Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers - L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes
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Free Music Notes for L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes
Free Music Review: Best Ever but Complicated
Hit: 5 Stars
Look at the other reviews L.A.M.F is the greatest bestest punk album ever made it's just that i can't figure out how to play the video "Chinese Rocks" so if anyone knos how to play it PLease tell me in the next Music Review: I had no idea...Hit: 5 Stars ... Johnny and crew could sound so good. I appreciate Walter Lure more after listening to this one, too. Second disk is fun for a behind the scenes feel. This really is an overlooked classic.
Free Music Review: Rock 'n' roll bloodbath
Hit: 5 Stars
Catchy, powerful, brutal, funny, lo-fi, punk, not punk. Who cares? This album rocks. The vocals sound desperate. The guitars are dirty. And there's a murderous cover of "Do You Love Me?".Free Music Review: Punk, rock'n'roll and boogie rock. 85/100
Hit: 4 Stars
This is a review of the two cd edition which this site doesn't seem to acknowledge, although I do think that the cd that this review is linked to is the same one I bought from this site. What made buying this cd 'do-able' was the fact that you hear the first version of "Chinese rocks" on this album. When I heard this song for the first time on the 2 cd Ramones' anthology, I immediately loved it. The Heartbreakers are a band which, like Australian band Radio Birdman, often get labelled "proto-punk". In the case of both of these bands, I'm happy to call both of them "punk" although they do make music which transcends that boundary. They're punk enough, in any case. The sound quality on this cd is excellent. Musically, the songs range from punk, to rock'n'roll to boogie rock type of songs. Occasionally lead singer Johnny Thunders wears his Mick Jagger/Rolling Stones influences on his sleeve...or vocals, to be more precise.
The best song:
Chinese rocks - has some heavy metal type lead guitar flourishes in this song. There's not much difference between this version and the Ramones' later version. Former Heartbreaker Richard Hell did an inferior version of this song during his time in this band...well, it wasn't really a punk song the way he sang it. Check out the Hell anthology "Spurts" for his version. Anyway, this is a catchy song with a great riff. On the last six seconds of this track you hear a click...would have been good to have had that removed for this version. I listen to cds on headphones, so it might be less noticeable on loudspeakers. The lyrics to this song are grungy and anti-glam.
On second listen, the next best songs were:
All by myself - not a bad song...catchy, with a swing to it. Sometimes bassy, it has a catchy chorus too.
Get off the phone - one of the punk type songs on this album. Has a punk style bass run and the guitars have a punk tone to them as well. Has a jitterbug type vibe to it and the lyrics, sung at speed, gives it a punk vibe too.
It's not enough - catchy track, with Jagger-ish singing. The guitars have a country flavour to them. Bass noticeable and the track is also noteable for the good guitar solo in it.
Best after that:
One track mind - guitars sound punk/fuzz-rock. The guitar solo is pure punk. The verses are catchy in this song and I really like the cool drum fills at the start and later on.
I love you - has more Mick Jagger type singing. Drums have a nice tone to them and the track is sort of boogie rock.
The rest of CD 1:
Born to lose - qualifies as a punk song, I think, with the guitar sound and vocals. Rooted in 1950's style rock'n'roll, it has punk attitude in its lyrics too: "Nothing to do, nothing to say". Guitar solo featured.
Baby talk -like much punk, it draws on 1950s rock'n'roll forms. Has a very interesting drumming pattern. The guitar solo is also 50's style and the riff is catchy too. Features backing vocals.
I wanna be loved - maybe you could call this a "rock-a-billy" type song. The guitar riff seems to be a variation on the preceding track, I think.
Pirate love - a hard rock song rooted in the 1950's style. One of those "boogie rock" type songs I alluded to earlier. Think Status Quo and AC/DC type boogie rock. Good bass guitar in this song...run and riff, perhaps.
Goin' steady - has a bassy rhythm which is very familiar, I think. Not sure, maybe Ramones did this song too? Or maybe I'm thinking of a surf-rock type of song which this song reminds me of. Not sure.
Let go - a 50's style rock'n'roll song. On the second cd, this song sounds more rockabilly. And the track length is also a bit dodgy...the digital counter lists it at 3:17 but it seems to run at 2:24...not fresh in my memory, so I'll just have to note the disparity here.
Can't keep my eyes on you - more boogie rock. Also sounds like a Status Quo type song.
Do you love me? - a punk cover version with Jagger type vocals.
The 2nd CD:
Of particular interest on this cd is...
London Boys - The Sex Pistols wrote a song called "New York" which was a king-hit on the band "The New York Dolls", which had Johnny Thunders as a member. Thunders takes the opportunity to reply to this attack on this song, with The Heartbreakers. He has a terrific handle on the English "Yob" type of character...the song sounds like a chant you'd hear at a Manchester United v Liverpool F.A.Cup final encounter. Thunders can also be said to be impersonating The Sex Pistols' lead singer Johnny Rotten in this song. Personally, I would have liked this song to be a bonus track on the 1st cd. Last week I reviewed The Sex Pistols debut album which has their attack on The New York Dolls ("New York") on it. That's a good song in itself. Thunders' track is also stinging in intent and execution.
The rest...lots of alternative versions and instrumental versions (and out-takes) of the songs from the first cd. I liked "All by myself" the best the best from it, then "It's not enough", which has a country flavour to it, Jagger-ish vocals and a nice ringing tone to the duelling guitars. "One track mind" isn't a bad song either...good drum intro, good guitar solo and a good singing rhythm too. In general, the second cd had a "Once bitten twice shy" vibe to the material (hopefully I'm reading my notes right here! Been a little while since I listened to this). There is one 'new' song on the second cd: "Too much junkie business" which is cautionary tale on the dangers of drugs. Has good guitar solos in it.
Recommedations:
New York Dolls - New York Dolls. Thunders' first band, I think. Reviewed it here recently. It's rock'n'roll and boogie type rock. A very good album from "Frankenstein" onwards.
Radio Birdman - Radios Appear. Contemporaries of The Heartbreakers and Australian punk pioneers The Saints. Very good debut album which has some jazzy type tracks on it, which fans of The Stooges "Fun House" may enjoy.
The Saints - (I'm) Stranded. The next punk album off the rank after the Ramones' debut. The most seminal of the early punk albums, I think.
The Damned - Damned, damned, damned. The first of the British punk bands to release an album. Good, pub rock based punk...quite laddish too.
Free Music Review: Johnny Thunders&The Heartbreakers - 'L.A.M.F.:The Lost '77 Mixes' (Freud-Jungle)
Hit: 4 Stars
This is maybe the third Johnny Thunders CD I've ever heard.Certainly can see WHY there have been so numerous titles of his put out.The late New York Dolls guitarist can certainly give the fans what they want.Total of fourteen good old school All American tracks here to wet appetite with.Most impressive cuts are "Baby Talk","It's Not Enough",the very NY Dolls-ish "Pirate Love",the rocking "Let Go" and the Berry Gordy cover "Do You Love Me".Line-up:Johnny Thunders-guitar&vocals,Billy Rath-bass,Walter Lure-guitar&vocals and fellow Dolls alumni Jerry Nolan-drums.Do check it out.