About The Greedies
Formed
December 1979
Genre
Indie Rock
One of the more obscure supergroups to exist during the '70s was the Greedies (aka the Greedy Bastards). Thin Lizzy leader Phil Lynott (bass, vocals) quickly took an interest in the fledgling punk movement of the late '70s, and subsequently befriended members of such outfits as the Sex Pistols, the Damned, and the Boomtown Rats. With time off from Lizzy during the early and latter parts of 1978, Lynott sought to put together an ad hoc outfit comprised partly of Lizzy members, along with members of punk bands. It's unclear if it was Lynott's original intention for the group to rotate its bandmembers, but that's exactly what happened for a total of four shows during the year (with an additional one planned but canceled).
A proposed show in February of 1978 in London was to have included a lineup of Lynott, Heavy Metal Kids singer Gary Holton, Lizzy guitarist Gary Moore, ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain, and Damned drummer Rat Scabies, but ultimately fell through. The group's first show to have actually gone down occurred in July in London, and featured a lineup of Lynott, Lizzy guitarists Scott Gorham and Moore, guitarist Chris Spedding, Bain, Lizzy drummer Brian Downey, and a pair of former Sex Pistols -- guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook. Unsurprisingly, the set featured versions of Lizzy tunes ("Jailbreak," "Boys Are Back in Town," "Don't Believe a Word"), as well as post-Johnny Rotten Pistols tracks ("Black Leather," "No One Is Innocent"), in addition to assorted other tracks (including a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Jesus Children of America").
The Greedies were put on hold for several months in 1978 while Lizzy toured the U.S., but by December, the multi-membered group was ready to roll again, with a slightly altered lineup (Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof was in, Spedding and Bain were out) and same set list comprised of Lizzy and Pistols tunes. With many Lizzy and Pistols fans wondering if the group was for real or just a fun project, the band entered the recording studio in late 1979 with a truncated lineup of Lynott, Gorham, Downey, Jones, and Cook. Despite high expectations, the quintet only emerged with a throwaway single -- "A Merry Jingle" b/w "A Merry Jangle" -- issued in December of 1979 (and never in the U.S.) The single (which basically was a merger of "Jingle Bells" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas") sunk from sight shortly after its release, but was promoted with performances on such British TV shows as the Kenny Everett Show and the Top of the Pops. Nothing else was ever issued by the short-lived outfit again -- the only current Lizzy release in print to feature "A Merry Jingle" is the 2001 British import collection, The Boys Are Back in Town. ~ Greg Prato
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