Of the whole mid-70's New York music scene there's probably no more intriguing pairing than that of Richard Hell and Johnny Thunders in the original Heartbreakers. Though no official recordings of the band with both of them exist (that I'm aware of anyway) there is a bootleg of a demo that they did in 1975. While the Thunders penned songs (with him singing) sound like a low-fi version of the later Hell-less Heartbreakers, there's a few cuts that Hell sings that are worth hearing, particularly if you are a Richard Hell fiend. As with most rock n' roll, it's all about the geetar. On Hell's major label debut, Blank Generation, the guitar duties are handled by Robert Quine, an excellent guitarist, but in a completely different universe than Thunders. Quine was a serious musician and attended the Berklee College of Music. Thunders was schooled on smack and rock n' roll. A textbook case of apples & oranges. To hear Hell singing "Blank Generation" and "Love Comes in Spurts". with Thunders playing is as close to a "what could have been" revelation as there is, at least in the realm of the embryonic NY punk scene.
Program Notes:
For those not skilled with zips and full LP mp3's, I started the NY gluttony below with a few mp3s from the later Heartbreakers (without Richard Hell) and a few of Richard Hell and the Voidoids (including the later versions of "Blank Generation" and "Love Comes in Spurts" with Quine). Then comes the more challenging special interest stuff. The Heartbreakers demo is a full LP rip, and may take a little more know-how to download than a single mp3, but if I can figure it out, you can. (Dig around, it's pretty intuitive.) Same goes for the rest of them. Next up is an albums worth of the later live Heartbreakers (without Hell) from 76-77. Following that, a five song 1973 Neon Boys EP, that has Hell and a pre-Television Tom Verlaine. The Television "Poor Circulation" LP is live stuff, demos and rehearsal tapes from 73-75, again with Hell and Verlaine, this time with Richard Lloyd. If, by now, you're able to figure out how these things are to download, there's a shitload of Hell and Television downloads of rare live stuff at Know Your Conjurer's Richard Hell & Television Mega-Post.
Mp3s:
Program Notes:
For those not skilled with zips and full LP mp3's, I started the NY gluttony below with a few mp3s from the later Heartbreakers (without Richard Hell) and a few of Richard Hell and the Voidoids (including the later versions of "Blank Generation" and "Love Comes in Spurts" with Quine). Then comes the more challenging special interest stuff. The Heartbreakers demo is a full LP rip, and may take a little more know-how to download than a single mp3, but if I can figure it out, you can. (Dig around, it's pretty intuitive.) Same goes for the rest of them. Next up is an albums worth of the later live Heartbreakers (without Hell) from 76-77. Following that, a five song 1973 Neon Boys EP, that has Hell and a pre-Television Tom Verlaine. The Television "Poor Circulation" LP is live stuff, demos and rehearsal tapes from 73-75, again with Hell and Verlaine, this time with Richard Lloyd. If, by now, you're able to figure out how these things are to download, there's a shitload of Hell and Television downloads of rare live stuff at Know Your Conjurer's Richard Hell & Television Mega-Post.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
The Heartbreakers - Born To Lose mp3 at Town Full of Losers
The Hearbreakers - Chinese Rocks mp3 at Event Magic
The Heartbreakers - I Wanna Be Loved mp3 at Tsiou
The Heartbreakers - It's Not Enough mp3 at Naturalismo
The Heartbreakers - Do You Love Me (demo) mp3 at Voiciferouslam
Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Liars Beware mp3 at Linmod
Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Blank Generation mp3 at BlahBlahBlahScience
Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Love Comes in Spurts mp3 at Quarlo
LP Rips:
The Heartbreakers (with Richard Hell) 1975 SBS Studio demos, 10 song rip at (Son of) Exile On Moan St. (Click on the blue "Download Now" button)
The Heartbreakers (without Hell) Lost Live Tapes (76-77) LP at Teenage Dogs In Trouble
Neon Boys (Richard Hell & Tom Verlaine) - 5 Song EP (1973) zip at Know Your Conjurer
Television (with Hell & Verlaine) - Poor Circulation bootleg rip at T.U.B.E.
Richard Hell & Television Mega-Post at Know Your Conjurer
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