John was invited to join Thin Lizzy by Phil Lynott in late 1982 when Phil helped him out by recording vocals for a solo track of John's (Please Don't Leave Me). During the sessions for the track Lynott asked John would he consider joining Lizzy if they ever needed a guitarist. John replied 'yes' and luckily, Lizzy were in need of a new lead guitarist as Snowy White had recently quit the band. John recorded the 'Thunder and Lightning' album with Lizzy and completed a world tour in support of it. JS features on 2 official live albums from this time - 'Life/Live' and 'BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert', which captures the band's farewell UK appearance at the Reading Festival in 1983 (where JS had played 3 years previously with the Tygers). JS always considers himself fortunate to have been asked to join the band and arguably regards his time in the band and his ensuing friendship with Phil Lynott as the best time of his career. Of course, he would achieve greater success (though not happiness) with Whitesnake, and that album, together with his Blue Murder and solo material is considerably more accomplished than his contribution to the Thunder and Lightning album. Nevertheless, JS helped to revive Lizzy's flagging fortunes and helped them to go out on a real high note (if a very sad one). There is no question that the death of Phil Lynott hit JS hard. It was a loss that has cast a shadow over JS's career ever since. Had Phil not passed away in 1986, it is rumoured that John would have rejoined a reunited Lizzy. Where this would have left the Whitesnake album that eventually became '1987' is anyone's guess.

In 1994, John persuaded Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton to reconvene as 'Thin Lizzy', first touring Japan where they were received with great excitement and subsequently touring periodically across the globe. The highlights of this reformed version of 'Thin Lizzy' undoubtedly came in 1996, when the band played at the 10th Vibe for Philo in Dublin and were joined onstage by Brian 'Robbo' Robertson at the Brixton Academy. Since that time, and now without Downey and Wharton, JS has continued to tour with Gorham as 'Thin Lizzy'. Many of JS's critics attack the band for continuing under the 'Thin Lizzy' name. Does this damage the reputation of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy? I personally believe the music is too strong, and the memories of the man too vivid, to let that happen. What is clear is that the more JS is attacked for using the name in a way some regard as improper, the less likely he is to do what they wish. And so the debates will rage on. I do wish, however, that JS would cut himself some slack and get back to making more of his own amazing music...

Link to Thin Lizzy with John playing Cold Sweat in an English pub! - http://www.youtube.com/w/Thin-Lizzy---%22Cold-Sweat%22?v=RYXGiWxl6uQ&search=Thin%20Lizzy

Below is an interview first published in Kerrang and conducted by Howard Johnson. You'll find it elsewhere on the web, but not on a John Sykes website, so here it is...

JOHN SYKES looks remarkably similar to one of the many extras from 'Zombies' when I shake his hand before the interview proper gets underway. A naturally pallid skin colour has turned a shade paler than white and I ponder on whether this is as a result of rising at 1 pm (far too early for any self-respecting muso) or due to an over-indulgence on chemicals. Threading our way through the MCA Records office I'm relieved to hear that suspicions are unfounded and that John has simply been up all the previous night attempting to put the finishing touches to the new Thin Lizzy album. As we find a seat he explains: "We've been in Eel Pie Studios for two months working on the album and it's coming along really well. In fact, we should've finished it last night but we haven't so we're going back into the studios in November to complete it then and it should be out by January of next year, when we'll promote it on the road." Little has been heard of or from John since he left the Tygers Of Pan Tang approximately six months ago in a much publicised move which should have taken him into madness, total and absolute, aboard Mr Osbourne's Crazy Train, but the man is in no mood to be reticent regarding his activities: "I left the Tygers due to a phone call from Sharon Arden, Ozzy's manager (and now wife) who asked me to go and play on the rest of Ozzy's American tour. I thought it would be a good break because I hadn't really been going in the same direction as the rest of the band for a long time. I thought it was time for a change so I left. I decided I'd make the break while the opportunity was there. "Sharon kept ringing me, they sent a passport and visas down and I was all set to go. Then nothing! The band got a session player in. Brad somebody, so I didn't go and he finished off the tour. I didn't hear anything from Ozzy for three months and the only explanation I was given was that the band didn't want to keep auditioning new guitarists while they were gigging." Stalemate for Sykes, who then decided to do the only sensible thing. When in doubt, go for the solo deal.

"I spoke to various people at MCA and a solo deal did eventually come together. I asked Chris Tsangarides (the Tygers producer on 'Wildcat' and 'Spellbound', working at the time with Lizzy) if he could ask Phil (Lynott, who in this particular script plays the saviour) whether he'd help out, to which he answered yes. "I was supposed to go to Ireland with Phil to start work on the single when Ozzy rang me out of the blue and said he'd like to hear my playing. I thought that I might as well go for it so I went and met Ozzy in London. I went down to London again a coupla days later to play in a studio where Magnum were recording. It was simply Ozzy on his own — none of the band were there. I arranged to meet him at six o'clock teatime and I played for a while. When he'd heard me he asked me to go to America and play with the band, which was in effect another auditon. He didn't say yes or no. "By this time I was due to go to Ireland so I went over and left things as they were. I was then asked to join Lizzy and thought I'd take it cos I got on well with Phil and thus considered it the best move. "People claim that Lizzy's peak was when 'Live And Dangerous' appeared, yet it's natural that when a band puts six years' worth of hits on an album, they'll hit a peak. Lizzy are much bigger than the Tygers and all the albums do pretty well. Everyone's said that I've toughened them up from what's been going down in the studio and that's probably true. They were a little mellow and even they themselves agreed. I think they got into a rut and I've come along and given them a boot up the arse. It sounds good now!" But what of Snowy White, whose reasons for departure seem to have been largely ignored by the press? "I think he just wanted to do his own stuff in a more bluesy vein." Now bluesy is extremely far removed from John's generally aggressive approach to string manipulation, as anyone who possesses a copy oftheTygers"Spellbound' LP will verify. It didn't sound then as if the Tygers were heading in a different direction from John: "It was more personality directions than musical ones. The band was always a tight unit whereas Jon (Deverill), the vocalist, and I were yery much the outsiders. I still like all the guys as friends, though. If Jon and I suggested anything, then Rocky, Brian and Rob would always stick together as a binding force of three against two. If I wrote a song with Jon then all five of us were credited. We wrote almost all of 'Spellbound' which was a huge change from 'Wildcat'." Note how when John talks of excellence during the Tygers period, it's invariably 'Spellbound' that crops up. 'Crazy Nights' is indeed the forgotten Tygers album. " 'Crazy Nights' was a mixture of everyone's material, we were all getting sussed to the situation of three versus two and we weren't working as a band. 'Crazy Nights' was a disaster, the worst piece of work that I've ever been associated with. "The album was thrown together. I could tell it wouldn't be much cop, nobody had their heart in it. 'Spellbound' had a lot more fire and excitement. I was really ashamed of'Crazy Nights'... I haven't even got a copy of it. Thin Lizzy are a band whom I admit had never occurred to me as right for Sykes. Yet having heard his solo single, 'Please Don't Leave Me', dominated as it is with Lizzy-like chord sequences and fills, things do seem to have fallen into place. "Lizzy was never a really Heavy Metal band but it was especially melodic. The difference is that the guitar sound's sorted out now - the new one sounds like a heavy rock album with all the Lizzy traits thrown in. I'm buzzin' solely to have a gig again. Everything's working well and I can't wait to get back on the road." It's interesting to speculate how other guitarists who were of the same standing as John in the days of Blackpool's Streetfighter react to watching his standing (and presumably his bank account) rise. A tired looking Mr Sykes continues: "I dunno what they think. I never think of other guitarists thinking of me so I don't worry. I work hard, and if you work hard enough, you'll get the rewards at the end. I always improve and I always follow my instincts."