The Heartbreakers (sometimes referred to as Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers) were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock.

History

Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jerry Nolan (drums) gained fame in the pioneering proto-punk band New York Dolls. By early 1975, the Dolls were disintegrating amid poor record sales and tensions within the band, and Thunders and Nolan quit during a tour of Florida in March 1975. Coincidentally, that same week Richard Hell (vocals/bass) left Television. After returning to New York, Thunders and Nolan invited Hell to join their new band, and Hell agreed. The three dubbed their new band the Heartbreakers. Their first gig was on May 30 of that year, at the Coventry, a rock club in Queens. (Tom Petty's band was also named the Heartbreakers, but they did not begin gigging until 1976.) The trio auditioned several candidates for a second guitarist, and soon added Walter Lure to the lineup. Lure, who had up to that point been the guitarist for the New York glam punk outfit The Demons, played his first show with the Heartbreakers on July 4, 1975, at CBGB.

The band quickly became one of the most popular and well-known underground bands in New York City, headlining shows at CBGB, Mother's (located across from the Chelsea Hotel), and Max's Kansas City. In the band's early days, each member took turns on vocals, with Hell bringing in songs (such as "Blank Generation") originally written for Television, and Thunders contributing new material as well. Lure began singing lead on some songs and co-writing with Nolan. The combination of the style-conscious Nolan and Thunders with the beatnik Hell and gangly Lure made for a visually arresting and musically powerful group. As Blondie's Clem Burke said, "You could call them the punk rock Beatles. Each person really stood out." and studio demos were released in 2019.

Although initially the band members shared songwriting and singing, Hell increasingly attempted to impose his will on the band. At a rehearsal in early 1976, Hell laid down an ultimatum – he would sing most of the songs in the set, with Thunders relegated to one or two songs per set. Thunders walked out, and Nolan and Lure followed; with all three united against him, Hell wound up leaving the band. His final show was on May 14, 1976, at the Rathskeller in Boston. After auditioning several bass players, the band settled on Boston transplant Billy Rath. Hell went on to form his own band, Richard Hell and the Voidoids. released in May 1977, which sold well despite being criticized for its poor sound. Nolan admitted "I think it's okay, but not great," and Lure added "The record wasn't really up to par production wise." – were eventually released as a live album in 2015.

After the Village Gate shows, the band returned to England to attempt to finalize the album, entitled L.A.M.F. (New York gang slang for "like a motherfucker".) Nolan was most vocal about his dissatisfaction with the recordings, and attempted to remix the album himself – but with no better results. Track Records pressured the band to release the album by October 1977 in order to get it in stores for the holiday season; Nolan threatened to quit if the album was released as is, and when the other three members agreed to Track's demands, Nolan followed through and left the band. Upon its release, the album received excellent reviews, but still drew criticism for its poor sound – especially compared to the Clash and Sex Pistols albums released the same year. Much of the blame went to Keen, who was not a trained recording engineer, but problems with the mastering process likely affected the record as well. L.A.M.F. would ultimately be remixed and rereleased multiple times to try to extract the band's raw power from the master tapes. As Childers said, the album's failure to capture the Heartbreakers' live sound was "the biggest, hugest fuck-up in the history of rock 'n' roll."

Billy Rath disappeared from the music scene after leaving the Heartbreakers in the mid-1980s, and he undertook a period of rehabilitation to recover from the effects of sustained abuse of drugs and alcohol. Rath then went on to study for a degree in psychology and a postgraduate qualification in theology, working as a substance use disorder counselor. After being persuaded to attend the Max's Kansas City reunion gig in September 2010, Rath reentered the music world and briefly fronted a new band, the Street Pirates. He died on August 16, 2014, aged 66.

L.A.M.F. is now considered one of the most influential albums of the first wave of punk. The album has been remixed multiple times; a 4-CD "Definitive Edition" was released in 2012, which included two remixes of the original LP along with demos and rare tracks. Multiple live recordings have been released as well, from both the early lineup with Hell and the L.A.M.F. lineup.

Band members

  • Johnny Thunders – vocals, guitar (1975–1990; died 1991)
  • Jerry Nolan – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals (1975–1977, 1979–1990; died 1992)
  • Richard Hell – bass, vocals (1975–1976)
  • John Felice – guitar, vocals (1975)
  • Walter Lure – guitar, vocals (1975–1990; died 2020)
  • Billy Rath – bass, occasional backing vocals (1976–1980, 1984; died 2014)
  • John Felice – guitar, vocals (1975)
  • Terry Chimes – drums (1977)
  • Lee Crystal – drums (1978)
  • Ty Styx – drums (1978)
  • Tony Machine – drums (1978–1979)
  • Tony Coiro – bass (1990; died 1995)
  • Joey Pinter – guitar (1991)

Timeline

Discography

; Studio album

  • L.A.M.F. (1977)

; Demos album

  • Yonkers Demo 1976 (2019)

; Live albums

  • Live at Max's Kansas City (1979)
  • D.T.K. Live at the Speakeasy (1982)
  • Live at the Lyceum Ballroom 1984 (1985)
  • Live at Mothers (1991)
  • What Goes Around (1991)
  • Vive La Révolution (Live In Paris – Le Bataclan – December 8, 1977) (1992)
  • Thunderstorm in Detroit (Live at the Silverbird 21/12/80) (2002)
  • Down to Kill (2005)

References

  • Biography at AllMusic
  • Heartbreakers at NME.com