Before his death in 1986, Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott gave an unidentified caretaker 150 tapes of unreleased music. Now, the Irish Independent reports, some of the nearly 700 songs included in that stash will finally see the light of day, as Universal is prepping a new Thin Lizzy box set due out later this year.
"This is an absolutely stunning find," project manager Steve Hammonds told the newspaper.
Following on the heels of another box set, 'Live at the BBC,' which was released last year, the collection will feature outtakes and alternate versions of Lizzy hits, as well as "material which was recorded but never released at the time," Hammonds said. The tunes spans 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 Wednesday, Jan. 4 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."
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