We must applaud the discovery of a Thin Lizzy tape from the "classic" period, with three tracks no less that failed to make the famed 'Live And Dangerous' release in 1978.

One can possibly see why the "bonus" tracks were left off originally, assuming that the band played them when the original album was recorded in 1977. 'Soldier Of Fortune' takes some time to get going and is not one of the band's more memorable workouts. 'Opium Trail' is pretty fine, though, along with 'Me And The Boys'.

This release, whilst of great historical interest, can only really be of primary appeal to completists; arguably far more interesting was the release in 2008 of the 1975 Derby gig. How many versions of the admittedly brilliant 'Don't Believe A Word' do you need?

The band are captured at the height of their live powers at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia in October 1977 and the recording comes out sounding pristine. Assuming there's no jiggery-pokery in the post-production department (masterminded this time by veteran engineer Glyn Johns and the band's Scott Gorham), we assume this is indeed Thin Lizzy live, dangerous and unretouched.

****

Review by David Randall