Massive Thin Lizzy box set coming in September

After years of speculation, ‘Rock Legends’, a massive career-spanning box set from Thin Lizzy, is to be released in September. Released to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, the 6CD + DVD anthology is an essential addition to any fan’s collection.

Where as some bands are happy to repackage a few rarities with a bunch of previously released material, ‘Rock Legends’ gives everyone great value for money, in that 74 of the 99 tracks are unreleased and the bulk of the rest are making their debut on CD.

A lot of demo material is included and although no advance details are given about studio dates etc, the’Black Rose’ and ‘Chinatown’ demos are not those previously issued on two expensive Record Store Day sets.

The news of a possible Thin Lizzy box set containing a wealth of demos first hit the news back in 2012, but as the years passed, it was never mentioned again. It was later rumoured that a lot of material scheduled for that box set was used to fill 2CD deluxe reissues. It should probably be assumed that the core of Mercury era demo material within ‘Rock Legends’ are taken from the many cassettes Phil Lynott allegedly gave a fan back in the 80s. Whatever the source, there’s plenty for the Lizzy devotee to get excited about.

In addition to the demo and live material presented on CD for the first time, the box set includes a DVD featuring four songs from a Rod Stewart TV special from 1976 and the first ever home release for the excellent ‘Bad Reputation’ BBC documentary from 2015.

Also included are replicas of Phil Lynott’s original poetry books, along with another book containing reminisces from the surviving band members and various rock star fans, as well as replicas of original Lizzy tour programmes and four artwork prints from artist Jim Fitzpatrick.

Ahead of the release, a previously unheard demo of ‘Jailbreak’ can be heard below.

The full track listing for ‘Rock Legends’ is as follows:

CD ONE The Singles
Whiskey in The Jar – 7″ Edit
Randolph’s Tango – Radio Edit**
The Rocker – 7″ Edit
Little Darling – 7″ Single
Philomena – 7″ Single
Rosalie – 7″ Mix**
Wild One – 7″ Single
The Boys Are Back in Town – 7” Edit**
Jailbreak – 7” Edit**
Don’t Believe A Word – 7″ Single
Dancing in The Moonlight – 7″ Single
Rosalie / Cowgirl’s Song – 7″ Single
Waiting for An Alibi – Extra Verse
Do Anything You Want To – 7″ Single
Sarah – 7″ Single
Chinatown – 7” DJ/Radio Edit**
Killer on the Loose – 7″ Single
Trouble Boys – 7″ Single
Hollywood (Down on Your Luck) – 7” Edit**
Cold Sweat – 7″ Single
Thunder and Lightning – 7” Edit**
The Sun Goes Down – 7” Remix**

CD TWO Decca Rarities
The Farmer – Debut 7″ single
I Need You – Debut 7″ single B-side**
Whiskey in The Jar – Extended Version Rough Mix*
Black Boys on The Corner – Rough Mix*
Little Girl in Bloom – US Single Promo Edit*
Gonna Creep Up on You – Acetate*
Baby’s Been Messin’ – Acetate*
1969 Rock + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Buffalo Gal + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Suicide + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Broken Dreams + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Eddie’s Blues/Blue Shadows + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Dublin + Intro – RTE Radio Eireann Session 16 January 1973*
Ghetto Woman – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*
Things Ain’t Working Out Down at The Farm – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*
Going Down – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*
Slow Blues – RTE Radio Eireann Session 04 January 1974*

CD THREE Mercury Rarities
Rock and Roll with You – Instrumental Demo*
Banshee – Demo*
Dear Heart – Demo*
Nightlife – Demo*
Philomena – Demo*
Cadillac – Instrumental Demo*
For Those Who Love to Live – Demo*
Freedom Song – Demo*
Suicide – Demo*
Silver Dollar – Demo*
Jesse’s Song – Instrumental Demo
Kings Vengeance – Demo*
Jailbreak – Demo*
Cowboy Song – Demo*

CD FOUR Mercury Rarities
The Boys Are Back in Town – Demo*
Angel from The Coast – Demo*
Running Back – Demo*
Romeo and The Lonely Girl – Demo*
Warriors – Demo*
Emerald – Demo*
Fool’s Gold – Demo*
Weasel Rhapsody – Demo*
Borderline – Demo*
Johnny – Demo*
Sweet Marie – Demo*
Requiem for A Puffer (aka Rocky) – Alternate Vocal, “Rocky He’s A Roller”*
Killer Without A Cause – Demo*
Are You Ready – Demo*
Blackmail – Demo*
Hate – Demo*

CD FIVE Mercury Rarities
S & M – Demo*
Waiting for An Alibi – Demo*
Got to Give It Up – Demo*
Get Out of Here – Demo*
Roisin Dubh (Black Rose) A Rock Legend – Demo*
Part One: Shenandoah*
Part Two: Will You Go Lassie Go*
Part Three: Danny Boy*
Part Four: The Mason’s Apron*
We Will Be Strong – Demo*
Sweetheart – Demo*
Sugar Blues – Demo*
Having A Good Time – Demo*
It’s Going Wrong – Demo*
I’m Gonna Leave This Town – Demo*
Kill – Demo*
In the Delta – Demo*
Don’t Let Him Slip Away – Demo*

CD SIX Chinatown Tour 1980
Are You Ready? – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980) *
Hey You – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Waiting for An Alibi – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980) *
Jailbreak – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Do Anything You Want to Do – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Don’t Believe A Word – Tralee (12/04/1980) *
Dear Miss Lonely Hearts – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Got to Give It Up – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Still in Love with You – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Chinatown – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
The Boys Are Back in Town – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Suicide -Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*
Sha La La – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Rosalie – Hammersmith Day 2 (29/05/1980)*
Whiskey in The Jar – Hammersmith Day 3 (30/05/1980)*

DVD
Night On The Town – Rod Stewart LWT TV Special Broadcast October 24, 1976
Four songs never before commercially released recorded for a Rod Stewart TV special in 1976.
Jailbreak
Emerald
The Boys Are Back in Town
Rosalie / Cowgirl’s Song

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

Previously unreleased*
Previously unavailable on CD and streaming**