Thin Lizzy – In Concert at Hammersmith Odeon – November 15, 1976 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Thin Lizzy this Friday morning. Recorded in concert at the Hammersmith Odeon on November 15, 1976. Thin Lizzy, during their career had a string of a dozen albums, numerous international hits, became a staple in the diet of most Hard Rock radio outlets and were probably one of the best known Irish hard Rock bands of the 1970s.
Success wasn’t instant, and it took several stabs and a lot of perseverance to finally hit the right combination. And it also wasn’t without numerous upheavals, firings, breakdowns, fist fights and wretched excess, which eventually took the life of co-founder, bassist and de facto leader Phil Lynott.
This particular concert catches them at the high point of their success. The huge popularity of their then-recently released Jailbreak and the follow-up album Johnny The Fox, which came out in October further cemented their enormous success. This concert was part of a planned tour, which included the U.S. but was suddenly cancelled on November 23rd, when guitarist Brian Robertson managed to receive artery and nerve damage to his hand, the result of a bar fight. So, it leads one to suspect this was the last concert before canceling the proposed tour.
But that was only one of several incidents which plagued the band over the years, causing something of a revolving door atmosphere with memmbers of Thin Lizzy. But for all the shortcomings, disasters and in-fighting, They managed to capture the spirit of Rock n’ Roll in a way not many bands did at the time. After Lynott’s death things went on for a bit, before they called it quits. A reformed version of Thin Lizzy began in 2007.
On 27 September 2024, a six-disc box set including a Blu-ray disc was released featuring expanded versions of Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox. Titled 1976, the set includes original and remixed versions of both albums, two discs of outtakes and radio sessions, plus a live show recorded at The Agora, Cleveland on 5 November 1976. The Blu-ray disc also features the original and remixed albums. 1976 charted at number 58 on the Official UK Album Chart Update.
On 24 January 2025, an album of Eric Bell-era songs is to be released on the Decca label, featuring Lynott’s original vocals, Downey’s drums, and new acoustic guitar parts by Bell. Acoustic Sessions contains ten songs including “Slow Blues G.M.”, a tribute to Gary Moore. A single, “Whiskey in the Jar”, was previewed on Planet Rock Radio.
But in the meantime, here’s the real deal as it was in 1976. Crank it up and enjoy.
