From Loudersound
Given they were rightly lauded as one of the single finest live rock ‘n’ roll bands of their era, any opportunity we get to cast our eyes over previously unseen live footage of Thin Lizzy is one we take gratefully.
Imagine our delight, then, when we stumbled across this extremely rare, pro-shot footage taken from the 1981 part of Lizzy’s Chinatown tour, which shows the band – magnetic singer/bassist Phil Lynott, guitarists Scott Gorham and Snowy White and drummer Brian Downey – smash through a number of classics taken from the Chinatown album during a show in France in 1981.
The set – filmed at the Pavillon Baltard in Nogent-sur-Marne, a suburb of Paris, on January 18, 1981, shows the band in typically fine form, with a sweat-drenched Lynott ever the focus point as he preens, poses and points his bass at anyone in front of him.
Four Chinatown cuts are played – Killer On The Loose, We Will Be Strong, Genocide and, finally, the thunderous title track, guitar duels and all. It makes for an electric watch, given a touch of endearing roughness courtesy of its evident transfer from VHS.
Chinatown, the tenth album by Thin Lizzy, was released in October 1980, reaching number 7 in the UK album charts and introducing guitarist Snowy White to the fold. He would only play on one more studio album, 1981’s Renegade, before being replaced by John Sykes for Thin Lizzy’s final record, Thunder And Lightning, in 1983.
Explore eil.com & 991.com sister – the world’s best online store for rare, collectable & out of print Vinyl Records, CDs & Music memorabilia since 1987.
EIL.COM Favourite Music Update Rare CDs, CD Singles, Rare Records, Vinyl Records, Albums and Music
- Thin Lizzy - Nightlife - Spaceship Label - Laminated - UK - vinyl LP - £75.00, $98.25, €86.25 (New Item) (arrived 12-Apr-2025 16:00)on April 12, 2025 at 9:11 pm
THIN LIZZY Nightlife (1974 UK Vertigo 'spaceship' label 10-track vinyl LP, the fourth studio album by the Irish rock band including She Knows and Still In Love With You, fFully laminated picture sleeve. The sleeve shows minimal wear and the vinyl appears barely played)
- Thin Lizzy - Bad Reputation - Deletion Cut - US - vinyl LP - £20.00, $26.20, €23.00 (New Item) (arrived 10-Apr-2025 15:17)on April 12, 2025 at 9:11 pm
THIN LIZZY Bad Reputation (1977 US 9-track LP, the eighth studio album by the Irish rockers including Opium Trail, Dancing In The Moonlight & the classic title cut, picture sleeve with deletion cut corner & illustrated inner. The sleeve displays a little edgewear & the vinyl remains in Excellent condition with just the odd light surface scuff due to removal from inner SRM-1-1186)
- Thin Lizzy - Soldier Of Fortune - The Best Of Phil Lynott & Thin Lizzy - UK - vinyl LP - £20.00, $26.20, €23.00 (New Item) (arrived 07-Apr-2025 13:00)on April 12, 2025 at 9:11 pm
THIN LIZZY Soldier Of Fortune - The Best Of Phil Lynott & Thin Lizzy (1987 UK 16-track LP, a collection of the late great Phil Lynott's career highlights including the Thin Lizzy classics The Boys Are Back In Town, Don't Believe A Word & Whisky In The Jar along with some of his solo tracks such as Yellow Pearl. The picture sleeve shows a few scuff marks with age whilst the vinyl is clean & in Excellent condition with little play STAR2300)
- Thin Lizzy - Soldier Of Fortune - The Best Of Phil Lynott & Thin Lizzy - UK - vinyl LP - £20.00, $26.20, €23.00 (New Item) (arrived 07-Apr-2025 16:00)on April 12, 2025 at 9:11 pm
THIN LIZZY Soldier Of Fortune - The Best Of Phil Lynott & Thin Lizzy (1987 UK 16-track LP, a collection of the late great Phil Lynott's career highlights including the Thin Lizzy classics The Boys Are Back In Town, Don't Believe A Word & Whisky In The Jar along with some of his solo tracks such as Yellow Pearl. The picture sleeve shows a few scuff marks with age whilst the vinyl is clean & in Excellent condition with little play STAR2300)
- Thin Lizzy - Shades Of A Blue Orphanage - 2nd - UK - vinyl LP - £150.00, $196.50, €172.50 (New Item) (arrived 08-Apr-2025 12:32)on April 12, 2025 at 9:11 pm
THIN LIZZY Shades Of A Blue Orphanage (1975 second issue of the 1972 UK 9-track vinyl LP on the petrol blue 'boxed' Decca label, with the album title named after the musicians' previous bands [Bell's Shades of Blue & Lynott & Downey's Orphanage],matt gatefold picture sleeve. The sleeve shows moderate general wear & the vinyl appears barely played TXS108)
This film footage has been available for many years on the bootleg DVD titled “TV Appearances 1981-83”. I must have had it for 20 years.
Also sadly not live.
Music from studio albums and crowd noise from other source.