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Thin Lizzy are turning back the clock. Following last year’s set 1976 – chronicling the breakthrough albums Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox – the Irish band will, on November 21, release ’74-’75, a deep dive into Nightlife and Fighting. The 7CD box set chronicles the making of those two seminal albums which were the first to feature the “classic” quartet line-up with guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson joining frontman/bassist Phil Lynott and drummer Brian Downey.
Nightlife came first in 1974, produced by Lynott and Ron Nevison, whose credits would grow to encompass albums by Ozzy Osbourne, Jefferson Starship, Survivor, Heart, Chicago, KISS, and other marquee artists with a big sound. Nevison helped the band bring out the innate soul in its hard-rocking songs, finding the subtleties in the band dynamics and balancing the edginess with a certain degree of smoothness. The LP was underneath a Jim Fitzpatrick cover featuring a prowling panther – said by the artist to pay tribute to Black Power and fallen African-American leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X – and inspired by the work of comic book legends Jack Kirby and Jim Steranko. Nightlife yielded such fan favorite, oft-covered songs as the ballad “Still in Love with You” (likely the band’s most romantic tune) and tough “It’s Only Money.” The title track took its cues from Willie Nelson’s 1960 composition, a hit for Ray Price, B.J. Thomas, and Nelson himself (with trumpeter Danny Davis).
The following year’s Fighting further crystallized the dual guitar attack of Gorham and Robertson and once again drew on an R&B influence as well as hard rock, pop, and even folk. Its varied, bold approach set the stage for Jailbreak and the band’s eventual superstardom. While Phil Lynott still dominated the songwriting, it featured solo compositions from Robertson (“Silver Dollar”) and Gorham (“Ballad of a Hard Man”) as well as Lynott co-writes with Brian Downey (“For Those Who Love to Live”) and Gorham (“King’s Vengeance,” “Freedom Song”). A cover of Bob Seger’s “Rosalie” from his Back in ’72 album opened Fighting, and featured guest musicians Ian McLagan of Faces and Roger Chapman of Family on piano and backing vocals, respectively. (McLagan also played on “Silver Dollar.”) For the first time, Jim Fitzpatrick’s famous band logo appeared on the front cover. Fighting became Thin Lizzy’s first album to chart in the U.K., peaking at No. 60.
The upcoming box set contains two versions of Nightlife: the remastered original album and a new stereo mix by Richard Whittaker as overseen by guitarist Scott Gorham and mastered by Geoff Pesche at Abbey Road. The original Fighting gets the remastered treatment, while four songs (“Rosalie,” “Wild One,” “King’s Vengeance,” and “Silver Dollar”) have been remixed. Each album gets a bonus disc of single edits, B-sides, and outtakes, while the fifth disc, Mixes, presents alternate takes, extended versions, and demos. The sixth CD reprises a host of previously issued BBC live performances, and the seventh CD marks the official premiere of the November 21, 1975 show at the Derby College of Technology in England.
The 10 x 10 package includes a 40-page hardcover book with liner notes by MOJO’s Mark Blake as well as rare photos and memorabilia images. Jim Fitzpatrick has contributed to the book, as well. ’74-’75 is due on November 21 and can be pre-ordered at the links below. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
74-75: Night Life/Fighting (Vertigo/UMC, 2025) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD 1: Night Life (Original and 2025 Mixes) (released as Vertigo 6360 116 (U.K.)/VEL-2002 (U.S.), 1974)
She Knows
Night Life
It’s Only Money
Still in Love with You
Frankie Carroll
Showdown
Banshee
Philomena
Sha La La
Dear Heart
CD 2: Fighting (Original and * 2025 Mixes) (released as Vertigo 6360 121 (U.K.)/VEL-2005 (U.S.), 1975)
Rosalie *
For Those Who Love to Live
Suicide
Wild One *
Fighting My Way Back
Kings Vengeance *
Spirit Slips Away
Silver Dollar *
Freedom Song
Ballad of a Hard Man
CD 3: Night Life Outtakes, B-Sides and Edits
Philomena (7″ Single Edit)
Showdown (Demo with Gary Moore)
Still In Love With You (Demo with Gary Moore)
It’s Only Money (Demo with Gary Moore)
She Knows (Demo)
It’s Only Money (Demo)
Dear Heart (Demo)
Rock and Roll with You (Instrumental)
Banshee (with Vocals)
Dear Heart (Extended Version)
Night Life (Extended Version)
Philomena (Alternate Version)
Showdown (Alternate Take)
Still in Love with You (Rough Vocal Mix)
Track 1 released on Vertigo single 6059 111 (U.K.), 1974
Tracks 2-4 and 13-14 released on Night Life (Deluxe Edition) – Mercury/UMC 2792226 (U.K.), 2012
Track 7 released on Rock Legends – Mercury/UMC 7784976 (U.K.), 2020
CD 4: Fighting Outtakes, B-Sides and Edits
Rosalie (7″ Mix)
Halfcaste (7″ B-Side)
Wild One (7″ Mix)
Ballad of a Hard Man (Instrumental Demo)
Try a Little Harder (Alternate Vocal)
Fighting My Way Back (Rough Mix)
Song for Jesse (Instrumental Demo)
Leaving Town (Instrumental)
Leaving Town (Extended Take)
Spirit Slips Away (Extended Version Take 4)
Wild One (Instrumental Demo)
Brian’s Funky Fazer (Silver Dollar)
Cadillac (Instrumental Demo)
For Those Who Love to Live (Demo)
Freedom Song (Demo)
Suicide (Demo)
Tracks 1-2 released as Vertigo single 6059 124 (U.K.), 1975
Track 3 released on Vertigo single 6059 129 (U.K.), 1975
Tracks 4-12 released on Fighting (Deluxe Edition) – Mercury/UMC 2792227 (U.K.), 2012
Tracks 13-16 released on Rock Legends – Mercury/UMC 7784976 (U.K.), 2020
CD 5: Additional Versions and Mixes
Frankie Carroll (Instrumental Outtake)
Showdown (Extended Take)
Sha La La (Extended Take)
Philomena (Acoustic Demo)
Wild One (Acoustic)
Silver Dollar (Alternate Vocal)
Rosalie (Extended Alternate Vocal)
Kings Vengeance (Alternate Vocal)
Song For Jesse (with Vocal)
For Those Who Love to Live (Instrumental Demo)
Rosalie (Outtake)
Try a Little Harder
CD 6: BBC Sessions
She Knows (John Peel Session – 10/3/1974)
It’s Only Money (John Peel Session – 10/3/1974)
Sha La La (John Peel Session – 10/3/1974)
Philomena (John Peel Session – 10/3/1974)
Dear Heart (Bob Harris Session – 10/23/1974)
Banshee (Bob Harris Session – 10/23/1974)
She Knows (In Concert 1974)
Its Only Money (In Concert 1974)
Still in Love with You (In Concert 1974)
Showdown (In Concert 1974)
Rock and Roll with You (In Concert 1974)
Baby Drives Me Crazy (In Concert 1974)
Halfcaste (John Peel Session – 5/29/1975)
Rosalie (John Peel Session – 5/29/1975)
Suicide (John Peel Session – 5/29/1975)
Tracks 1-12 released on At The BBC – Mercury/Universal 2782155 (U.K.), 2011
Track 13 released on Fighting (Deluxe Edition) – Mercury/UMC 2792227 (U.K.), 2012
Tracks 14-15 released on The Peel Sessions – Strange Fruit SFRCD 130 (U.K.), 1994
CD 7: Live at Derby College of Technology, England – 11/21/1975 (released as UK Tour 75 – Major League Productions MLP16CD (U.K.), 2008)
Fighting My Way Back
It’s Only Money
Wild One
For Those Who Love to Live
Still in Love with You
Showdown
Suicide
Rosalie
The Rocker
Sha La La
Baby Drive Me Crazy
Me and the Boys
Cowboy Song (Derby Blues)
Little Darling
Sound Check Jam
Joe Marchese
JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.
Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat “King” Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.
Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.
Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.