- The Boys were on their Way out of Town: Thin Lizzy, August, 1977

"There are those who believe that there is in place some system, that meetings are held, that charts are pored over… John and I would list those bands who had not recorded a session for a spell, eliminating those whose work no longer pleased us or, more rarely, whose new-found celebrity status would mean that their agents, management and record companies would come together in holy union to frustrate our attempts at rebooking. We'd also add to the list the names of artists we had heard and liked on demo tape or record or seen and liked in performance."

From Ken Garner’s ‘John Peel In Session Tonight’

Clearly the work of Messrs Lynott et al still cut the mustard in 1977, although it should be noted that this is the final session that the group did for the Peel show, recorded on 1st August, 1977, just as a young Entrailicus was turning the ripe old age of 4.

Thin Lizzy were founded in late 1969 in Dublin by vocalist and bassist Phil Lynott, guitarist Eric Bell, electric organist Eric Wrixon and drummer Brian Downey. After signing a contract with Decca Records, Thin Lizzy's first hit came in 1973, with "Whiskey in the Jar", a version of the traditional Irish song. The group initially had problems matching the success of "Whiskey...", and Eric Bell left the band in 1974 and was replaced with Gary Moore for a short time until Lynott could find two new guitarists. In ‘75, Thin Lizzy recorded 'Fighting', which was a preview of things to come for the band. Songs such as the cover of Bob Seger's 'Rosalie' and 'Wild One' were featured on the album.

In ’76, the band released their breakthrough album ‘Jailbreak’. The album heralded the success of the dual lead guitar, which became a Thin Lizzy trademark. Songs featured on the album are ‘Jailbreak’, ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’, ‘Cowboy Song’, and ‘Romeo and the Lonely Girl’. Bear these in mind when you vote in the ’76 Festive 50! Later in 1976, the group released ‘Johnny the Fox’. This was critically well received as a good follow-up album to ‘Jailbreak’. Peel however still considered them artistically sound enough to keep the Peel sessions coming, with two of their nine coming from that year. Punk took its toll on both Peel and groups like Thin Lizzy, however, with this session in ’77 being their last, their first having come in November, 1972.


Track listing:

-Killer Without a Cause
-Bad Reputation
-That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart
-Dancing in the Moonlight



File size: 18mb