Johnny Thunders Albums (11)
'D.T.K. Live at the Speakeasy'
Release Date 12/15/1994
Tracks 10
Label Receiver
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What The Critics Say
Recorded live at the Speakeasy in London on March 15, 1977, the imaginatively titled D.T.K. Live at the Speakeasy (D.T.K. stands for "down to kill") captures Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers at their raging, sneering best. This is one of the performances that made the Heartbreakers such darlings in the U.K., and it's not hard to see why. Reprising most of the songs off their debut, L.A.M.F., Thunders and crew (guitarist Walter Lure, bassist Billy Rath, and drummer Jerry Nolan) tear into these songs with a snot-nosed abandon that made even the Sex Pistols stand up and take notice. Although the performances here are relatively straightforward readings of the album tracks, they bristle with a rabies-like intensity that the studio versions just can't match. Tunes like "Can't Keep My Eyes on You," "Born to Lose," "Get Off the Phone," and "All by Myself" are played so viciously that it's almost a miracle that they come off sounding as melodic and rhythmic as they do. Much of the credit here has go to Rath and Nolan, who ground the grooves so defiantly that nothing can pry them loose. What really puts Live at the Speakeasy over the top, though, is Thunders' between-song banter. Inciting the somewhat lackadaisical crowd with a barrage of drunken insults and tasteless asides, he adds a certain street thug joie de vivre to the proceedings. Live at the Speakeasy is a jewel in a catalog jammed with poorly recorded, abysmal live performances, and is a wild reminder of just how formidable the Heartbreakers could be on a good night. ~ Andy Claps, All Music Guide
'Live at Mothers'
Release Date 6/14/1994
Tracks 8
Label New Rose Blues
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What The Critics Say
By the time the Hearbreakers' debut, L.A.M.F., appeared in 1977, original bassist Richard Hell had already left the band. The original line-up (guitarist/leader Johnny Thunders, drummer Jerry Nolan, second guitarist Walter Lure, and Hell) had been playing around the NYC area throughout 1975, when there was a falling out between Thunders and Hell. Each wanted complete control of the band, and when it became clear that Hell wouldn't be handed the reigns, he bailed, forming Richard Hell and the Voidoids. But the original Heartbreakers line-up was one of the most promising New York punk bands, which made the split a waste. The only musical document of this incarnation are bootlegged concerts, and Bomp records compiled tracks from two of the best-sounding shows, and released it as What Goes Around. Although the sound is definitely lo-fi, the charm of this much-talked-about Heartbreakers' line-up shines through in their performances. Most of the Heartbreakers' best-known material is represented ("Pirate Love," "I Wanna Be Loved," "Can't Keep My Eyes on You"), as well as two eventual Richard Hell classics ("Blank Generation" and "Love Comes in Spurts"), and the classic Johnny Thunders ballad "So Alone." The Heartbreakers' best-known song, "Chinese Rocks" is suspiciously absent, and would have made this intriguing collection even stronger. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
'Stations of the Cross'
Release Date 9/18/1990
Tracks 17
Label Relativity
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'The New Too Much Junkie Business'
Release Date 9/18/1990
Tracks 14
Label Relativity
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What The Critics Say
Johnny Thunders spent the lion's share of his solo career trying to recapture the sloppy but inspired snazz of his glory days with the New York Dolls, and once you get past So Alone and the Heartbreakers' L.A.M.F., he usually fell far short of the mark. But Copy Cats, an album he cut with Noo Yawk chanteuse Patti Palladin in 1988, was a rare exception, a set where he stretched his boundaries a bit and came up with something memorable. Copy Cats is a set of rock & roll oldies, dating from 1954 to 1969 (though you'd be forgiven for not guessing Screamin' Jay Hawkins' frenzied "Alligator Wine" was cut two years after the Summer of Love), and though an album of covers might not sound like a bold move, here Thunders steps away from the junkie bravado that was his stock in trade and plays the kind of greasy but passionate rock that doubtless inspired him in the first place. Thunders also strays from his usual buzzsaw guitar patterns here and settles in as part of the ensemble, a big rock band who captures the spirit if not quite the letter of these rock and R&B dusties, adding inspired punctuation without trying to carry the show. And while a few of these songs are played as novelties (especially "She Wants to Mambo" and "Crawfish"), "Two Time Loser" and "I Was Born to Cry" sound like Thunders had been waiting all his life to sing 'em, while Palladin offers excellent support and fares even better when she takes the lead on "Baby It's You" and "He Cried." Hardly a typical Johnny Thunders album, Copy Cats captures the man sounding like he really cared about his work and wanted to make a good album, and his commitment makes the difference here. [The 2007 CD release of Copy Cats from Jungle juggles the sequence and adds two additional tracks, "Let Me Entertain You" and an inspired version of "Love Is Strange," with Thunders New York accent the perfect complement for Palladin's more seductive lead vocals.] ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Fame and promise come easy to some; others handle it about as well as Bill Buckner fielding a ground ball. Rock & roll is littered with the names of artists who've squandered their musical gifts, and few names are as infamous in this regard as Johnny Thunders. In 1978 the former New York Doll recorded his solo debut and one of the better albums of the punk era, So Alone. Reviews were favorable, and the future looked decent for the guitarist and full-time junkie. But, in a move that would come to define his solo career, rather than building on the success of So Alone, Thunders stumbled deeper into heroin addiction, spending the next seven years playing gig after gig and shooting most of the proceeds into his arm. By 1985, despite reuniting with the Heartbreakers for a legendary show at the London Lyceum, he had been written off by everyone but his most steadfast supporters -- and even they had to be shaking their heads at his relentless bid for oblivion. It was under these circumstances that Thunders and his band of the moment, the Black Cats (bassist Keith Yon and drummer Tony St. Helene), weaved into West 3 Studios in London to lay down tracks for his second solo album, Que Sera, Sera. Despite being plagued by a litany of chemically induced fits and starts, the album came together well. While not the end-to-end triumph of So Alone, Que Sera, Sera nonetheless had enough spark to convince those still listening that the weathered Doll wasn't about to go quietly into that good night. Bolstered by a revolving door of punk cronies -- including Patti Palladin, Glen Matlock, Stiv Bators, and Only Ones guitarist John Perry -- Thunders and band kick some New Yawk sneer into songs like the punk mission statement "Short Lives," "Little Bit of Whore," "Blame It on Mom," "Endless Party," and "Billy Boy," a searing instrumental ode to fallen original Dolls drummer Billy Murcia. The standout tracks, though, are "I Only Wrote This Song for You," with its delicately strummed chords and funereal piano figure, and a hilarious demolition of the Doris Day standard "Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be)." Replete with accordion and choral support by London's St. Theresa School Choir, the song suggests a drunken 3 a.m. singalong down the streets of Little Italy. Though not included on the original LP, "Que Sera, Sera" has been added here as a bonus track. Like most Johnny Thunders albums, there are a few snags: the interminable "Cool Operator" is a failed reggae experiment redeemed only by the classic Johnny-ism "I can get Godzilla to give me head"; the bonus remixes of "Short Lives" and "Cool Operator" are completely extraneous; and the production, while clean and crisp, is a little antiseptic, robbing the music of the anarchic raunch that made Thunders' live shows so much fun. That said, though, Que Sera, Sera is a surprisingly solid effort, featuring tight playing and well-constructed melodies. With a little record-company backing and a fortuitous fall of the chips, it could've marked a new chapter in Thunders' career. Sadly, it stands as one of the last coherent gasps by a perennial contender. ~ Andy Claps, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The original version of L.A.M.F. (which stands for "Like a Mother F*cker") was marred by shoddy production. This 1984 remix of the album (under the supervision of Johnny Thunders) places L.A.M.F. favorably alongside other New York punk bands from the late '70s. Borrowing inspiration from his old band, the New York Dolls, along with Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, the Ramones, and heroin, Thunders & the Heartbreakers' junkie antics translate well to disc. Songs like "One Track Mind," "Chinese Rocks," and "Pirate Love" are great examples of these influences. Although the Heartbreakers were not as lyrically intuitive as ex-member Richard Hell or Television, the music here is the key. Jerry Nolan's steady beats, and Thunders' searing guitar show that the Heartbreakers were no lightweights. This album, along with his great solo album, So Alone, stand as his definitive statements. ~ Brian Flota, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Hurt Me is a rarity in Johnny Thunders' catalog -- a collection of acoustic recordings revealing that he could be a hell of a performer if he so chose. There are a number of predictable songs here, such as the classic "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory," as well as some good covers. It's an anomaly in Thunders' catalog and all the better for it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Live at Max's Kansas City'
Release Date 1/1/1979
Tracks 12
Label Beggars Banquet
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