'WASTED' tends to be the handist epithet when discussing the late, lamented JOHNNY THUNDERS. I'm not just referring to his stoned demeanour, either, but also the fact that - considering what he could have achieved - his career ebbed away slowly and sadly, the junk ensuring his "greatest hits" package would remain slim.
This posthumous live set, unfortunately, offers little to contradict THUNDERS' erratic junkie rep. Reading ex-RUDI mainman BRIAN YOUNG'S enthusiastic sleevenotes and the equally legendary Belfast scenester TERRI HOOLEY'S passionate, overheated MC- ing, you will JOHNNY and his COSA NOSTRA band - ex-TRIBESMAN bassist KEITH YON and former CLASH/SUBWAY SECT drummer TERRY CHIMES - to be great, but even allowing for the crowd's obvious affection, this set only sparks intermittently.
Basically an "official" bootleg now, "Belfast Rocks" was recorded directly from the soundboard on 27th October 1984 at the city's McMordie Hall, and, considering the often ropey reproduction such tapes often feature, quality-wise it's pretty good and certainly captures the sweatbox atmosphere of the night itself.
Also, despite his customary sedated self, the bombs, bullets 'n' watchtowers of Belfast and its' environs in the 1980s clearly impinged on THUNDERS' fractured psyche and he sounds genuinely fascinated when he discusses it from the stage. "So, do you kids wanna be Irish or English?" he asks, wide-eyed, cementing his reputation as a showman by adding: "...you just wanna fuckin' live, right? Me fuckin' too!" This gets one of the evening's biggest cheers and is followed by a set highlight in a fierce and disarmingly honest "Too Much Junkie Business."
And, yeah, "Belfast Rocks" does have its' moments. During tunes like the 'Nam influenced "M.I.A", "Little Bit Of Whore", the old NEW YORK DOLLS nugget "Personality Crisis" and the arrogant swagger of "In Cold Blood", THUNDERS sounds like he really DID mean it, er...man, when he was functioning and while we probably didn;t need it three times(!), the DEE DEE RAMONE-penned "Chinese Rocks" boots serious botty. Mind you, it also serves as a reminder of how superior DEE DEE was as a songwriter.
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Sadly, other segments of the set cruelly expose JOHNNY'shortcomings. "Copycat" is a wincingly poor attempt to knock out a catchy pop choon and THUNDERS' acoustic mini- set finds him firstly taking an age to tune up and then throwing away both "Eve Of Destruction" and - pitiably - "You Can't Throw Your Arms Around A Memory", the one thing this reviewer feels demonstrates what THUNDERS really could have aspired to if he'd cleaned up his act. It's strange, then, that the final acoustic sliver, "Sad Vacation," is oddly moving, at least until you realise the lyrics mention Belsen. But then Johnny always was blessed with a silver tongue, eh?
"Belfast Rocks" wouldn't be much use to the uninitiated. YON and CHIMES lock and mesh nicely and their relentless professionalism drives THUNDERS to raise his game and compete in the fretboard slasher stakes. But, frankly, anyone new to Johnny's diseased raucherama would be better searching out either the first couple of NEW YORK DOLLS albums or THE HEARTBREAKERS' "L.A.M.F" (enhanced version) from 1977.
For collectors and anyone in the vicinity on the night, then, something of a wet dream. For anyone else, approach with caution. It's not a bad listen, but the old adage about needing to have been there certainly applies.
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