Live at the BBC

Liner Note Author: Malcolm Dome.
Recording information: 07/07/1971-01/26/1983.
Six CDs and one DVD is a lot of Lizzy...but few bands inspire such devotion as Phil Lynott's romantic Irish renegades, and this 2011 set goes a long way in illustrating why. Containing every surviving BBC session Thin Lizzy recorded -- some 18 of them, plus four separate concerts on the CD side of things; the DVD has shows from 1978 and 1983, 13 Top of the Pops performances taped between 1973 and 1981, two Old Grey Whistle Test appearances, and a spot on Three of a Kind in 1982 -- it is a wealth of riches for the Lizzy devotee. There may not be much in the way of revelation -- there are no surprising covers and the versions generally follow the same arrangements that are on the studio records -- but the intensity level is higher, sometimes resulting in intensely visceral readings that are certainly worth the price of admission. If anything, this generous set proves that for nearly a decade, Thin Lizzy were untouched in creating epic, emotional rock & roll...and if there's any place to hear just how good they were for how long, this is it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine