rtbuck
Senior Member
Johnny Thunders – Who’s Been Talking
On April 3, 1991 former NY Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders took the stage with his back-up band “the Oddballs” at Club Citta in Kawasaki, Japan. Sadly, twenty days later Thunders was found dead in his hotel room in New Orleans. The show from Club Citta is one of the last known recordings of Thunders & is now available from MVD Visual (the same company that gave us the NY Dolls ‘All Dolled Up’, Thunders Nolan & Kane ’You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory’, & Johnny Thunders ‘Live In Cold Blood’).
The picture quality is a bit fuzzy at times but overall it’s decent quality with a couple minor glitches. The Oddballs, for the most part were Thunders’ regular back-up band from 1988 until Johnny’s death in 1991 & featured Chris Musto (drums), Stuart Kennedy (bass), Stevie Klasson (guitar), Jamey Heath (sax), & Alison Gordy (backing vocals).The show spotlights Johnny’s career as he plays songs from his days with the NY Dolls, his punk days with the Heartbreakers, his solo career, & a couple of rock & roll classics.
The show kicks off with a medley of “In Cold Blood” a rocker about surviving in the streets of New York, ”I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” (Thunders sings this song at Alison Gordy as if she is who the song is about), & “Hit the Road, Jack” in which Gordy retaliates back at Thunders. The Oddballs are tight throughout the entire performance especially saxophonist Jamey Heath (R.I.P.) who really stands out on “Disappointed In You” & “Sad Vacation”. Although Thunders was grouped in the “Punk” genre of music, I’ve always considered him “Rock & Roll” with a bit of a razor’s edge. Thunders & Stevie Klasson have a great exchange of guitar solos on the bluesy “You Can Walk My Dog” & a classic remake of the Chantays surf instrumental “Pipeline”. Buxom blonde back-up vocalist Alison Gordy does a fine job taking on lead vocals on “I Can’t Go On Without You”.
Thunders strikes the chords to “Louie Louie” & the band jumps in with a sloppy but fun medley of the Kingsman’s party classic along with the McCoy’s “Hang On Sloopy” in which Johnny sings “Sloopy, let your cleavage hang down on me…” Next up is a new song Thunders wrote called “Society Makes Me Sad” which would’ve fit in nicely on a mid 70’s Lou Reed record. Thunders plays his classic junkie anthem from his Heartbreaker days, “Too Much Junkie Business” which is intertwined with Bo Diddley’s (& the NY Dolls) “Pills” which together sounds like a revved up Chuck Berry tune. The title track from his 1978 solo album “So Alone” is up next & guitarist Stevie Klasson plays an incredible solo while lying on his back as Jamey Heath once again steps up with another incredible sax solo.The band launches into a classic from the NY Dolls first record, “Personality Crisis” followed by two rockers from the Heartbreakers ‘L.A.M.F.’ album, “Born to Lose” &
“I Wanna Be Loved” to close out the 64 minute DVD.
Overall, this is a great Rock & Roll show & it’s a shame Thunders didn’t straighten up in life because he had a lot to offer to the world of Rock & Roll but unfortunately his life came to a tragic end just twenty days after this performance. My only complaint of this show is the packaging as it lists about 5 songs that were not included on this DVD.
Bucky
