Johnny Thunders: So Alone

JOHNNY THUNDERS'S principal solo claim to fame, So Alone consists of Dollsy covers (the Shangri-Las' ‘Give Him a Great Big Kiss,’ the Chantays' surf chestnut ‘Pipeline,’ even the Dolls' ‘Subway Train’) and gems of self-piteous wretchedness like ‘Leave Me Alone’ and ‘You Can't Put Your Arms Round a Memory.’ The memory of what Junkie Johnny had been before heroin was almost enough to make So Alone a poignant experience--almost, but not quite. Oh, and ‘London Boys’ was Thunders's sneering putdown of the London punk fraternity, several of whom (Steve Jones and Paul Cook, among others) are playing on the album.