Thin Lizzy - Black Boys On The Corner (1976)

Around 2012 there was great excitement in the music press at the news that a friend of Phil Lynott's had been given 150 cassette tapes with up to 700 songs on them just before Lynott's death in 1986, and had kept them hidden away until then. Rumours abounded that there was the very real possibility that they would be released in some form as a box set, but it's six years later and we're still waiting, with current talk on the net implying that it now might never happen due to insurmountable problems encountered along the way. So to fill the gap I thought I'd post this collection of rare b-sides and hard to find out-takes to tide us over. It might be a bit of a surprise to see 'Whiskey In The Jar' on here, but it never did make it to a studio album, only appearing on compilations over the years. I bought the 7" single when it came out, and always loved the b-side as it was so different to the flip, and that is the case with a number of their pairings of tracks for their singles. This album also includes one of my all-time favourite songs of theirs in 'Sitamoia', as well as a batch of unreleased songs from 1975 and 1976. I've named the album after that 'Whiskey In The Jar' b-side.

Track listing

01 The Farmer (single 1970)
02 I Need You (b-side of 'The Farmer')
03 Whiskey In The Jar (single 1972)
04 Black Boys On The Corner (b-side of 'Whiskey In The Jar')
05 Here I Go Again (b-side of 'The Rocker' 1973)
06 Cruising In The Lizzymobile (previously unreleased)
07 Little Darling (single 1974)
08 Sitamoia (from the 'Remembering Part 1' album) 
09 Half Castle (b-side of 'Rosalie' 1975)
10 Try A Little Harder (previously unreleased)
11 Song For Jesse (previously unreleased)
12 Leaving Town (previously unreleased)
13 Blues Boy (previously unreleased)
14 Scott's Tune (previously unreleased Scott Gorham instrumental)

As a bonus I've also included the band's 'New Day' EP from 1971 in the download.

01 Dublin
02 Remembering Part Two (New Day)
03 Old Moon Madness
04 Things Ain't Working Out Down At The Farm