As everybody knows, New York Dolls were a seminal band and their first two LP’s are absolute gems. What about solo albums then?
Johnny Thunders – “Hurt Me“ – 1984
Johnny Thunders was one of the five original members of New York Dolls and you would not find a more proper New Yorker than the man born John Anthony Genzale, in Queens, NY. He was probably the main inspiration and creator of this band and the least one could say is that indeed he lived the real thing as far as rock’n’roll attitude is concerned. He was an immense creative guitar player and poet but his drug addictions led to a very early death at the age of thirty nine. He was also quite famous for his role in the Heartbreakers, formed with Television‘s Richard Hell and a bunch of solo LP’s but to me his musical talent was not on par with these albums’ legacy.
”Hurt Me” is an extremely atypical album in his career as a) it was entirely played alone on an acoustic guitar b) there are a few original songs but also a huge portion of covers from other artists, like Bob Dylan or from his previous own songs c) it was recorded in Paris, France, a city I would not spontaneously associate with him. The reason of the latter is explained by the fact he was signed to the now deceased excellent New Rose Parisian records label. I had not listened to this album for years and I was amazed by the overwhelming nature of it all, although Johnny’s weakness can sometimes be a bit disturbing. But this is really worth discovering and who knows, it may become a best companion…
Format: LP Bought in: 2011 To be noted: New Rose records had also a store located in the Latin Quarter in Paris. I used to go there as a teenager but I must admit I was quite scared in asking for the wrong record and not looking ‘hip’ enough. The store’s sellers were all like Jack Black in the High Fidelity movie! Rating: 8.0/10
Virgins and Philistines 