As guitarist Scott Gorham comments: "Doing so much for the BBC was a compliment in its own right to this band" and that's exactly what comes across in this new double CD from Thin Lizzy which is as much testament to the BBC's long standing link with rock music as it is to Lizzy themselves. Made up from a veritable gold mine of recordings that the band made at the BBC - including live gig transmissions - over a 12 year period from 1971 to 1983. This incredible coverage means that the complete history of Thin Lizzy is captured from their beginnings as a 3-piece with guitarist Eric Bell to their final days as a 5-piece with a post-Tygers of Pan Tang and pre-Whitesnake John Sykes. Of course 'final days' is now open to interpretation.

If you thought that Eric Bell was that bloke who briefly played on 'Whiskey In The Jar' before being replaced by Gary Moore then think again. Eric Bell is well represented here as are songs from the albums he played on culminating with 'Vagabonds Of The Western World' which also happens to be the most frequently referenced album. The Lizzy fans who already have the expanded edition of 'Vagabonds' will also already have a quite a large portion of the songs featured on disc 1. And it's these fans that should probably head straight for the massive expanded version of this BBC box set.

I thought that this double CD was big but the box set is humongous. It consists of 7 discs one of which is a DVD of performances from Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test, The Rainbow concert from 1979 and the Hitchin concert from 1983. The other 6 CDs are packed with sessions from Sounds of the Seventies, Bob Harris, John Peel and live performances from Golders Green and Hammersmith Odeon. With so much material on offer this is not for the casual listener but for the dedicated. But if you are one of the dedicated then this paints a complete sonic portrait of Thin Lizzy and their growth as a band.

On the condensed 2 disc version the first disc is the band more or less finding their feet, but as we get towards the end - to Gary Moore's first appearance for the band on 'Showdown' - there is that crucial step forward towards classic-era Lizzy which really kicks in on the second disc.

Back in the day before digital mass media became the norm it was common practice for the BBC to erase tapes and some of the Lizzy recordings were lost. So it was up to the fans to fill in the gaps and some of these fan recordings have made it into this collection. And they are surprisingly good quality too fitting snuggly alongside the originals.

On disc 2 Thin Lizzy hit their stride. They've found their sound, their signature dual guitar harmonies and they start rocking with the funky wah of 'Sha La La' which shows off just about every aspect of Lizzy in three and half minutes complete with a relaxed Brian Downey drum solo. 'Still In Love With You' is a fantastic song - simple, slow bluesy soul but in the hands of Lynott it really is something else. Earlier this year Sade covered the song - hopefully the song will find a wider audience through her - who knows? Maybe Sade will steal 'Still In Love With You' and make it her own just like Lizzy stole 'Rosalie' from Bob Seger and made it the definitive Thin Lizzy song.

'Baby Drives Me Crazy' reminds us that Lynott had his own patented patter to rival Freddie Mercury's "Dee-Doh-Dee-Doh" with his very own rhythmic stuttering "Baby, baby, baby! b-b-b-b-b-b-ba-by". 'Jailbreak' follows soon after making its claim for the ultimate Thin Lizzy song.

What makes Lizzy however are Lynott's lyrics - adventure stories of outlaws, renegades, bad boys and killers; 'Cowboy Song', 'Killer On The Loose', 'Renegade' and 'The Boys Are Back In Town'. Amongst these the John Peel sessions from 1976 are fantastic.

The 7 disc box set should prove enough for anyone but, should you need more there's also a strictly limited edition 5LP vinyl set featuring yet other live performances. I like this album. It's more satisfying than a re-run greatest hits collection or even a classic established live set from the 70s. It has light and shade. It tells a story. A story of a unique talent and a great band.

http://www.thinlizzyband.com/