For
Fans of: Heartbreakers, New York Dolls, Gang War
Originally
released in 1983 as an analog cassette-only, New Too Much Junkie Business
was one of ROIR'S best-ever selling cassettes. It has now been digitally
remastered and repackaged for CD release.
What
the late ROBERT PALMER, head rock critic of The New York Times had to
say about the Thunders "New Too Much Junkie Business" cassette in 1983:
"Inspirational cassette. His guitar sound has jagged edges, rips and rends
like barbed wire while his rangy voice wraps itself around a lyric like
an undernourished boa constrictor. Kicking, careening, rousing anarchic
performances here!"
Ex-New
York Dolls and Heartbreakers leader, the late Johnny Thunders, represents
the pure unadulterated New "Yawk" Rock n' Roller. Walk down St. Mark's
Place or Alphabet City in NYC even today and you will see dozens of Johnny
Thunders look-a-likes, sound-a-likes and wanna-be's. A talented musician,
singer, composer and charismatic performer, Thunders was totally unique
and special. He idolized Keith Richards and, unfortunately, Keith Richards'
lifestyle.
"When
he played at my night club, The 80's, in the late 1970's and early 1980's,
he packed the house, he was totally stoned and he drew a large crowd.
When he attempted to play straight, the audiences were disappointed and
always egged him on to get high. They wanted him stoned out of his mind
- and that is what he gave them." - Neil Cooper (ROIR president and former
owner of The 80's nightclub, NYC)
This
release is especially interesting because of the studio production by
Jimmy Miller, the Rolling Stones producer, the participation of Heartbreakers
members Walter Lure and Jerry Nolan, and the track with Wayne Kramer (MC5),
where he plays and sings. (TRACK #9)
"Nut-zo
introductions, all feedback, every bit of show biz decorum thrown in the
pile with his spent syringes. Loaded enough here to get busted for impersonating
a medical cabinet - Thunders boy at his lunatic best. Revel in the chaotic
cool that is this album."
Cub Koda, Goldmine 10/14/94
"Thunders
sneering, urban white trash vocals and feedback scarred tales of sheer
pathos are stamped with unshakable individuality. Certified anti-hero
of gotham scene." - Variety 6/20/83
"A
gutsy workout reminiscent of the old Rolling Stones." Smash Hits, UK 10/5/83
"This
wasted cat has presence. He rocks with authority, baby - if raunchy outlaws
with guitars are your thing." Jon Young, Trouser Press 7/83
"It's
the raw edge of rock n' roll at its best, stripped of punk posture and
electronic marvels." Fact Sheet 5 1983
"The
most cohesive thing he's done since his 1978 solo album, So Alone. Johnny
is at his uncontrollable best, inciting the crowd to participate and verbally
conducting the band. Blends the raw sounds of early rock with the realities
of life in NY. This tape is a godsend." Music 7/83
"The
face of punk, and it belongs to Johnny Thunders. Reveals the downtown
rock idol at the top of his form." Route 6, 9/83
"Comes
as close as anyone to the real thing - his jagged, cynical, touchy music
expresses and contains desperation." Simon Frith Rock 1983
"Thunders
refers to the tape as 'the only thing that we really authorized'. The
record he thinks counts the most is the ROIR cassette Too Much Junkie
Business." Johnny Thunders Not Dead Yet by Kress Kamrath 1983
"The
King of the Junkie Twerps is back. Wow kid, like dig it. A genuine misogynist
tough guy with a voice so whiney it'll make your balls crawl back up to
where they came from. Personally, I think Johnny Gonzalez A.K.A. Thunders
should be shot if not garroted with a guitar string." James Marshall East
Village Eye 4/83 (editor's note: I guess he didn't like it.)
"Following
in the footsteps of his idol Keith Richards, Johnny Thunders lived the
ultimate rock n' roll life, spending most of his days wasted and churning
out tough, sloppy, three chord rock n' roll. An ex New York Doll, he was
a familiar figure on the NYC punk scene, both with the Heartbreakers and
as a solo artist. No other rock n' roller lived as hard as Johnny Thunders.
(editor's note: Iggy Pop???)" All Music Guide to Rock
"The
band (Heartbreakers) achieved greater popularity in the UK, where they
were idolized and accepted as peers by early punk-rock bands that had
identified with the Dolls." Guinness Who's Who of Indie New Wave
