Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers- L.A.M.F. The Found '77 Masters

 As we near the end of the year, I want to post a few items I have kicking around my online storage. Sorry for the lack of posts recently, I will squeeze a few more in for 2021, but I've been faced with the issue of a (almost) full online storage. I need to find another source to hold the music I want to post and I'll wait until the new year to decide what to do. I currently use Adrive and have filled my 100 gig limit, so I need to upgrade my account for more space (a big price jump) or find another (cheap-ish) online storage site. Any suggestions?

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers only officially released one studio album, Heartbreakers- L.A.M.F. back in 1977. Though it's a great classic album, the criticism of the record has been with the sound mix and for decades there have been a few attempts to get it "right". In 1984, a remixed version of the original album was released as, L.A.M.F. Revisited. Then came in 1994, L.A.M.F. (The Lost '77 Mixes) which was compiled from alternative mixes and had improved sound from the previous issues. Finally in 2020, discovered in Daniel Secunda's (Track Records director and L.A.M.F. co-producer) archive a box of tapes and a tape marked, Copy Master 12.7.77, which turned out to be the master tape with a crystal clear sounding L.A.M.F. Earlier this year this set was released on vinyl for RSD and then a CD version with a bonus disc of the demo sessions.

 I have to admit, they sound pretty great and much clearer than the "muddy" mix of the original LP release. I'm sure a lot of people don't care or can tell the difference, but as a huge Heartbreaker's fan this is a wonderful find! Happy holidays!

Enjoy!

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#15yearsoftrouble

JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS

L.A.M.F. (The Found '77 Masters & Demos) (2021)

DISC 1 - The Found '77 Masters

        01. BORN TOO LOOSE
        02. BABY TALK
        03. ALL BY MYSELF
        04. I WANNA BE LOVED
        05. IT'S NOT ENOUGH
        06. CHINESE ROCKS
        07. GET OFF THE PHONE
        08. PIRATE LOVE
        09. ONE TRACK MIND
        10. I LOVE YOU
        11. GOIN' STEADY
        12. LET GO
        13. CAN'T KEEP MY EYES ON YOU
        14. DO YOU LOVE ME
 

 DISC 2 - The Demo Sessions, Plus:

        01. BORN TO LOSE (Chris Stamp Single Mix)
        02. CHINESE ROCKS (Chris Stamp Single Mix)
        03. BORN TOO LOOSE (Essex Studio Demo Feb '77)
        04. CHINESE ROCKS (Essex Studio Demo Feb '77)
        05. LET GO (Essex Studio Demo Feb '77)
        06. CAN'T KEEP MY EYES ON YOU (Jay Nap Studio Demo '76)
        07. I LOVE YOU (Jay Nap Studio Demo '76)
        08. IT'S NOT ENOUGH (Jay Nap Studio Demo '76)
        09. DO YOU LOVE ME (Jay Nap Studio Demo '76)
        10. TAKE A CHANCE (Jay Nap Studio Demo '76)
        11. BORN TO LOSE (Jay Nap Studio Demo '76)
        12. I WANNA BE LOVED (SBS Studio Demo Jan '76)
        13. GOING STEADY (SBS Studio Demo Jan '76)
        14. FLIGHT (SBS Studio Demo Jan '76)
        15. PIRATE LOVE (SBS Studio Demo Jan '76)
        16. GIVE HER A GREAT BIG KISS (Riverside Studio Demo Dec '77)
        17. TOO MUCH JUNKIE BUSINESS (Riverside Studio Demo Dec '77)
        18. LONDON BOYS (Riverside Studio Demo Dec '77)
        19. CAN'T KEEP MY EYES ON YOU (LIVE) (Single B-side 1977)

JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS- L.A.M.F The Found '77 Masters, FLAC. rar

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers (R.I.P. Walter Lure)- Vive La Revolution

 

This past week, rock (more specifically, punk) lost another talented musician, Walter Lure, the last surviving member of the L.A.M.F.-era Heartbreakers, died at the age of 71. Lure was preceded by bandmates, Johnny Thunders (died 1991), drummer Jerry Nolan (died 1992)  and bass player Billy Rath (died 2014). Lure provided the "straight-man" to Johnny's constant strungout junkiness and though the whole band were addicts, Lure really was the driving force behind the Heartbreakers. Though Lure left the Heartbreakers when they split after the release of L.A.M.F., he was the one constant with Johnny Thunders when the band reunited (often), he continued to play with Thunders off and on with Johnny's solo projects and gigs until Thunder's death in 91. Lure became a stock broker on Wall Street post-Heartbreakers, but continued to play music on the side as well as fronting his band, the Waldos who released an album, Wacka Lacka Boom Bop A Loom Bam Boo as recently as 2018. He wrote a memoir in 2020, To Hell and Back: My Life In Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers, In The Words Of The Last Man Standing that I will read very soon when I buy it.

 

 Good quality Heartbreakers shows are sometimes hard to come by, either the sound is crappy or the performance is a wash-out, usually due to drugs and intoxication. The band was at it's best live generally earlier in their career (again to increased drug use later) and with the "classic" L.A.M.F line-up of Thunders, Lure, Rath and Nolan. Vive La Revolution was the name of a boot release in France that documents a show when the band was at it's peak. It's high energy and the band is loose, but not sloppy with Terry Chimes filling in on drums because Nolan had already left the band. This was the last stop on their European tour and the last show as a band before the band's breakup shortly after. The band reformed in 1978 for a few farewell shows, played the occasional show in New York and did a reunion tour of Europe in 1984. This recording is a good example of how incredible the Heartbreakers were live or how great they could have been. Another must-hear live recording! R.I.P. Walter Lure.

Enjoy!

#14yearsoftrouble

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JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS

Vive La Revolution (1992)

Paris Bataclan

Paris, France

December 8, 1977

01. All By Myself
02. Let's Go
03. Can't Keep My Cock In Your Mouth
04. I Love You
05. Too Much Junkie Business
06. London Boys
07. Great Big Kiss
08. Born To Lose
09. One Track Mind
10. Do You Love Me
11. I Want To Be Love
12. Take Chance On Me
13. Baby Talk
14. Chinese Rocks

• Johnny Thunders - guitar, vocals
• Walter Lure - guitar, vocals
• Billy Rath - bass
• Terry Chimes - drums

JOHNNY THUNDERS AND THE HEARTBREAKERS- Vive La Revolution FLAC. rar

Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers- Live At The Village Gate 1977

As Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, the band only released one studio album. That album, L.A.M.F. was originally released in 1977 and remains today as a true punk rock classic. I have the original vinyl LP I bought at a record store in Vancouver in the mid-80's and I was disappointed with the sound quality and mix of the record as it sounded dull and lifeless. Apparently, I wasn't alone with this option as the record has been re-released several times to improve the sound through re-mixes,  lost mixes and alternative versions from the original album. L.A.M.F. Revisited, L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes (released 1994) and L.A.M.F. Definitive Edition (2012) which featured the original album, the lost mixes, demos and alternative tracks. Thunders went on to record a handful of solo studio albums, but the legacy and true appeal of the Heartbreakers was in their live performances. For a band with only one official studio album, they released several live albums capturing the Heartbreakers, especially in the late 70's at their peak. Johnny Thunders shows in the 80's were at best uneven and sometimes unpredictable. With the right mix of intoxication and preferably shows with Waldo (Walter Lure) on guitar, his live shows could also be brilliant with some classic Thunders stage banter and loose, but inspired playing. (Unfortunately, when I finally saw Thunders live it was towards the end of his life/career and the concert was a mess, he was strung out and the musicians around him weren't very good, including a pickup drummer from the crowd, sad) Anyways, many very good sounding live recordings from the Heartbreakers prime era in the mid-late 70's have been available on LP, cassette and CD in both bootleg and semi-official releases and whenever something new (unreleased) gets unearthed from someones collection it's always worth a listen.

I was in Minneapolis last June scouting out record stores and stumbled upon, Live At The Village Gate 1977 on CD. It was brand new in a slick package with a beautiful b & w gatefold CD cover, that I hadn't seen before. (I heard that the vinyl version is hot pink!) And because I'm always looking for unreleased Heartbreakers shows I bought it. The sound quality is only okay, it's a step up from a audience live recording, but it has a bit of an digital sounding enhancement to it. Once you get past that, the show itself is very good, with a solid performance and great songs. I would suggest seeking out Live at Max's, D.T.K. (Live at the Speakeasy) or even Live at the Lyceum Ballroom first before buying Live at the Village Gate. It's a nice addition to the Heartbreakers live album collection and I shouldn't complain because anything unreleased (or unheard) that is new to me, is always a welcome listen at any time.
Happy New Year!!
Enjoy!

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JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS
L.A.M.F.
Live At The Village Gate
August 18 & 20, 1977
(released in 2015)

01. Chinese Rocks
02. Pirate Love
03. Get Off The Phone
04. All By Myself
05. Let Go
06. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
07. Chatterbox
08. One Track Mind
09. Take A Chance On Me
10. Born Too Loose
11. Boppin The Blues
12. Do You Love Me
13. I Wanna Be Loved

JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS- LAMF Live at the Village Gate FLAC. rar

Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers- S.O.B.

A band that heavily influenced (both musically and spirit) Replacements front-man Paul Westerberg, was Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers. The Replacements paid tribute to the Thunders with their songs, Johnny's Gonna Die and Dose Of Thunder. Their early setlists included at least one or two Heartbreaker's covers and in 1987, they invited Johnny to join them on stage.

The Heartbreakers were formed in 1975, when guitarist Johnny Thunders and drummer Jerry Nolan split from the New York Dolls and teamed up with Richard Hell on bass. Walter Lure joined shortly after to play guitar/vocals and by mid-1976 Hell left to form his own band, Voidoids. Hell was replaced by Billy Rath.
I own most of the official releases of both the Heartbreakers and Johnny Thunder's solo records and since the Heartbreaker's only really released one official studio album, most of my collection are live albums. The Heartbreaker's were at the peak during the mid-seventies successfully touring the UK and stateside, in and around New York City. Their live shows were unpredictable, but high energy and they developed a dedicated following during the 70's punk era. The band kind of broke-up in 1979, but did many "reunion" shows afterwards, Jerry and Walter continued to play with Johnny's bands throughout the 80's, but those line-ups never had the urgency or intensity of the early days. I also have a large quantity of Heartbreakers and Johnny Thunder's live recording and bootlegs, but I hadn't seen S.O.B until I saw it on another blog. S.O.B (Lost Live Tapes 1976-1977) is an ultra rare limited (250) Japanese release that features sets from 4 different shows (2 in UK, 2 in US) and is an excellent document of the Heartbreakers at their best, live...loud, sloppy, and rockin'!!

(If you think the songs are quite similar gig to gig, you're right. Remember, they only recorded one album.)

JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS
S.O.B (Lost Live Tapes 1976-1977)

DISC 1
Max's Kansas City New York City July 23, 1976 (Billy Rath's first show?)

1. Do You Love Me
2. Take A Chance With Me
3. I Love You
4. Flight
5. It's Not Enough
6. So Alone
7. Chinese Rocks
8. Pirate Love
9. Born To Lose
10. Get Off The Phone
11. I Wanna Be Loved

Rebecca's Nightclub Birmingham, UK May 12, 1977

12. Chinese Rocks
13. Pirate Love
14. Get Off The Phone
15. All By Myself
16. Let Go
17. Take A Chance With Me
18. Goin' Steady
19. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
20. I Love You
21. Born To Lose
22. One Track Mind
23. I Wanna Be loved
24. Do You Love Me

DISC 2
Portsmouth Polytechnic, UK June 23, 1977
1. Introduction
2. Chinese Rocks
3. Pirate Love
4. Get Off The Phone
5. All By Myself
6. Let Go
7. Take A Chance With Me
8. Born To Lose
9. I Love You
10. One Track Mind
11. I Wanna Be Loved

The Village Gate New York, NY, USA
12. Introduction
13. Chinese Rocks
14. Pirate Love
15. Get Off The Phone
16. All By Myself
17. Let Go
18. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
19. I Love You
20. Born To Lose
21. One Track Mind

Download: Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers - S.O.B. (disc 1). rar
S.O.B. (disc 2). rar