Customer Reviews

Boys Are Back in Town

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

get this cd if only for disc 2, which contains rare b-sides no longer available, plus a killer version of "still in love with you" on disc 1, where phil & gary moore share lead vocal duties. disc 1 contains alot of the well known lizzy songs, plus a couple of phil's tunes, great selection.great photos of the band, but the liner notes are in swedish. overall a great set! get it while it lasts

forgot to add in my previous review, that the cover art is done by jim fitzpatrick

This import is a must buy for the fans of the group because of the second disc of rarities! The selection on the first disc is great in the sense that all tracks rule but of course, a lot of favorites of mine are missing like "Cold Sweat" or "Honesty Is No Excuse". Also the selection completely overlooks both "Chinatown" and "Renegade"! These two albums deserve at least one selection on every compilation! On the plus side, the last song the first disc is the amazing version of "Still In Love With You" recorded during Gary Moore's first stint with the band in early 1974 for a BBC session and features different lyrics and both Lynott and Moore share the lead vocals. This take is as good as the original if not better! A must listen for the fans!
The booklet inside is neat with band pictures of every line-up that recorded in the studio (there's no picture from the temporary May 1974 twin guitar line-up of Andy Gee/John Cann as well as the temporary line-up from the second half of 1979 with guitarist Dave Flett and Midge Ure on keyboards). In the booklet you'll find also track by track commentary but you need to know Swedish!

The rare tracks on the second disc are excellent. One of the most interesting is the single that Lynott recorded/released in 1979 as The Greedies featuring Scott Gorham plus Sex Pistols members Paul Cook (drums) and Steve Jones (guitar) titled "A Merry Jingle". It is a great punk-rock medley of two Christmas tunes! Also of note is the "Black Rose" B-side "Just The Two Of Us", a nice melodic rocker that takes inspiration from the punk movement as well and has a great solo from Gorham. It was great to see the inclusion of the "Chinatown" single "Don't Play Around", a killer hard rock number with the classic dual harmony guitars from the Gorham/White team. The "Renegade" era single "Trouble Boys/Memory Pain" is cool, one is a nice rock and roll number while the B-side is a great minor key blues song. The songs "Beat Of The Drum", "Somebody Else's Dream", and "A Night In The Life Of A Blues Singer" are single B-sides from Lynott's solo work and all three are fantastic.
The only regret I have is the fact that a brilliant Gary Moore single from 1978 called "Spanish Guitar" could have been added. It featured Lynott on vocals and it was a haunting ballad similar to "Parisienne Walkways" from Gary Moore's 1978 solo album "Back On The Streets". Too bad it was left off!

Still, diehard fans of the group should try to get this collection for the second disc of rarities! You won't be disappointed!
Thanks for taking the time to read!
Later...

Rare, 4 track The Boys Are Back In Town UK 1991 release single.

1. The Boys Are Back In Town [Remixed by Simon Vinestock]
2. Johnny The Fox [Studio Version]
3. Black Boys On The Corner [Studio Version]
4. Me And The Boys [Live]

In regards to the compilation, there are 2 versions. The 2000 Swedish release, and the 2010 Danish collection which I own physically. Tracklist for both below.

Swedish Collection

CD1
1 Jailbreak
2 Dancing In the Moonlight
3 The Boys Are Back In Town
4 Sarah
5 Don't Believe A Word
6 Solo In Soho (Phil Lynott)
7 Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed
8 Cowboy Song
9 Bad Reputation
10 Rosalie (single long version)
11 Waiting For An Alibi
12 King's Call Phil Lynott)
13 Emerald
14 Old Town (Phil Lynott)
15 Whiskey In The Jar (Single Version)
16 The Sun Goes Down
17 Roisin Dubh (Black rose): A Rock Legend
18 Still in love with you (1974 BBC Version w/ Gary Moore, Different lyrics)

CD2 Bonus Rare Trax CD
1 Beat Of The Drum (Phil Lynott)
2 Somebody Else's Dream (Phil Lynott)
3 A Night In The Life Of A Blues Singer
4 Don't Play Around
5 Trouble Boys
6 Memory Pain
7 Just The Two Of Us
8 A Merry Jingle (The Greedies, Thin Lizzy/Sex Pistols)

Danish Collection

CD1
1 Jailbreak
2 Dancing In the Moonlight
3 The Boys Are Back In Town
4 Sarah
5 Don't Believe A Word
6 Solo In Soho (Phil Lynott)
7 Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed
8 Cowboy Song
9 Bad Reputation
10 Rosalie (Full Album Version)
11 Waiting For An Alibi
12 King's Call Phil Lynott)
13 Emerald
14 Old Town (Phil Lynott)
15 Whiskey In The Jar (Single Version)
16 The Sun Goes Down
17 Roisin Dubh (Black rose): A Rock Legend
18 Still in love with you (1974 BBC Version w/ Gary Moore, Different lyrics)

CD 2
1 Out In The Fields (Gary Moore & Phil Lynott)
2 Wild One
3 Dear Miss Lonely Hearts (Phil Lynott)
4 The Rocker (Full version)
5 Showdown
6 Do Anything You Want To
7 Thunder And Lightning
8 Killer On The Loose
9 Renegade
10 Chinatown
11 Cold Sweat
12 Parisienne Walkways
13 Dedication
14 Are You Ready (Live 1983, on Life)
15 Suicide
16 Hollywood (Down On Your Luck)
17 Angel Of Death
18 The Boys Are Back In Town (Live 1983) Not sure where this is from.

I must say, a few of the tracks on the Danish collection are terribly compressed. Not just loud, but disgustingly compressed. Most notable Bad Reputation. It just sounds nasty, and to a certain extent Dedication. It's odd since the Swedish collection doesn't suffer from this. The live version of The Boys Are Back In Town is also compressed to maximum loudness, but I'm guessing it's just since it's a somewhat poor quality recording. The Danish collection features some great tracks, but unfortunately the sound isn't up to par, on some of the tracks anyways. Check out some of the images I've posted and compare yourselves.

If you already own the video for this concert you have an idea of the sound quality. Not sure what all these other reviews are doing here, but they are not for this concert.

I don't know if I listened to the same cd as the other people
that reviewed this cd. The musicianship is there but the sound
quality is just plain awful. It sounds as if if this came from
some one in the audiance recording it. The guitars seem to drop
off soon after each song starts. Maybe the worst live Lizzy album
I've heard. I wished I could hear the bonus cd that was offered
before, it sounds like the better of the two.

Dave Walsh