Gary Moore is “Back on the Streets” with Bonus Tracks

In addition to more reissues from Thin Lizzy, Universal U.K. will reissue the first solo album by one of the band’s guitarists, Gary Moore.

Back on the Streets, released by MCA in 1978, was, on a technicality, Moore’s second solo effort, after 1973’s Grinding Stone, released by CBS and credited to The Gary Moore Band. Prior to that album, Moore at the age of 16, played guitar in the Irish psych-blues outfit Skid Row, led by a young Irishman named Phil Lynott. Though Lynott was dropped from the band within a year of forming in 1967, both men were quality collaborators, with Moore being recruited by Lynott to play on “Still in Love with You,” a favorite track on Thin Lizzy’s Nightlife album in 1974. (Moore was the band’s full-time guitarist for 1979, after the departure of Brian Robinson, and contributed heavily to the group’s acclaimed Black Rose: A Rock Legend. He would rejoin Thin Lizzy for their last celebratory gigs in 1983, as chronicled on the Life album, and played with the band in a one-off reunion at Self Aid in 1986. Bob Geldof sang in place of the recently-departed Lynott.)

Lynott’s presence is all over Moore’s Back on the Streets: he sings and plays bass on three of the album’s tracks: a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Don’t Believe a Word” (recast as a slow-burning song, which Lynott later revealed was closer to the song’s originally intended arrangement), and “Fanatical Fascists” and the U.K. Top 10 single “Parisienne Walkways,” which he wrote and co-wrote with Moore, respectively. Lynott also contributed to a non-LP single, “Spanish Guitar”; in one of the more collectible accidents of Lynott’s career, a batch of the single was mispressed with Lynott on lead vocals instead of Moore.

This remastered and expanded edition features both versions of “Spanish Guitar” as bonus tracks, as well as the song’s instrumental version released as the B-side of the single and another non-LP B-side, “Track Nine.” It’s a fitting tribute to Moore, beloved by U.K. rock fans far beyond his sudden passing in 2011.

The expanded Back on the Streets is due next week in the U.K.; hit the jump for pre-order links and the full track list!

Back on the Streets: Expanded Edition (originally released as MCA Records MCF-2583, 1978 – reissued Universal (U.K.), 2013)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

1. Back on the Streets
2. Don’t Believe a Word
3. Fanatical Fascists
4. Flight of the Snow Moose
5. Hurricane
6. Song for Donna
7. What Would You Rather Bee or a Wasp
8. Parisienne Walkways
9. Track Nine (single B-side – MCA Records 386, 1978)
10. Spanish Guitar (Phil Lynott vocal) (single A-side – MCA Records 534 (alternate pressing), 1979)
11. Spanish Guitar (single A-side – MCA Records 534, 1979)
12. Spanish Guitar (Instrumental) (single B-side – MCA Records 534, 1979)

Final Thin Lizzy LPs Getting Expanded by Universal U.K.

After a healthy run of classic Thin Lizzy LPs getting expanded by Universal’s U.K. arm, not to mention a box set of BBC sessions and rumors of an expansive, separate box of outtakes, there’s still more product to release; this time, it’s the conclusion of the aforementioned expanded album program with the re-release of the Irish band’s final two studio albums, Renegade (1981) and Thunder and Lightning (1983).

Renegade is not one of the band’s most notable efforts – the increasing incongruity between guitarist Snowy White (who’d only joined the band the year before, on 1980’s Chinatown) and the rest of the band led him to mutually part ways with the band after Renegade, a record marred by bloated production that obscures even the best tunes, like single “Hollywood” and the title track. In fact, Renegade doesn’t even get a full disc of bonus material, with only three edits and remixes of those aforementioned tracks appended to the disc.

Thunder and Lightning fared somewhat better, with a heavier sound, a new guitarist (John Sykes) and increasing songwriting prowess from young keyboardist Darren Wharton, who co-wrote four of the album’s nine tracks. This album is greatly expanded, with a clutch of 1981 live tracks released as non-LP material and nine unreleased demos. Thin Lizzy would embark on a farewell tour, captured on the 1983 double album Life/Live; any hopes of a proper reunion would be dashed with the passing of lead singer/bassist Phil Lynott in 1986.

Both titles will be out in the U.K. on September 23. The full track list and pre-order links are after the jump.

Still in Love with Them: Vault Gems Abound on New Thin Lizzy Deluxe Sets

The last two years have been great for Thin Lizzy fans and collectors. Universal’s U.K. arm has, in recent times, expanded a good chunk of the band’s 1970s catalogue, released a thorough box set of tracks from the band’s BBC sessions and announced the acquisition of a ridiculous amount of unreleased tapes for future catalogue purposes.

The catalogue action continues this spring with double-disc deluxe editions of the band’s fourth and fifth albums, Nightlife and Fighting. Each set comes with a host of material making its debut on any format – a deserved reward for longtime fans of the band.

1974’s Nightlife is best known for the smoldering ballad “Still in Love with You,” which featured duet vocals from Scottish rocker Frankie Miller and guitar work from Gary Moore of Irish band Skid Row. Moore had joined the band that year following the departure of Eric Bell, and while he would depart in April, his cutting solos on the track would leave an indelible mark on the album, to the point that replacement guitarist Brian Robertson voted not to replace Moore’s work with his own. (Moore would perform with Lizzy and bandleader Phil Lynott throughout the rest of his career.)

“Still in Love with You” was sort of par for the course on Nightlife, a largely smoother record than the band had recorded (which the band attributed to the production work by Ron Nevison, who would later smooth out the edges of Heart in the mid-’80s) and one that did not earn them much acclaim at the time. Follow-up Fighting (1975), recorded after a revitalizing series of tours with Bob Seger (whose “Rosalie” was the first single off this album) and Bachman Turner Overdrive in the U.S., was arguably the start of Lizzy’s classic period, the first to chart in the U.K. (at No. 60) and a perfect set-up for the hard-driving sound and smart songwriting of Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox in 1976.

The bonus material on both sets is voluminous: both Nightlife and Fighting come with tracks from their respective BBC sessions of the era, while Fighting has another two previously-released tracks: non-LP B-side “Half Caste” (the flip to “Rosalie”) and an alternate mix of “Rosalie” included on U.S. pressings of the album. But there’s a lot of unreleased material to go around: Nightlife includes  three demos with Moore on guitar (“It’s Only Money,” “Showdown” and an early “Still in Love with You”) and two alternate studio takes of the latter two tracks. Fighting, meanwhile, boasts 10 unreleased alternate and early versions of tracks from the album and related sessions, including a different version of “Try a Little Harder,” an outtake released on the 2001 box set Vagabonds Kings Warriors Angels.

Each set is available on March 12. Pre-order links are live after the jump! (A hat tip to Real Gone Reviews for their reportage on these sets.)

The Boys Are Boxed: Thin Lizzy “BBC Sessions” Set Coming Soon

With the recent wave of expanded reissues of the Thin Lizzy catalogue across the pond (in some cases after years of waiting), it’s easy for eager fans to ask what comes next. The answer is quite a doozy: November sees the release of a massive seven-disc box set that captures the band’s various live stands recorded by the BBC.

The set has everything stored in the BBC archives, including sessions with the likes of Bob Harris and John Peel through the ’70s, two sets at London’s Golders Green Hippodrome recorded for BBC In Concert in 1973 and 1974, a 1981 gig at the Hammersmith Odeon, one at Hitchin’s Regal Theatre in 1983 and a DVD featuring two complete shows, performances on Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test and more. Some of the tracks were resurrected by the work of fans and collectors, who supplied their own tapes for Universal to include as much music as possible. (The BBC commonly erased tapes after using them, meaning that some performances aren’t complete.)

While some of these tracks have been released before – some tracks bowed on Strange Fruit’s Peel Sessions compilation in 1994, others on the aforementioned recent expanded editions and the 1977 show at The Rainbow Theatre was the basis for the iconic Live and Dangerous album – this is likely going to be a set that hardcore Lizzy fans won’t want to miss. (And casual fans also have something to look forward to: a cut-down double-disc set is also being released on the same day, November 7.)

So what’s in the box? Find out after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of June 21

Peter Tosh, Legalize It: Legacy Edition / Equal Rights: Legacy Edition (Columbia/Legacy)

The first two albums by the onetime Wailer are greatly expanded with rare alternate mixes and other goodies. (Official site)

Ace, Five-a-Side: Expanded Edition / Time for Another/No Strings: Expanded Edition (Cherry Red)

How long can you wait for expanded editions of the whole Ace catalogue? Each set (Five-a-Side as one set and the other two albums in another package) is remastered and expanded with a host of BBC session tracks. (Cherry Red)

Suede, Head Music: Deluxe Edition (Edsel)

We’ve been totally remiss lately about the Suede remasters, which by all accounts are damn good. So let us remind you that an expanded edition of Head Music came out today, with similar expansions of Suede, Dog Man Star and Coming Up already available. And A New Morning will be expanded next week! (Official site)

Carly Simon, No Secrets / Bad Company, Straight Shooter (Audio Fidelity)

The latest Audio Fidelity Gold CDs are Carly Simon’s breakthrough LP (the one with “You’re So Vain,” which I hope Matt Rowe correctly predicts will be expanded in the near future) and Bad Company’s great sophomore album (with “Feel Like Makin’ Love” and “Shooting Star”). (Audio Fidelity)

Various Artists, ICON (UMe)

They just. Won’t. Quit. (Original post with links to all the titles in this batch)

ICON and On and On

UPDATE 6/20: With a day before these sets are to hit stores, here’s the post with the track list for the one compilation that hadn’t been confirmed at the time – an incredibly slight collection for Steve Winwood. Just Steve Winwood. Not Traffic or anything else. Make of that what you will.

Original post: The latest batch of ICON titles hasn’t even hit stores yet, but yet another assortment of them has been announced for release next month.

While, as always, there’s not much in the way of rarities on these sets, there are a few artists compiled whose respective works haven’t seen much activity on CD. The Thin Lizzy compilation is interesting in the light of another forthcoming batch of deluxe editions from Universal’s U.K. arm, and the Bill Cosby and Righteous Brothers compilations are particularly welcoming for new fans. On the other side of the spectrum, though, you have a compilation from horrorcore rap group Insane Clown Posse, which only features tracks from the band’s four albums with Island from 1997 to 2000 (some Juggalo haters would argue that’s not all that’s wrong with this set), as well as an as-yet-trackless entry for Steve Winwood, whose Revolutions compilation came out just under a year ago.

If you’re interested, they’re all out on June 21 and can be ordered at Amazon (note that the page of “coming soon” titles still has listings for the last batch we reported on, due out next Tuesday). Hit the jump for the track lists (except the Winwood set, of course – we’ll update this post once that list comes over the line).

Caught in the Spotlight: Three More Thin Lizzy Reissues Due in U.K.

Now that the Thin Lizzy catalogue has begun being properly serviced by Universal in the U.K., it’s exciting to report on three more deluxe reissues of some of the band’s albums in June.

The band’s Bad Reputation (1977), Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979) and Chinatown (1980) will be expanded as two-disc sets with rare and unreleased B-sides, demos, BBC sessions and more.

Each set has a U.K. release date of June 27. Check out order links and track lists after the jump. Thanks to super reader George for reminding us about these and Brave Words for the annotated track lists!

In Case You Missed It: A Full Spectrum of U.K. Compilations in May

The Spectrum family of labels in the U.K., which includes the catalogues of what Americans count toward Universal Music Group, have a few affordable compilations on the market in the coming month from a diverse crop of artists.

On May 23, the label will release compilations from Styx as well as both Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart. (The latter two artists, whose catalogues reside with Warner Music Group in the U.S., will focus on each act’s “early years.”) It’s also worth noting that Spectrum has released a few other similar compilations in recent months, including sets for Big Country, Stevie Wonder, Thin Lizzy and Shalamar (the last of which came with a bonus disc of 12″ remixes).

For completeness’ sake, we’ve provided track lists and order pages for all six of these sets, in case anyone wants to grab some copies. Read on after the jump!

Release Round-Up: Week of January 25

Thin Lizzy, Jailbreak / Johnny the Fox / Live and Dangerous: Deluxe Editions (Universal)

A trio of long-awaited deluxe editions from the U.K., featuring bonus tracks, non-LP sides and (in the case of Live and Dangerous) a DVD. (Amazon U.K.)

Santana, The Swing of Delight / Zebop! / Shango: 30th Anniversary Editions (Friday Music)

Though only one of them is truly a 30th anniversary edition (each album dates back from 1980, 1981 and 1982, respectively), these remasters are more than welcome for fans of classic Santana. (Friday Music)

Various Artists, The Very Best of The Rat Pack (Reprise/Rhino)

Frank, Sammy and Dino’s greatest hits on one disc, along with a previously unreleased outtake by the Chairman of the Board. (Rhino)

Bing Crosby, Bing Sings the Sinatra Songbook / Bing & Rosie: The Crosby-Clooney Radio Sessions / A Southern Memoir (Collector’s Choice)

Three new archive titles for Bing from Collector’s Choice, including some choice materials from the vault. (Official site)

Edwin Starr, Clean: Expanded Edition / Marlena Shaw, Sweet Beginnings: Expanded Edition / Tom Browne, Love Approach: Expanded Edition (Big Break Records)

As detailed in yesterday’s post, three of a dozen or so expanded soul reissues from the U.K.-based label. (BBR)

Various Artists, Playlist (Sony/Legacy)

A huge chunk of Playlist titles for a number of Sony artists, easy on the wallet and a few of them packing some rarities. Consult here for more info. (Legacy)

The Boys Are Back in Town: Universal to Release Expanded Thin Lizzy LPs Abroad

Here’s some good news to follow the long-gestating, recent expansion of Thin Lizzy’s Vagabonds of the Western World: three – count ’em, three! – of the band’s albums are getting the deluxe treatment from Universal in the U.K., according to Classic Rock.

Double-disc editions of the 1976 albums Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox will be released, as well as a two-CD/one-DVD edition of Live and Dangerous (1978). Remastering is being overseen by Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham (who’s about to take the band on tour next year, in spite of the fact that iconic vocalist/bassist Phil Lynott has been deceased since 1986) as well as Joe Elliott. (Yes, the Def Leppard frontman.) Expect each of them in shops on January 24.

Full track lists are after the jump.