The Best of Johnny Thunders [Teichiku Records - CD; bootleg]

JT Cyber Lounge - This is definitely not the best of Johnny Thunders. It's a compilation of B grade material that comes from demos and outtakes, all previously released. It covers the time period from early Dolls demos through early Heartbreakers demos and on to Johnny's acoustic period. It's 60 minutes long and comes with a nice booklet that is mostly in Japanese. If you have most of the regular stuff and you want to hear alternate versions them pick this up. Otherwise, avoid it and buy the normal commercial CDs or one of the many other compilations.  (K.C. - Thanks for sending this to me.)

The material on this CD comes from 5 sources:

1. Tracks 1-4: These are the first New York Dolls demos that were ever recorded. You can hear the original Dolls drummer Billy Murcia doing as good a job as Jerry Nolan. But these tracks don't really shine. They show the band just learning to play and you're better off hearing the legit recordings or later demos. These tunes have been released many times in various formats previous to this.

2. Tracks 5-8: This is interesting material because it's early Heartbreakers with Richard Hell on vocals and bass. It was taken from the 'Live At Mothers' CD that was recorded in 1976 in New York City. There were a number of Hell tunes done by the Heartbreakers at the time but only 'Blank Generation' made it onto this compilation. Get 'Live At Mothers' or 'What Goes Around' if you really want to hear this stuff.

3. Tracks 9-14: These tracks were taken from the 'In Cold Blood' sessions. Recorded as demos in mid 1982 at various studios they have been previously released many times. The 6 tracks here are the best of the sessions.

4. Tracks 15-19: This is acoustic material taken from the 'Hurt Me' CD.

5. Track 20: I haven't figured out where this is from. It's a live version of Chinese Rocks that sounds pretty good (although it doesn't sound like Johnny on lead vocals).

Track Listing:
  1. Personality Crisis
  2. Looking For A Kiss
  3. Bad Girl
  4. Subway Train
  5. Hurt Me
  6. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
  7. Pirate Love
  8. Blank Generation
  9. Too Much Junkie Business
 10. In Cold Blood
 11. Just Another Girl
 12. Diary Of A Lover
 13. Do You Love Me
 14. Born To Lose
 15. You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory
 16. Sad Vacation
 17. Joey Joey
 18. Too Much Too Soon
 19. Eve Of Destruction
 20. Chinese Rocks

Musicians:
New York Dolls (tracks 1-4)
   * David JoHansen - vocals
   * Johnny Thunders - guitar
   * Sylvain Sylvain - guitar
   * Arthur Kane - bass
   * Billy Murcia - drums

Heartbreakers (tracks 5-8 )
   * Johnny Thunders - guitar & vocals
   * Richard Hell - bass & vocals
   * Walter Lure - guitar & vocals
   * Jerry Nolan - drums

In Cold Blood Sessions (tracks 9-14)
   * Johnny Thunders - guitar, bass & vocals
   * Walter Lure - guitar & vocals
   * Billy Rogers - drums
   * Simon Ritt - bass

Hurt Me (tracks 15-19)
   * Johnny Thunders - guitar & vocals

Format:  CD
Country:  Japan
Year of Release:  1996
Label:  Teichiku Records TECW-23012

I am almost certain you are wrong about the songs 9-14. I know of the In Cold Blood demos,but not of the songs Too Much Junkiebusiness,Born to Lose and Do you love me. And I don't have this cd so I don't know where those songs are from but I can't imagine that he recorded those songs again as demos in 1982. I never heard of that.

Copy/paste job from my files:


CD THE BEST OF JOHNNY THUNDERS Teichiku TECW-23012   JAP 1995
Personality Crisis - Looking For A Kiss - Bad Girl - Subway Train - Can’t  
Keep My Eyes On You  - Pirate Love - Blank Generation - Too Much Junkie
Business - In Cold Blood - Just Another Girl  -  Diary Of A Lover - Do You
Love Me - Born To Lose - You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory –
Sad Vacation - Joey Joey - Too Much Too Soon - Eve Of Destruction –
Chinese Rocks
- a mixed compilation of  tracks from several sources:  tracks  1-4:  the first  
 NEW YORK DOLLS  demos from October 1972  (see the relevant  section);
 5-8: HEARTBREAKERS live, 28 December 1975 (from LIVE AT MOTHERS);
 9-12: studio/live 1982 (from TOO  MUCH JUNKIE BUSINESS);  
 13 & 14: HEARTBREAKERS live, 25 March 1984 (from LIVE AT THE LYCEUM 1984);
 15-19: acoustic solo 1983 (from HURT ME); 20: live, 25 January 1988 (from
 HAVE  FAITH); 24-page booklet with incredibly mutilated song lyrics in English