The Goo 1
FEB '25 As he tells me about the band's routine i
n dismantling the foundations of their songs and reworking, re-writing to what we have come to know today, I ask if there were any personal recordings from those home sessions that he was aware of….. “To be honest, I’m not sure”, he says softly. “I remember during that time, bearing in mind we had only been a “band” for about two/three months at best”, we got an offer from a guy in Dublin (John Dardis of Trend Studios), and he offered us a deal whereabouts we could record one of our songs, if we also recorded one of his songs (‘I Need You’). So, we decided to record a track called ‘The Farmer’, which is a collectors item now. I think there’s only about 300 copies of that 7” in existence. Other than that session, to my knowledge, there’s not any other recordings from that period of time that are archived”, he says nonchalantly. “When I was working on this new acoustic sessions album, it brought back memories for me of when we were recording the first Lizzy album. Back in those days we were very stoned for most of the time and of course with that being the case, we would take a considerable amount of time to get things done”, he says with a grin. “For example, I’d end up recording about four of five different guitar solos and I’d listen through them and pick the one that worked best for the song. So, while all of that was going on, the guys in Decca Records were not too happy with the outcome, and they hired a freelance producer (Nick Tauber) to come in and get a grip of what we were doing, he also worked on ‘Whiskey in the Jar’. We were just a bunch of kids that were figuring out the way things worked”, he says laughing. The topic of conversation turns to the bonus track, ‘Slow Blues G.M. - a tribute to the late Gary Moore (Thin Lizzy 1973-1979), and I ask what Gary’s legacy means to Eric, and why it was important for him to include this tribute on the album? “He was an incredible guitar player”, he admits candidly. “He was just so dedicated and focused. I met him when he was just eleven years of age because his Father owned a club in Hollywood, Ireland, and for anyone that played in the club, there was one stipulation, and that was that Gary would be allowed to get up on stage and play a song. So, I saw him there one night performing The Beatles, “Help’ and there’s a very tricky little section in that song and he nailed it. Then he watched me perform in that club and we just struck a friendship that lasted for many years”, he recalls fondly. Looking back at the bands illustrious career, Thin Lizzy has influenced generations of musicians, from Metallica and Guns ’n Roses, to Megadeth, Foo Fighters and beyond, - as one of the founding members of the band, I ask Eric why he thinks their music is so timeless and impactful some fifty years later… Taking a moment to answer, he responds with a sense of bewilderment, “When I see so many huge international artists mention Lizzy as an influence, I always shake my head and smile because the reality is that when we started out, we couldn’t give those first three albums away for free, let alone sell any”, he says playfully. “We were living in London at that point and I remember reading reviews of the album and the shows, and the honest truth is, they were not that good! At that point, I was thinking; “Well, that’s that! We’re never gonna amount to anything.” We might get one or two years with the line up but I never would have ever thought that it would have turned out the way it did. Even today, the amount of interest in those first three albums is amazing to see. Of course, Thin Lizzy’s sound evolved into a twin-lead guitar powerhouse after your departure. What were your thoughts on how the 11 band’s sound evolved with Gary Moore, Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson? “Once I left the band, that was it!”, he says abruptly. “The band that we started back in the day with Brian and Philip, that was a totally different Thin Lizzy in my opinion. We were not a radio-friendly band. After I left, the twin guitar sound emerged in the music, along with the big radio-friendly choruses… to me that’s a completely different band!”, he admits. “The twin guitar sound was incredible and very powerful, however in my opinion, Philip had changed. I could see that he went from a certain way, to becoming a very angry young man on stage, which was amazing to see and complemented the music, but for me, it’s a totally different band to the Thin Lizzy that I was part of’, he concludes. As we discuss the new acoustic sessions album, I ask if there are plans for more songs to be recorded in this way… a possible “Volume II” if you like… “I’m not sure”, he admits. “It’s early days yet. I suppose they are all waiting to see how well this album does. I’m sure if all goes well, there’s a pretty good chance that more will follow. Thin Lizzy, ‘Acoustic Sessions’ is out now via your local record store. *This is an edited feature from the original which can be found on www.overdrive.ie