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When it comes to ‘hard rock’ few would dispute that Thin Lizzy helped define the genre. Formed in Dublin in late 1969, by July 1970 they’d released their debut single whilst the first of their 12 albums would appear the following year. Chart success was still a way off but when it came at the start of 1973 it was with the glorious single Whiskey In The Jar (UK No.6). They would score 7 further top 20 hits over the next 8 years and place no less than 8 albums in the UK top 20, 3 of which would make the top 10 and 4 the top 5. Disc 1 opens with one of their best loved singles and a timeless classic, The Boys Are Back In Town (UK No.1. Do Anything You Want To (UK No.14) follows before another certified A-grade classic, 1977’s wonderful Dancin’ In The Moonlight (UK No.14). Punk rock might have been raging at that point but it’s an irresistible slice of pop rock. Don’t Believe A Word (UK No.12) is next up and again is simply classic Lizzy at their best. Bad Reputation, the title track from their 1977 top 5 album follows ensuring pulses continue to race and for the most part the rest of CD1 keeps the listener rocking. One notable change of pace comes with the beautiful Still In Love With You. Disc 2 starts with another top 10 hit and acknowledged rock classic Waiting For An Alibi (UK No.9), the aforementioned hardy perennial Whiskey In The Jar (UK No.6) and Chinatown (UK No.21). The title track from their top 20 album Johnny The Fox (Meets Jimmy The Weed) is up next, the drum break from which was sampled by many in the early days of US hip hop including Tricky Tee and The Beastie Boys, whilst on these shores The Prodigy lifted it for their own ‘Breathe’. Further key album tracks and lost single Trouble Boys complete the rest of CD2. Disc 3 kicks off with the menacing Killer On The Loose (UK No.10) and the equally robust Jailbreak (UK No.31) before giving way to the beautiful Sarah (24), a song of love to Lynott’s new daughter. The hard rocking picks up again with Cold Sweat (UK No. 27) and Little Darling whilst the swaggering south American flavoured Mexican Blood, The Rocker and the Cowboy Song all help demonstrate why the band’s albums performed so well and with the live cuts across this set why they were such a formidable proposition on stage. After numerous line-up changes, Thin Lizzy called time in 1983 but just over two years later were planning to reform. Initial home studio demo’s (sadly lost) recorded in December 1985 had been promising but it was not to be. With 1986 just 4 days young lead singer and main song writer Phil Lynott died aged 36. Allmusic’s John Dougan wrote "As the band's creative force, Lynott was a more inful 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.” Meanwhile musically from the mid-70s onwards, they’d championed the use of two lead guitars and whilst this created tensions within the group that would lead to a number of stella names passing through the their ranks, it also gave them a unique sound which evolved down the years and influenced the likes of Def Leppard, Metallica and Iron Maiden. Thin Lizzy are due to be celebrated through a major documentary and extensive box set in the coming year. The boys may never be back in town again but their music will always be around. Enjoy.