In the Flesh [Live]

Johnny Thunders | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 9, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Amsterdamned
• ASIN: B00004SSH9
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #374,189 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pipeline

2. Blame It on Mom

3. Personality Crisis

4. I Can Tell

5. Dead or Alive

6. Can't Keep My Eyes on You

7. I Ain't Superstitious

8. Too Much Junkie Business

9. You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory

10. Eve of Seduction

11. Lonely Planet Boy

12. The Wizard

13. Play with Fire

14. Green Onions

15. Midnight Hour

16. Sad Vacation

17. Little Queenie

18. Born to Lose

Editorial Reviews

An 18-track collection taken from an April 4, 1987, Heartbreakers gig at the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, In the Flesh captures Johnny and the boys, with special guest, ex-New York Dolls bassist Arthur Kane, on one of those "had to be there" nights that, sadly, didn't come around nearly enough in J.T.'s career. Unlike a lot of Thunders live recordings, this one is conspicuous by the absence of the side banter and stoned drivel that spiced up so many of his shows. Johnny comes across as shockingly professional throughout -- it's tough to argue with the greasy power of his playing. Starting things off with a fretboard-abusing rendition of the Chantays' surf classic "Pipeline," Thunders and company deliver fanged versions of nuggets like "Personality Crisis," "Dead or Alive," "Too Much Junkie Business," and the Howlin' Wolf classic "Ain't Superstitious." As fierce as those performances are, the album's real power lies in the quieter moments, when J.T. pulls the plug and goes acoustic. It's then that the true depth of his ability -- both instrumentally and vocally -- comes across like a punch in the mouth. The album highlight is a positively harrowing version of probably his best-known track, "Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory." In an acoustic context, the song's chilling pathos wraps itself around the listener like a funeral shroud, and Johnny's vocals reek of a desperation and resignation that'll make your arm hair stand at attention. The last quarter or so of the program is where things start to slack a bit. The Heartbreakers come back on and proceed to steamroll Booker T. & the MGs' "Green Onions," Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour," and Chuck Berry's "Little Queenie." It's on these tracks where the weak link in the group, Kane, is highlighted in pretty stark contrast. Rather than swing, the bass plods, which is unfortunate because Thunders simply peels the paint off the walls and Jerry Nolan sounds like he's drumming for his soul. The album winds up with a nice rendition of "Sad Vacation" -- J.T.'s tribute to one of rock's more famous casualties, fellow junkie icon Sid Vicious -- and an enthusiastic but sloppy "Born to Lose." Despite its comparatively slow finish and Johnny's mannered stage presence, In the Flesh is a very welcome addition to Thunders' catalog. It offers an ample track selection, generally superb performances, and surprisingly good fidelity all in one package -- a Triple Crown rarely achieved in the world of J.T. live recordings. ~ Andy Claps, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh My GOD! J.T. is on FIRE!!!!, June 16, 2005

By 

MJG (Burke, VA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In the Flesh (Audio CD)

I am a diehard Thunders fan and must have 20 subpar live performances on CD, both commercially released and bootleg. From the Heartbreakers to Gang War to the Living Dead, it is nearly impossible to find a show where he sheds his junkie stumble-bum persona. Well my friends, this is IT!

He is about as close to sober as he can be and performs like his soul is on the line. No blathering between, or in the middle of songs. There is nothing embarrassing here at all and it is such a pleasure to hear. For all the critics who tossed him away as another Rock and Roll junkie, well this is a big middle finger to all of you! J.T. as 100% Maximum Rock 'N' Roll Animal!!!!

The recording quality is great and the performance is among the best live sets you'll find in his massive catalog. You WANT this. Ask your mommy for it, steal it...hell, do whatever you have to do to get this CD.

UPDATE: THIS SHOW IS NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD!! "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory", Thunders, Kane & Nolan!!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In The Flesh: Fire & Soul Intact, April 4, 2006

By 

J P Ryan (Waltham, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In the Flesh (Audio CD)

I stopped going to Johnny Thunders' shows some time in the mid-80s when it seemed each performance was sadder and more macabre than the previous one: Thunders would start a familiar Dolls/Heartbreakers/solo song, stop singing, and/or playing after a verse or two, and leave (usually) Jerry Nolan alone at the drums while one of rock 'n' roll's great unrepentant geniuses abused, or deflected abuse from, an increasingly frustrated, or voyeristic (and ever diminishing) audience. "In The Flesh", a live set from 1987, is as potent as other reviewers here indicate, and took me by surprise.
The added pathos comes from the fact that the three ex-Dolls captured rocking the house - Thunders, Nolan, and Arthur Kane - are all dead. But tight, loud, and hot versions of "Pipeline," "Blame it On Mom," "Personality Crisis" a hard, bluesy, and passionate "Sad Vacation," and the closing "Born To Lose" will blow away all doubters. Thunders sings with fire and soul, a far cry from the dissipated moments issued during his lifetime on the live portion of "In Cold Blood," or "Stations Of The Cross." "In the Flesh" also captures marvelous rarities like "Ain't Superstitious," (based on the Jeff Beck Group version on "Truth"), "In the Midnight Hour" (inspired!), and a medley of "Too Much Junkie Business/Pills" that never falters.
The acoustic segment in the middle is touching and powerful, and when after a brief snippet (unlisted) of "It's Not Enough" he says to the audience "I'm gonna bring the boys back on," you sense both his slyness and vulnerability. He does, of course, but not before the crowd cheers him on to two more solo performances, including a terrific take on the Stones' "Play With Fire."
If you're new to Thunders, get those Dolls albums (on vinyl, as the cds need to be remastered), the classic solo debut "So Alone," and the Heartbreakers' "L.A.M.F." There are other gems, like the acoustic studio set "Hurt Me," but this fine cd - with terrific notes by "Creem's" Bill Holdship - proves that even fifteen years after the Dolls came to our attention, and long after many had written him off, Thunders (and Nolan, who was his perfect foil, and held it all together) could still sing, play and rock with the very best.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Johnny Was A Rock Star Unlike Any Other, March 5, 2004

By 

"efa" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In the Flesh (Audio CD)

In 1987, relatively late in his career, Johnny Thunders went to L.A., and with fellow former New York Dolls Jerry Nolan and Arthur Kane, recorded one of his best-ever live sets.

Johnny begins and ends with a couple of his signature tunes. The opener is a blistering "Pipeline"; capping things off, he wrings the life out of those opening chords to introduce "Born to Lose." In between is an acoustic interlude, and more notably, Johnny lets loose full-throttle electric blues on the lesser-heard covers of "I Can Tell," "Superstitious," "Green Onions," and "Midnight Hour." Johnny Thunders, the 1970's glam-punk, could play the blues.

An aside: There's a video of this performance floating around, too. Johnny Thunders was a unique artist, mesmerizing, and every inch a rock star.