LET THE FLAGS
FLY HALF MAST
LET THIS
DARKENED HOUR
DRIFT PAST
It is hard
to comprehend,
but
Phil Lynott
passed away
Forty Eight years ago.
A lifetime too early,
yet the music he made
lives on in many hearts.
It seems like only yesterday
that he was raising
Thin Lizzy hell
with a glint in his eye
and that
irresistible Irish charm of his,
the very embodiment of a rock star.
Thin Lizzy :
Acoustic Sessions
Release Date:
January 24th 2025
Phil Lynott was, of course,
a poet and a soulful one at that,
the bluster of the big riffs
nd rollicking tunes
only part of his identity.
The mellower side
of his career often showed through
with such tender fare as Sarah
but it was in his earliest works
that this shone the brightest,
and this facet is
highlighted beautifully in
Thin Lizzy
Acoustic Sessions.
Perfectly cherry-picked
from their first three albums,
the selection of numbers on
Acoustic Sessions
are a glorious run through
the blues laced
with more than
a little Celtic mist
and unutterable cool.
At the centre of these performances,
Phil’s original vocals
are skilfully mixed
with brand new guitar parts
by founding member
Eric Bell
whose work alongside
producer and mixer
Richard Whittaker
has birthed the project.
By any standards,
the results are astounding.
The vibrancy of these
new versions certainly
pours some bright light
through old and
much-loved windows.
Most striking is just
how warm this all sounds.
The clarity of the vocals
sounds like they were
sung yesterday,
and the songs themselves
have the space to breathe,
away from
the heavier
instrumentation.
Wrapped in some
gorgeous artwork,
Acoustic Sessions
is a beautiful-looking package
that comes in
various formats
with a number of choices,
with vinyl zenith
and some editions
that come with
additional tracks.
Whichever version
you shell out for,
here is a treasure trove
that adds another
very welcome chapter
to the
Thin Lizzy story
and pays compliments
to the recent
comprehensive reissue
of the seminal
Live And Dangerous album.
Things open with the
rolling and rocking loose blues
of
Mama Nature Said
and then a swift change of pace
to the shimmering
orchestral sounds of
A Song For While I’m Away,
the whole a timeless number
that has a flavour of
the ’60s and ’70s
that speaks of
The Beatles
and
The Moody Blues.
Another switch,
but this time to a
wistful and
passionate Eire,
Bell’s fretwork is
dazzling and with
almost a hint
of Spanish guitar
before Slow Blues
E.B. ups
the ante with drama
and a sound like it
would perfectly soundtrack
a hip early
’70s television series.
There is certainly variety here,
and with the delicate Dublin,
the wild and funny tale
Here I Go Again
(not to be confused)
with the
Whitesnake barnstormer,
along with the skittering
Remembering Pt 2
making an appearance,
there is plenty of
light and shade.
Whilst its fresh approach is effective,
the new version of
Whiskey In The Jar
is arguably the track that
hits the least hardest,
due to its ubiquitous nature
of having been heard
countless times before,
but there is
still much to love.
The release peaks with
Shades Of A Blue Orphanage,
the shimmering beauty of it
wrapped in a
gossamer-thin nostalgia
as it soars to ever-great
emotional heights,
painting pictures in a
vivid sepia that
warms the soul.
A labour of love
by all involved,
Acoustic Sessions
is a vital addition
to anyone
who truly
loves music.
TRACKLIST
Mama Nature Said
(Acoustic Version)
A Song For While I'm Away
(Acoustic Version)
Eire
(Acoustic Version)
Slow Blues - E.B
(Acoustic Version)
Dublin
(Acoustic Version)
Whiskey In The Jar
(Acoustic Version)
Here I Go Again
(Acoustic Version)
Shades Of A Blue Orphanage
(Acoustic Version)
Remembering (Pt. 2)
(Acoustic Version)
BONUS
Romeo And The Lonely Girl
(Acoustic)
Fight Or Fall
(Acoustic)
Slow Blues
(G.M Acoustic Version)
Philomena
(Acoustic Demo)
For Always
(Philip Lynott solo)
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