
Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott (August 20, 1949 – January 4,1986) was an Irish musician who came to prominence as a founding member,
principal songwriter, bassist and rontman of the Irish rock band Thin
Lizzy. During his time with Lizzy, he also put out two solo albums. After Thin Lizzy
disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band Grand Slam, right up until his death at the age of 36.
After his untimely death, several compilations of
other material has also shown up.
Philip Lynott - Solo in Soho (Vertigo) 1980
1. "Dear
Miss Lonely Hearts" (4:10)
2. "King's Call" (3:38)
3. "Child's Lullaby" (2:42)
4. "Tattoo (Giving It All up for Love)" (3:19)
5. "Solo in Soho" (4:13)
6. "Girls" (3:59)
7. "Yellow Pearl" (4:04)
8. "Ode to a Black Man" (4:04)
9. "Jamaican Rum" (2:42)
10. "Talk in 79" (2:56)
This is a
fabulous album, although nothing like his band Thin
Lizzy. Jimmy Bain (Rainbow, Dio)
plays bass on much of the album and co-wrote "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts."
Brian Robertson, Huey Lewis, Scott Gorham, Snowey White, all who have had connections
with Thin Lizzy at one time or another,
also make guest appearances on "Solo in Soho."
Philip Lynott - The Philip Lynott Album (Vertigo) 1982
1. "Fatalistic
Attitude" (4:37)
2. "Man's a Fool" (2:59)
3. "Old Town" (3:28)
4. "Cathleen" (3:34)
5. "Growing Up" (5:01)
6. "Yellow Pearl" (2:58)
7. "Together" (3:40)
8. "Little Bit of Water" (3:35)
9. "Ode to Liberty (Protest Song)" (5:48)
10. "Gino" (4:10)
11. "Don't Talk About Me Baby" (4:30)
On both solo
albums, Phil Lynott strays far from the Thin
Lizzy formula and writes rock and pop songs that strive for memorable hooks
and are related to growing up in the rough end of Ireland. Of particular interest
is that ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain
has some writing credits on the album as well as "Solo in Soho." The
Phil Lynott Album did generate a European hit in a remodeled version of techno-dance
song "Yellow Pearl" (co-written by Midge Ure of Ultravox).
Other guest musicians include: Brian Downey and Scott Gorham from Thin
Lizzy, Huey Lewis, and several other studio musicians
Phil Lynott – Nineteen (Polydor ) 1985
SIDE A
1. Nineteen (5:29)
SIDE B
2. Nineteen [Dub Mix] (5:27)
UK, vinyl, 7" single. "Nineteen" was, as far as I know, the last official single release from Phil before his death in 1986. "Nineteen" was Phil's last time in the studio according to producer Paul Hardcastle. It is an upbeat rocker driven by a funky beat and distorted guitars. The five and a half minute song also sports a short guitar solo and a very 80's style keyboard breakdown around the 3:30 mark of the song. The single features a 'dub mix' remix of the song as the b-side, which brings out the 80's feel of the song even more. I suppose the remix is meant as a sort of dance mix for clubs.
Phil Lynott - Live in Sweden 1983 (Zoom Club) 2001
1. "Yellow Pearl"
(4:38)
2. "Old Town" (4:19)
3. "Sarah" (3:32)
4. "A Night In the Life of a Blues Singer" (6:52)
5. "Look In These Eyes" (7:31)
6. "Parisienne Walkways" (6:20)
7. "Solo in Soho" (5:56)
8. "King's Call" (5:31)
9. "Baby Drives Me Crazy" (7:30)
10. "The Boys Are Back In Town" (5:52)
11. "Still In Love With You" (9:45) |
Sweden vinyl picture disc
|
Now this is a killer show.
Phil Lynott and John Sykes together performing material from Thin Lizzy and
Phil's solo discs. This disc is, of course, much mellower than a Thin
Lizzy gig. Still, hearing these songs performed live is quite enjoyable.
"King's Call" is a great Thin Lizzy song and one that is rarely heard live. This particular disc was released officially
in 2002. I also have the limited edition double disc, box version. See below.
Phil Lynott's Grand Slam - The Studio Sessions (Zoom Club) 2002
DISC ONE
1. Nineteen (4:02)
2. Crime Rate (6:14)
3. Sisters of Mercy (6:37)
4. Whiter Shade of Pale/Like a Rolling Stone (5:46)
5. Military Man ( 6:16)
6. Harlem (4:11)
7. Gay Boys (3:58)
8. Breakdown (3:31)
9. Look In These Eyes (3:55)
10. She Cries (4:02)
DISC TWO
1. Radio Interview with Phil Lynott, Dublin 1984 (8:02)
2. Crime Rate [Demo] (6:10)
3. Interview (Part 2) (9:08)
4. Nineteen [Demo] (4:00)
5. Slam (7:15)
6. Sisters of Mercy [Alternative Mix] (7:01)
Grand Slam: Studio Sessions is a two-CD compilation of songs by Philip Lynot's post Thin Lizzy band Grand Slam. The material was recorded in 1984 before Phil's untimely death and wasn't officially released until this collection in 2002. The songs were compiled by keyboardist Mark Stanway. Disc two is a collection of demos and excerpts from a radio interview with Lynott in Dublin in '84. Grand Slam was Phil Lynott trying to update the classic Thin Lizzy guitar-driven sound in light of the growing New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene that Thin Lizzy were a big inspiration for.
The sound here blends lush keyboards with the guitars and puts an emphasis on melody and pop hooks. A song like "Sisters of Mercy" would fall outside the Thin Lizzy sound for sure, even with the wicked guitar solo and the nod to "Emerald" at around the one and a half minute mark. The same holds true for "Harlem" with it's electronic rhythms and pop stylings.That's not to say that all the songs are outside the heavier Lizzy sound. "Nineteen" could have been a Thin Lizzy song with it's vicious guitars and upbeat tempo. ("Nineteen" was later used as a Lynott solo single.) "Military Man" was later reworked and became a hit for guitarist Gary Moore in '85. Both of these songs are included as part of this collection in their original form. "Crime Rate" is a bluesy number with thumping bass and some nice piano work by Stanway. Of course "Whiter Shade of Pale/Like A Rolling Stone" is a melding of two classic 1960's songs.
The deluxe digi-packaging contains a booklet glued into it that contains an interview with Mark Stanway and plenty of era-relavitve photos. Grand Slam - The Studio Sessions is a fantastic collection of some of Phil's post Thin Lizzy songs. Any Phil Lynott or Thin Lizzy fan would do themselves well to pick up this collection.
Phil Lynott - Live in Sweden 1983 (Zoom Club) 2001
DISC
ONE
1. "Yellow Pearl" (4:38)
2. "Old Town" (4:19)
3. "Sarah" (3:32)
4. "A Night In the Life of a Blues Singer" (6:52)
5. "Look In These Eyes" (7:31)
6. "Parisienne Walkways" (6:20)
7. "Solo in Soho" (5:56)
8. "King's Call" (5:31)
9. "Baby Drives Me Crazy" (7:30)
10. "The Boys Are Back In Town" (5:52)
11. "Still In Love With You" (9:45) |
DISC
TWO
1. "Yellow Pearl" (3:59)
2. "Old Town" (4:12)
3. "Sarah" (3:58)
4. "A Night In the Life of a Blues Singer" (6:25)
5. "Look In These Eyes" (5:04)
6. "Parisienne Walkways" (5:45)
7. "Solo in Soho" (1:56)
8. "Baby Drives Me Crazy" (10:02) |
The limited
edition double disc, box version of "Live in Sweden". Disc one was
recorded live in Orebro, Sweeden, August 15, 1983. Disc two was recorded on
the very next night in Avesta, Sweden. From what I know, this double disc set
was only printed in quantities of 500 making this one of the gems of my cd collection. (Thanks Olaf)
Phil Lynott's Grand Slam - Twilight's Last Gleaming (Majestic Rock) 2003
DISC ONE
1. "Yellow Pearl" (5:08)
2. "Nineteen" (5:07)
3. "Sister's of Mercy" (7:40)
4. "Harlem" (6:09)
5. "Breakdown" (8:10)
6. "Here We Go" (3:08)
7. "Cold Sweat" (3:33)
8. "Gay Boys" (6:25)
9. "Can't Get Away" (7:59)
10. "Dedication" (5:22)
11. "Parisienne Walkways" (5:21)
12. "Military Man" (7:23)
DISC TWO
1. Crime Rate" (6:10)
2. Military Man" (7:09)
3. Dedication" (5:15)
Limited digipak edition of 2003 compilation culled from their very last live
performances of Phil's Grand Slam. A majority of the material here is from London's
Marquee Club on Dec 4th 1984. The sound isn't pristine but isn't bad either.
Phil actually sounds pretty bright eyed on this compilation, playfully chatting
with the audience between songs. This collector's CD is wrapped in a gatefold
digipak and comes with an 8-page insert.
Grand Slam LIVE 1984/Galaway/Castlebar/Lifford (Zoom Club) 2003
1. "Nineteen"
(4:24)
2. "Yellow Pearl" (4:47)
3. "Sarah" (4:08)
4. "Parisienne Walkways" (4:56)
5. "Crime Rate" (5:50)
6. "Young Boy" (4:25)
7. "Whiter Shade Of Pale/Like A Rolling Stone" (5:33)
8. "Night In The Life Of A Blues Singer" (5:52)
9. "Cold Sweat" (3:10)
10. "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts" (4:20)
11. "Whiskey In The Jar" (7:13)
A lot of this old Grand
Slam live stuff has made it's way to "official" release. I'm not sure
how official it actually is, but according to everything I have read keyboard
player Mark Stanway has been licensing the live Grand Slam stuff out to Zoom
Club for release. The recording is taken from a soundboard recording from several
different shows; Friday March 30th (Galway), Saturday March 31st (Castlebar)
and Sunday April 1st (Lifford) 1984. The sounds is far from perfect quality,
but is also better than a lot of bootlegs. Those concerned with perfect sound
will probably not enjoy this. However, Thin Lizzy/Phil Lynott die-hards should
love it. It's great to have these pieces of Phil's musical legacy and I am glad
Mark Stanway has been able to share them with Phil's fans.
The packaging is very nice
and very professional looking. The 8-page insert includes photos and liner notes
from Mark Stanway. The CD is enhanced with avideo, photos and history notes.
The amatuer video of "Harlem" was recorded at Nostell Priory Festival,
Wakefield, August 27th, 1984.
Phil Lynott - The Lost Recordings (HotPress) 2006
1. "Mama and Papa"
(2:25)
2. "Saga of the Ageing Orphan" (3:00)
3. "It's Really Worthwhile" (3:22)
4. "Dublin" (2:50)
5. "The Friendly Ranger at Clontarf Castle" (2:31)
While labeled as Phil Lynott,
this is essentially a Thin Lizzy EP as Eric Bell is the guitarist on these tracks,
and this was an early incarnation of Thin Lizzy. "The Lost Recordings" features
five songs that were recorded in early 1970.. There are different versions of
'Saga Of The Ageing Orphan' and 'The Friendly Ranger At Clontarf Castle' both
of which appeared on the album Thin Lizzy (1971). There is also a different
recording of 'Dublin' which appeared on the New Day EP (1971). The remaining
two songs - 'Mama And Papa' and 'It's Really Worthwhile' - are effectively 'new'
and 'unreleased' as they were never otherwise recorded. Apparently the tapes
for these tracks were securly locked up at Trend Studios in Dublin for all these
years. All five tracks are far removed from the twin guitar attack that Lizzy
would be known for. Rather, these tracks are acoustic based and are more Irish
folk than rock. The CD comes out to coinicide with Lynott's birthday on August
20, which is also the first anniversary of the unveiling of his statue, beside
Bruxelles in Dublin. The EP was only released through the local music magazine
HotPress and will not be reissued in any form making this an instant collector's
item. (extra special thanks to my good friend Kieran for hooking me up with
this!)
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