Punks On Drugs

Finally, a CD that address the oft neglected part of the sex + drugs + rock 'n' roll equation. Johnny appears on three tracks which says something about his attitude towards these substances. The raw version of 'Pills' here is taken from the New York Dolls CD of demo tracks 'New York Tapes 72-73'. 'Chinese Rocks' comes from LAMF The Lost Mixes. 'One Track Mind' is the only unreleased Thunders tune. It is an unheard mix from the LAMF sessions with very prominent vocals from Walter Lure but sounds similar to what's found on LAMF The Lost Mixes. There is also a nice version of 'Too Much Junkie Business' on here that was released by a Walter Lure and Billy Rath band called The Heroes. This single was previously found only on a rare French release.

Though the entire CD is dedicated to songs about drugs there is no clear message. And there shouldn't be. Some tunes are pro, like the Urban Dogs version of Cocaine, while others, such as The Only Ones live version of The Beast, are anti drug. The variety is good though because we don't need a bunch of musicians giving us moral advice especially on this subject.

There's also a wide variety in the musical styles even though all the bands fall into the Punk category. It must be in part due to the different effects produced by different drugs. Eater does an amphetamine drenched 2 minute version of Lou Reeds 'Waiting For The Man' while The Only Ones do a 6 minute heroin inspired rendering of 'The Beast'.

Liner notes are by Stewart Home, author of Cranked Up Really High and Nina Antonia, author of Johnny's biography 'In Cold Blood'. Stewart makes an interesting note for each track and gives a more upbeat take on the whole drug scene. Nina offers a more cautious and sensible approach to drug taking and, given her experience, sounds more realistic.

This disk is released through Jungle Records in the U.K. and Cleopatra Records in the U.S. Here is a link to Jungle Mail Order information.

Track Listing

1. Pills - New York Dolls
2. Cocaine - Urban Dogs
3. Chinese Rocks - Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
4. Amphetamine Blue - Fallen Angles
5. I Like Drugs - The Simpletones
6. LSD - Chron Gen
7. My Baby Takes Valium - Family Fodder
8. One Track Mind - Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers
9. Speed Kills - Urban Dogs
10. Killertime - UK Subs
11. Smoke (Skin Up For Jesus) - Creaming Jesus
12. Waiting For The Man - Eater
13. Too Much Junkie Business - The Heroes
14. Get Adicted - The Adicts
15. DF 118 - UK Subs
16. Secret Agent - Broken Bones
17. Suicide Bag - Action Pact
18. The Mess - Newtown Neurotics
19. New Town - The Slits
20. The Beast - The Only Ones