Some of you may already know that I’m a BIG Johnny Thunders fan. Beginning with his days with New York Dolls, and going into his period with his post-Dolls band, The Heartbreakers. His L.A.M.F. album, as well as Live At Max’s Kansas City ’79, are the only true representations of the band. Afterwards, due to disruptive sparks within the band, Johnny Thunders went on a questionable path that eventually led to his controversial death in 1991 in a motel room in New Orleans.
[Side Note: I attended a disrupted Thunders concert in California, eventually having a chance to talk to him for five minutes after the show meltdown, where the venue shut the electricity down on him. We got about three good live tunes from him.]
Somewhere in that maelstrom, Johnny Thunders recorded a brilliant album by the name of So Alone. It was released in 1978. The album contained teh brilliant songs that included a punked-up cover of “Pipeline”, along with excellent songs like “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory”, “Ask Me No Questions”, “Daddy Rollin’ Stoned” with Phil Lynott and Steve Marriott(!), “(She’s So) Untouchable”, and an answered swipe at the Sex Pistols’ “New York” by way of “London Boys”. But even this short selection is unfair as the whole album is listenable, start to finish!
Over the years, there has been a reissue or two of So Alone. One such reissue from 1992 added in four tracks that included “Dead Or Alive”, “Hurtin'”, “So Alone”, and “The Wizard”.
On September 14, Drastic Plastic Records released a numbered, 1500 copies Limited Edition of So Alone on standard black vinyl and pressed on 200g-weight vinyl, and a 1500 copy run of 150g-weight yellow-colored vinyl, matching the cover. (Here’s a link to order one if you want one!) This new vinyl edition was remastered by Kevin Grey from Cohearant Audio.
The really interesting thing (as yet unconfirmed) is that I heard of an expected 2CD reissue of So Alone supposedly arriving as an import with the previously released four non-album inclusions, as well as two previously unreleased tracks. It is stated to be planned for release in October. The source was alleged to have been Rock ‘n’ Roll magazine from Sweden. I can find no other record of this promise but I’m still investigating. Keep your fingers crossed! All of ’em!