shades Of A Blue Orphanage", "Vagabonds Of The Western World" and, significantly, 1971's self-titled debut. Newly augmented with new guitar parts by original six-string-slinger Eric Bell, Lynott's original studio vocals and the inestimable pulse-provision of drummer Brian Downey have been revitalized and sonically enhanced for the modern era, resulting in a strange mixture of old and new that nonetheless illuminates the songwriting brilliance that always underpinned THIN LIZZY's rise to glory.
It is all done with such finesse and respect that listeners may have to remind themselves that "Acoustic Sessions" is not a wholesale blast from the past. Bell's additions are all eminently tasteful, but also enjoyably ragged and believable, and very much in keeping with the windswept earthiness of the originals. At times, the refreshed arrangements are simply magnificent. An extended take on "Eire" (from "Thin Lizzy"),an aching, lascivious "Slow Blues" and a rambunctious, folk-some "Whiskey In The Jar" (both from "Vagabonds…") are arguably the headline-grabbers here, but the mournfully pretty "Dublin" and the monumental, pastoral flow of "Shades Of A Blue Orphanage" are equally magical, and "A Song For While I'm Away" ("…to say all the things I'd like to say") is painfully poignant.
Nothing will ever beat the hard rock perfection of "Jailbreak", "Don't Believe A Word" or "Waiting For An Alibi", but as an introduction to the largely untold story of a pre-breakthrough THIN LIZZY, "Acoustic Sessions" has been classily and lovingly executed.