70s rock band’s ‘best’ hit being reimagined in new version more than 50 years later

Thin Lizzy has thrilled fans by announcing an upcoming acoustic album titled Acoustic Sessions, a collection of their classic hits.

The album, due to come out on January 24, 2025, will feature stripped-down renditions of the band’s music with new acoustic guitar recordings by original member Eric Bell.

This includes one of their early hits, Whiskey in a Jar.

It will include tracks from early albums like Vagabonds of the Western World (1973), Thin Lizzy (1971), and Shades of a Blue Orphanage (1972).

The collection allows fans to hear the original vocal performances of Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy’s frontman who passed away in 1986, and blends them with Bell’s new guitar work as well as the original drumming from Brian Downey.

Eric Bell shared how the acoustic sessions resonated with him personally, especially when revisiting tracks like Eire, which he initially wrote and recorded with a focus on acoustic textures.

He said: ‘I wrote the main guitar part first on acoustic and then we built it up from there. I played the 12-string acoustic throughout the track and introduced the electric on top.

‘This was useful in the studio in Belfast recently where we recorded fresh guitar parts to allow us to create new Thin Lizzy acoustic versions of some of our favourite songs, by recreating those original acoustic parts and adding the vocals which Philip laid down on the day and those original drum parts which Brian came up with in the original recording sessions.’

The project as a whole highlights the ‘polyrhythmic’ foundation of the original recordings, according to producer Richard Whittaker, who described how revisiting these layers uncovered unused instrumentation that enriched the new mixes.

He said: ‘Traditionally, songwriters and bands have used acoustic ‘polyrhythmic’ instruments such as piano or guitar to demo or sketch out their ideas. In most cases these parts are replaced as the production process develops but occasionally, these core elements survive and remain intact.’

He continued: ‘I encountered this during the Vagabonds project. After sifting through all the Decca recordings, I presented a list of ideas however, in most cases additional development and material was required.

‘So the guys at the label approached Eric (Bell) who was happy to get involved with the project and between us, I think we’ve made something really quite unique and special.’

Adding an emotional tribute, the acoustic album includes Slow Blues G.B., a bonus track honoring the late guitarist Gary Moore, who briefly played with the band and passed away in 2011.

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