Massive Haul Of Unreleased Thin Lizzy Found
Up to 700 unreleased tracks found on 150 tapes
Spinner reports that before his death in 1986, Phil Lynott gave an unidentified caretaker 150 tapes of unreleased music. Now some of the nearly 700 songs included in that stash will finally see the light of day, as Universal have acquired the tapes and they are prepping a new Thin Lizzy box set which is due out later this year.
"This is an absolutely stunning find," project manager Steve Hammonds told the Irish Independent.
The collection will apparently feature outtakes and alternate versions of Lizzy hits, as well as "material which was recorded but never released at the time," Hammonds said. The recordings span from 1971 to 1981, when the Dublin rockers were signed to Decca.
The group's surviving members are said to be helping with the project, and while this year marks the 26th anniversary of Lynott's passing, Hammonds insists this set is no crass cash-in.
"Phil Lynott passed the material on to a third party for safekeeping," he said. "They held on to it for decades because they were waiting for the right people to come along."
"They really didn't trust anyone enough to release it properly," he added. "No money has changed hands, this person is a Thin Lizzy fan."