In early 1971, radio DJ John Peel was aboard a ferry crossing the Irish Sea when he was accosted by a tall, striking, dandily attired fellow with an Afro, who urged him to listen out for his band Thin Lizzy. Radio 1’s captain of the late-night airwaves admired the young musician’s boldness, and by the autumn a BBC radio session was in the bag. Several of those songs, from both Peel’s Top Gear and Stuart Henry’s 70s show, augment this repackaged edition of Thin Lizzy’s self-titled debut album.
It was a welcome stroke of luck in an otherwise tough landing for the trio who were top draw in their native land but restarted their career at the bottom in London, where they recorded their first LP for Decca, steered by fellow Dubliner Ted Carroll, ex-manager of compatriots Skid Row and founder of Rock On record stall in London’s Portobello.
