JOHNNY THUNDERS – Live From Zürich 1985

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From Johnny Thunders’ personal tape archive, this recording is among hundreds of live, studio and writing session tapes he stored away for safe keeping in a box simply labeled ‘Thunders Tapes’. Cleaned up and mastered, our attempt is to reveal the recordings Johnny felt worthy of keeping and to release only the best audio quality and performances that live up to his musical legacy. In the debut release, we hear Johnny and his band performing at a Swiss radio station in 1985. 

In Spectacular HQ sound! A Must for J.T. fans and other loosers, dig!!!

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JOHNNY THUNDERS – Que Sera, Sera – Resurrected (Remixed)

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“Remixed by The Vibrators’ Pat Collier, with the guitar fully in the mix – Johnny missed the original mixing sessions. Expanded with two unreleased tracks left off the original album, plus six previously unheard outtakes.”

“In 1985 Johnny Thunders went into the studio in London to record what would become his third and final solo album. He gathered friends Mike Monroe, Patti Palladin, John Perry, Wilko Johnson, Henri-Paul Tortosa, Nasty Suicide, JC Carroll, Stiv Bators, Glen Matlock and others, and the resulting album was christened “Que Sera, Sera”.

“The album was well-received, and it got Johnny touring again, but there was always a sense that it could have been better, and that the guitar was restrained — in ’85 many artists were seeking mainstream crossover. Two tracks were left off — Jerry Nolan’s Countdown Love was unused as he hadn’t yet recorded it; and Talk About You, a lengthy blues workout that didn’t seem to fit. With those two tracks in mind as bonus tracks for a reissue, Pat Collier, former Vibrators guitarist, was asked to mix them. When the results came through, it became obvious that Pat should remix the whole album using today’s technology and viewpoint.”

Listen up punkerz! Ready or not you just gotta hear “M.I.A.,” “Little Bit of Whore,” “Blame It On Mom,” “Alone in a Crowd” or Jerry Nolan’s “Countdown Love” in brand new sound . Probably one of the best reissues of 2020. Don’t miss this, check it out!

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JOHNNY THUNDERS – Live En Bruto Zaragoza 15. nov 1986. with Glen Matlock

Surfadelic Presents: Punks In Thee Garage!

 

This Surfadelic compilation is dedicated to 70’s & 80’s punk and new wave bands those who dared to cover some of their 60’s heroes like The Sonics, The Seeds, the Standells, The Wailers, The Kingsmen, The Music Machine, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Chocolate Watchband, The Shadows of Knight, The Doors… 

As you know many 70’s punkers were fans of 60’s mod & garage rock bands. Boston garage punkers DMZ were one of the first to dig into 60’s punk legacy. Wayne County of The Electric Chairs is a big fan of sixties garage bands, Nuggets and stuff and made maybe the definitive version of The Electric Prunes ’67 classic “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night”. The Cramps create their whole style and career around the covers of 50’s & 60’s r-billy, trash and garage loosers. Some bands like UK The Inmates, a pub rockers which were not expected to dig US garage rock but did just that with cool cover of The Standells hit “Dirty Water”. You’re already familiar with Johnny Thunders & Patti Palladin silky cover of the Seeds “Can’t Seem To Make You Mine”. NY proto-punkers The Dictators covered “California Sun” well before their neighbors the Ramones. Bebe Buell [ya know Bebe?] sings “My Little Red Book” anyone cares? There’s an really cool cover of “I Never Loved Her” [originaly by The Starfires from Pebbles 8] by The Vogue, little known new wave group from Vienna. Todd Clark Group did a great job with Paul Revere & The Raiders hit “Hungry”. Also you can hear Hollywood Brats doin’ The Kinks’ “I Need You”, The Undertones cover of CWB classic “Let’s Talk About Girls”, Pagans with “Little Black Egg” etc. The most recent cover is from 1990. by my fav garage punkers The Devil Dogs doin’ great cover of The Shadows of Knight classic “I’m Gonna Make You Mine”. 26 trax of supercool garage-punk-new wave action Surfadelic style! Enjoy!

 

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JOHNNY THUNDERS – Belfast Rocks

 

This is actually Johnny Thunders & Cosa Nostra (Johnny Thunders, Terry Chimes & Keith Yon) live set from Ireland 27. October 1984. 19 tracks, lots of humor & some surprisingly compassionate comments on the Irish Troubles.  Very good quality.  3 of the 19 tracks are different versions of Chinese Rock, leading one to believe that Thunders may have had ADD in addition to all of his other infamous maladies.

 

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JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS – Vive Le Revolution!!

 

”Never the most prolific studio visitor, the late New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders plied his brand of bent-string dementia where it shone brightest: live, and in your face, with no premium on timing, or tuning. Such carping about those factors is wasted on Thunders fans, who cared more about their hero’s screw-you persona, than whatever physical condition he brought to each performance. This album drives that object lesson home once more, being culled from the Heartbreakers’ 1977 tour promoting their ill-fated L.A.M.F. album, which saw powerhouse drummer Jerry Nolan quit over its mixing. The set list is the same that’ll appear on future live releases, but the performance is vicious enough to overlook such considerations. All the standbys are here, including “Chinese Rocks,” one of the most graphic snapshots of heroin addiction ever written, as well as the English putdown “London Boys,” and Thunders’ laconic self-assessment “Born to Lose.” Heartbreakers fans also get an obscure, unissued original in the Bo Diddley-style swagger of “Baby Talk,” the obscure A-side “One Track Mind,” and “Take a Chance With Me,” so the recycling isn’t as shameless as the track listing seems. Second guitarist Walter Lure and bassist Billy Rath provide their usual bullish support. Former Clash refugee Terry Chimes isn’t nearly as flashy as Nolan, but keeps the beat rolling with a damaged panache. As always, Thunders’ vocals and guitar waver all over the place, but his cut ‘n’ thrust bluster gets over on sheer persistence. What frequently sounded stilted on vinyl suddenly makes sense onstage, where the band could unleash its feral fury without worrying about recording levels. For Thunders, the attitude mattered most of all, and there’s plenty for Heartbreakers fans to absorb here. You’ll either like this release or hate it…but, in punk rock, that’s often a compliment.” ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide

Great live set recorded at Paris Bataclan in 1977.

 

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JOHNNY THUNDERS – M.I.A. (Surfadelic Collection)

 

Here’s brand new Surfadelic collection dedicated to one of my alltime guitar heroes J.T. As ya know there are loads of Johnny’s collections out there, some are great, some are weak so I decided to gather his rare & lesser know studio recordings and demos from 1979, 1982 & 1990 from various sources and put ’em in one place just fer your listening pleasure. Most of these songs never found a place on the proper studio album which is shame. Some of the tunes feature colaborations with acts as The Chesterfield Kings, Jerry Nolan and Wayne Kramer and the Gang War. Who Do Voodoo, Countdown Love, Help The Homeless, Hey Thanks, King Of The Gypsies… Cool stuff indeed. Don’t miss it, dig!!!

 

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JOHNNY THUNDERS – So Alonesome [1978. Unreleased studio recordings]

 

Between January and June 1978 Johnny enrolled producer Steve Lillywhite and recorded a wealth of material which contributed to his first solo album ‘So Alone’. To celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the album Johnny self proclaimed as the best album he ever made, Remarquable Records is releasing a special companion to add further insight to that creative period and showcase a bedevilled artist supported by an unrepeatable cast of friends and musicians which allowed Johnny more time and more control in the studio than he ever had in his truncated life. Consisting of previously unreleased studio recordings ‘So Alonesome’ is an essential sibling to ‘So Alone’. Featured msuicians include Steve Jones & Paul Cook (Sex Pistols); Peter Perrett & Mike Kellie (The Only Ones); Paul Gray & Steve Nicol (Eddie & The Hot Rods); Walter Lure & Billy Rath (Heartbreakers); Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy); Steve Marriott (Small Faces/Humble Pie); John ‘Irish’ Earle (Thin Lizzy); Chris Wood (Traffic); Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders) & Patti Palladin (Snatch).

Pressed on 180 gram limited edition vinyl, these are alternate mixes of legendary ’78. “So Alone” LP with pretty superior sound to orginal mixes. THIS IS A MUST !!! Vinyl Rip, Dig!!!

 

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JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS – Down To Kill

 

Yooo punkerz! It’s pretty hot these days and it’s gonna be hotter with this set of The Hearbreakers ’76 demos & live recordings. You’re already familiar with the L.A.M.F. ‘never ending story’, so disc 1 ‘Raw & Rare’ brings you Staten Island unreleased studio recordings of some of your favorite Heartbreakers tunes and rare stuff featuring Walter Lure and Richard Hell. Disc 2 contains the complete remixed “Speakeasy” live recordings. The Speakeasy show was recorded while L.A.M.F. was being recorded (March 1977) and really captures the Heartbreakers at their peak. This stuff is essential for every Thunders/Heartbreakers fan. So punks… say… dig!!!

 

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