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DARK SECRETS: Thin lizzy - The Real Truth

“There was no master plan apart from we didn’t want to do the Thin Lizzy/Status Quo blues bendy thing”: Bruce Watson on the birth of Big Country, Stuart Adamson’s legacy and the secret to bagpipe guitar

Bruce Watson shares the guitar story of the Scottish rock stalwarts, the "Itch and Itch" amps so crucial to his tone, and how “Scotland’s answer to Jimi Hendrix” was the heart of Big Country's sound

Guitar World

My favourite Thin Lizzy song, by James Hetfield, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Suzi Quatro, Joe Elliott, Francis Rossi, Mick Box, Johnny Van Zant and more

Everyone has a favourite Thin Lizzy song, right? So we asked a load of famous folks to pick theirs and tell us why

Louder

"Underwhelming considering the talent involved." Supergroup Wild Horses pull up short on lacklustre debut studio album

Rainbow's Jimmy Bain + Thin Lizzy's Brian Robertson = Mild Horses

Louder

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“I wasn’t a fan. The only thing I knew was Ace Of Spades. I knew it was going to be rough... I couldn’t distinguish one track from another”: Why Thin Lizzy’s Brian Robertson knew his stint in Motörhead was doomed

The flying Scotsman replaced Fast Eddie Clarke, and had a formidable rep as Thin Lizzy guitarist, but he soon found Motörhead were not quite his speed

Guitar World

"I said to Phil on the side of the stage: 'What are we going to do? I can't distinguish between the songs!'" Brian Robertson played with Thin Lizzy, Motörhead and Wild Horses: Now he finally reveals all

Brian Robertson lived it live and dangerous in Thin Lizzy, lived it loud in Motörhead, rode his own band Wild Horses, and has an impressive list of credits as both session musician and producer

Louder

"It was an embarrassment, but we were desperate for the cash."How Thin Lizzy saved their career by recording an album of Deep Purple covers

It's late 1972, and Thin Lizzy are about to lose their record contract - then along comes an offer they can't afford to refuse

Louder

Thin Lizzy's legendary 1976 Cleveland show gets first vinyl release

The album pulls together the recordings from the band's May 11, 1976, concert at the Agora.

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"I first met Phil Lynott completely by accident during my first ever acid trip." Original Thin Lizzy guitarist Eric Bell on the birth of the band and his relationship with their "gentle and romantic" frontman

The story behind the 1969 formation of Thin Lizzy

Louder

“Automatically you go into blues when you do that”: Big Country's golden guitar rule that steered them clear of the blues

The band drew great inspiration from Thin Lizzy’s sonic template, but they made a concerted effort to avoid being labeled as a blues band

Guitar World

"To us, this was a decent album track, no more. We certainly did not think it could be a single!" Without the support of two American DJs, one of rock's classic singles might never have been released

Had Thin Lizzy's manager not had an ear for a good tune and some American DJs not picked up on it, Phil Lynott & Co. might never have released their signature song

Louder

Now Playing: discover the 6 test room bangers soundtracking our March

The year Marches on...

What Hi-Fi?

"I think I just played the same song the whole night." Thin Lizzy legend Brian Robertson on his controversial time in Motorhead, and why Lemmy asked him to leave

"I knew it was going to be rough"

Metal Hammer

“Scott Gorham and Phil Lynott were taken aback that I wouldn’t party with them. I stayed in my room at the hotel. I got to the studio on time. I was trying to make a point”: Brian Robertson knows what Thin Lizzy lost when he left

Half of the classic-era twin guitar attack discusses how the iconic sound was built, his relationships with his bandmates after he left, his forensic approach to modding Kirk Hammett Les Pauls to look like Peter Green’s Greeny, and why he couldn’t play the real thing

Guitar World

“They say time heals all wounds, but not completely. Even 40 years later, I often find myself thinking about him”: The electrifying life and dark times of iconic Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, by one of the people who knew him best

Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham looks remembers his late bandmate Phil Lynott

Louder

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What Hi-Fi?

I’ll be listening to two iconic Thin Lizzy albums to celebrate their 50th birthday – you should too

1976 was a great year for Ireland’s best rock band

Guitar World

“I took Gem Archer’s job when he joined Oasis. Brian Robertson from Thin Lizzy came in on Saturdays and we’d just play”: How a job in the “party guitar shop” gave Pretenders guitarist James Walbourne his start in the industry

Walbourne reminisces about the guitar store that started it all – and why music shops and venues are crucial for up-and-coming musicians

Guitar World

“He had definite ideas about how he wanted to do certain songs. I’m similar, so we clashed”: Brian Robertson sets the record straight on his Thin Lizzy exit

Robertson left Thin Lizzy amid conflict with Phil Lynott and a serious hand injury – but came back as a session hand on future albums and tours

Louder

“The two Johns very began to hate doing TV shows that wanted us to mime. For a band that worshipped Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy and UFO, it became a really big problem”: The huge 80s hard rock hit that drove a wedge between the band that made it

The Final Countdown pushed Europe into the pop charts – and not everyone was happy about it

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Louder

"I did my last school exam and played Glastonbury two days later. Two weeks after that we went into the chart at number 11": The story of the joyous breakthrough hit inspired by Thin Lizzy, Star Wars and Dutch cigars

From school to hellraising in short order – all enabled by a story of a whirlwind intergalactic romance

Louder

"All of a sudden, she started biting my tongue and wouldn't let go. There was blood everywhere. Then she went for my forehead": How Thin Lizzy made the albums that saved them, only to be plunged into chaos

Thin Lizzy went from being stone broke to recording the two albums that came to define their career, but bad luck always seemed to be lurking in the shadows

Guitar World

Watch Eric Bell, Richard Fortus, and a 45-piece orchestra star at Phil Lynott tribute show in Dublin

The all-star assembly gathered in Ireland to mark the 40th anniversary of Lynott’s passing

Louder

Phil Lynott, 40 years gone: A celebration by his bandmates and friends - only in the new issue of Classic Rock

Also in our first issue of 2026: Sammy Hagar, Alter Bridge, Steve Cropper, Black Stone Cherry, Jim Steinman, Francis Rossi, Karnivool, Marcus King, Elles Bailey, Airbourne, Heavy Pettin and more

Guitar World

“They stole our name, which means Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora were listening to our records. But the main reason people know us is Gary Moore, and that doesn’t bother me at all”: The tale of the original Irish Skid Row

Bassist Brush Shiels looks back on his lifelong friendship with Moore, why he won’t sue the American hair metal band, and how Peter Green was responsible for their first album sounding so bad

Guitar World

“I wasn’t credited with any songwriting. That was a pity. But I didn’t make a fuss. I figured Peter was still pretty fragile”: Snowy White on his uncredited role on Peter Green’s comeback LP and how David Gilmour introduced him to the Whammy pedal

The ex-Thin Lizzy guitarist toured the world with Roger Waters, played with Gary Moore, but now he’s retired from the stage, he admits he was never entirely comfortable with pop status

MusicRadar

“In the ’80s, everybody came out with a power ballad – and we had a great one. It was never a No.1 record, but it’s a song that defines that whole era”: How an incredibly unlucky band finally got a break with a soft rock classic

But was that song really about a nun who sells dope to school kids?

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