Box Set Review: Phil Lynott’s Grand Slam- Slam Anthems

Aaron ConnAlbum Review, MusicLeave a Comment

Grand Slam Slam Anthems

Grand Slam Slam AnthemsCleopatra Records have released a new box set devoted to Phil Lynott and his post Thin Lizzy band, Grand Slam. The set, Slam Anthems, is a massive six disc box set consisting of concert recordings, demos and newly remixed tracks. Lynott’s post Lizzy career has been touched upon before over the years, but not to the extent that Slam Anthems covers.

A Little History
After the split of Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott wanted to form a new band that would focus on his solo work and new material. For band members, Lynott recruited Lizzy alum John Sykes and Brian Downey on guitar and drums respectively. The line up was completed by guitarist Doish Nagle and keyboardist Mark Stanway. After only a brief time together,  this line up ended when both Sykes and Downey left. They would be replaced by guitarist Laurence Archer and drummer Robbie Brennan.

With the new line up set, Grand Slam would tour thoroughly through Europe. While the band were well received, the band were never able to score a record deal. Reasons as to why vary from the lack of interest in the new band and/or Phil Lynott’s drug addiction. The band would fold in 1985 and sadly in January 1986, Lynott died from complications of pneumonia, which are said to have come from Lynott’s heroin addiction.

The Music
There are six discs in this box set.  Four discs are live recordings while the other two feature demo/studio recordings. The easiest way to review this set is to divide the set into these two different categories.

The Demo/Studio Material
While saved as the last disc in the set, this writer would recommend starting with the last disc, which features the songs Grand Slam were working on. Given they are demo recordings, the sound quality on them aren’t the best. With that, it’s hard to determine if the songs are any good. If anything, the Grand Slam material seemed like it had potential. Fans may recognize songs such as “Military Man” and “Dedication” as they would later be re-recorded in different forms. The former would end up on Gary Moore’s 1985 album Run For Cover while the latter was turned into a Thin Lizzy song in 1991 (on a compilation of the same name). It’s also worth mentioning that none of the material offered on the demo disc is new: this was all released in 2002 set called Studio Sessions. It doesn’t seem the songs have been remastered either.

The one thing that is new to the studio material is the first disc that offers “remixes” of the Grand Slam songs. While there’s nothing written about how these remixes came to be, they do sound better than most of the original demoes. Still, something doesn’t sound right about them, with some of the remixes not having the same vibe as the originals. Take “Breakdown,” for example. The original demo sounds like Prince could’ve recorded it. The remix, however, has been given a metal makeover that doesn’t sound natural.

The Live Material 
Similar to the demos, most of the live recordings in this set have already been released. Of the four discs offered, the Sweden show sounds the best, with the Lifford show being a close second. Even though this was a slightly different band from Lizzy, Lynott’s frontman chops did not change. With his familiar “Are you out there?” call, the charismatic Lynott showed he hadn’t changed. Aside from the iffy quality of the audio, the live material gets repetitive quickly given that the band never really changed their setlists. For what they are, the live material is fine.

Conclusion
As a whole, Slam Anthems is a decent box set devoted to Phil Lynott’s Grand Slam band. It’s hard to determine if the Grand Slam material is any good, considering the quality. It’s also hard to imagine if any Lizzy and Lynott fans will want to come back to the material on this box set. While not essential owning, Slam Anthems is worth at least a listen.

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