THIN LIZZY – Vagabonds Of The Western World [Japan double SHM-CD remastered]

Reaching the end with THIN LIZZY‘s discography – requested by many of you regarding which we consider the best sound quality CD pressings – here’s the band’s 3rd studio album ”Vagabonds Of The Western World”, a deluxe 2-disc pressed on high quality SHM-CD to enjoy the pristine remastered tapes.
This expanded edition feature as bonus all the singles from the era, including ‘Whisky In The Jar’, Lizzy’s first hit. There’s an extra disc with stupendous BBC sessions as well.
This remastered Japanese edition on SHM-CD feels natural and clear.

Seismic shifts happened between the previous, second Lizzy album and 1973’s ”Vagabonds Of The Western World”. Frontman Phil Lynott was still documenting working class life in the group’s native Dublin, and the band still featured guitarist Eric Bell and drummer Brian Downey, even if Bell was soon to leave; the shift was in the feel of the album.
Between Jim Fitzpatrick’s lurid album cover which depicted the band in space, the new, hot-rod-like Thin Lizzy logo, and Lynott’s newly throaty howl, it’s possibly the first Thin Lizzy album on which they truly could be described as a hard rock band.

”Vagabonds…” presented a swaggering confidence, a band buoyed by the success of semi-accidental smash hit “Whisky In The Jar,” and carved out a moody, dark sound by borrowing bits from the blues, folk, psych, and Celtic music. Check out “Slow Blues” for proof, and decide whether Lynott or the guitars win the wail-off that begins the track.

“Whisky In The Jar” had been a bone of contention for the band who felt it didn’t represent them. Pushed out due to their presence on package tours with rockers Slade and Suzi Quatro, it seemed to seal their fate, and their Vagabond’s single, “The Rocker,” set out their stall for good.
The weirdness and idiosyncrasies of Lynott’s early songwriting hadn’t been ironed out completely: “The Hero And The Madman” saw them try their hand at acid-fried cowboy rock–if such a thing ever existed.

After the album, and after Bell’s departure due to ill health and disillusionment with the music industry, Thin Lizzy were reinvented once again. Lynott recruited two guitarists and the band left Decca to record ”Nightlife” for Phonogram.
Their big hits and glory years–beginning with 1976’s Jailbreak–were still ahead of them, but, with ”Vagabonds Of The Western World” as a centerpiece, Thin Lizzy’s early years left behind a cabinet of curiosities.
Only at 0dayrox

DISC 1 : Vagabonds Of The Western World – remastered
01 – Mama Nature Said
02 – The Hero And The Madman
03 – Slow Blues
04 – The Rocker
05 – Vagabond Of The Western World
06 – Little Girl In Bloom
07 – Gonna Creep Up On You
08 – A Song For While I’m Away
BONUS TRACKS:
09 – Randolph’s Tango [‘A’ Side]
10 – Broken Dreams [‘B’ Side]
11 – The Rocker [‘A’ Side – Single Edit]
12 – Here I Go Again [‘B’ Side]
13 – Cruising In The Lizzymobile [German Single – ‘B’ Side]
14 – Little Darling [‘A’ Side]
15 – Sitamoia (feat Gary Moore)
16 – Slow Blues (1977 Remix)
17 – Randolph’s Tango (Promo Edit)
18 – Whisky In The Jar (Promo Edit)

DISC 2 : BBC sessions
01 – The Rocker (BBC)
02 – Things Ain’t Working Out Down At The Farm (BBC)
03 – Slow Blues (BBC)
04 – Gonna Creep Up On You (BBC)
05 – Suicide (BBC)
06 – Vagabond Of The Wertern World (BBC)
07 – Gonna Creep Up On You (BBC)
08 – Little Girl In Bloom (BBC)
09 – Sitamoia (BBC)
10 – Little Darling (BBC)
11 – Slow Blues (BBC)
12 – Showdown (BBC)
13 – Black Boys On The Corner (BBC)

Philip Lynott – vocals, bass, rhythm guitar
Eric Bell – lead guitar
Brian Downey – drums, percussion
additional musicians:
Kid Jensen – voice on “The Hero and the Madman”
Jan Schelhaas – organ
Fiachra Trench – string arrangements
Gary Moore – lead and acoustic guitar on “Sitamoia” and “Little Darling”

Out Of Print
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-94743