Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers ‘L.A.M.F. – the lost ’77 mixes’ remastered 40th anniversary edition
The Heartbreakers – Johnny Thunders, Walter Lure, Billy Rath (replacing Richard Hell) and Jerry Nolan – were formed in 1975 out of the ashes of the New York Dolls. In 1977 they were at the centre of the London punk scene, having been invited by the Sex Pistols onto the infamous 'Anarchy Tour'. UK punks treated the US band as rock royalty because of their New York Dolls pedigree. Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren had briefly managed the Dolls in New York.
Signing to The Who's label, Track Records, they were treated to the best recording studios inLondon to record their only album, 'L.A.M.F.'. But when the LP came out, there was universal criticism of the sound quality. Journalists who'd been championing the band such as Jon Savage, Julie Burchill, Nick Kent, Tony Parsons et al criticised the 'muddy mix', and drummer Jerry Nolan left the band because of it.
Both Track Records and the Heartbreakers ran out of money and collapsed when the album didn't sell to expectations. Manager Leee Black Childers broke into the bankrupt Track offices to retrieve the multitracks and many mixes (though not the master), leading to efforts to remix the album in 1984 and finally, after Johnny and Jerry's death, to recompile it in 1994. Since then, it's been regularly acclaimed as a classic:-
"That 'L.A.M.F.', the only album by Johnny Thunders' swaggering, smacked-up post New York Dolls outfit, The Heartbreakers, is one of New York punk's defining artefacts (despite being recorded in Britain), is beyond dispute. 12 songs that put the guitarist's abiding passions - Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, Phil Spector and Shadow Morton girl groups, glam, garage, trash and junk - in perfect, speedy collision." - Damien Love, Uncut magazine, 9/10 review.
To coincide with the album's 40th anniversary in 2017, it's been repackaged and remastered. The album comes with a 20-page booklet with the background story by Johnny Thunders' biographer Nina Antonia, together with lyrics. Nina’s ‘Johnny Thunders – In Cold Blood’ biography is due to coincide as its first e-book publication.
Recently Walter Lure, the co-frontman, songwriter and sole surviving Heartbreaker, performed ‘L.A.M.F.’ with an all-star line-up: Clem Burke of Blondie, Tommy Stinson of The Replacements and Guns & Roses, and Wayne Kramer of the MC5. A live gig was filmed for a DVD and album release. More Walter dates with another illustrious line-up comprising again Clem Burke plus Mike Ness of Social Distortion and Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols took place in November/December 2017 in the USA.
CD and digital versions out now (cat. no. FREUDCD044R).
LP vinyl version available late February 2018 (cat. no. FREUDLP044R).
