Following the drug-fueled implosion of the Heartbreakers,
Johnny Thunders bounced back with his first solo outing,
So Alone. Featuring a veritable who's who of '70s punk and hard rock --
Chrissie Hynde,
Phil Lynott,
Peter Perrett,
Steve Marriott, Paul Cook, and
Steve Jones, among others -- the record was a testament to what the former
New York Dolls guitarist could accomplish with a little focus. Much like
Thunders' best work with
the Dolls and Heartbreakers,
So Alone is a gloriously sloppy amalgam of R&B, doo wop, and three-chord rock & roll. Despite the inevitable excesses that plagued every
Thunders recording session,
Steve Lillywhite's solid engineering job and a superb set of songs hold everything together. A cover of
the Chantays' classic instrumental "Pipeline" leads things off, and is a teasing reminder of what a great guitarist
Thunders could be when he put his mind to it. The record's indisputable masterpiece is "You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory," a wrenching, surprisingly literate ballad in which
Thunders seems to acknowledge that his junkie lifestyle has doomed him to the abyss. Songs like "Leave Me Alone," "Hurtin'," and the chilling title track continue the theme of life inside the heroin balloon. Fortunately, all this back-alley gloom is leavened by some memorably animated moments. "London Boys" is a scathing reply to
the Sex Pistols' indictment of the New York punk scene, "New York." The funky "Daddy Rolling Stone" features the inimitable
Lynott on background vocals, while the rave-ups "Great Big Kiss" and "(She's So) Untouchable" are terrific examples of
Thunders' raunchy take on classic R&B. Sadly,
Johnny Thunders never followed up on the promise of his solo debut. His subsequent records were a frustrating mix of drug-addled mediocrity and downright laziness. But for one brief moment, he seemed to put it all together. That moment is
So Alone. ~ Andy Claps