Flash axe lovers should have been in heaven when New York clashed with Detroit at the gates of punk. Thunders & Kramer's live recordings from Toronto and Boston in 1979 don't actively disappoint, although some of the performances are sketchy: as Kramer noted, "Johnny's got one foot in the gutter and the other on a banana skin", and that tension doesn't always deliver. Still, hectic takes on "Ramblin' Rose", the Stones' "I'd Much Rather Be With Boys" and Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" keep an effervescent mix at boiling point. A recklessly high-energy take on Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" illustrates, too, why this toxic combination could never last.
Flash axe lovers should have been in heaven when New York clashed with Detroit at the gates of punk. Thunders & Kramer’s live recordings from Toronto and Boston in 1979 don’t actively disappoint, although some of the performances are sketchy: as Kramer noted, “Johnny’s got one foot in the gutter and the other on a banana skin”, and that tension doesn’t always deliver. Still, hectic takes on “Ramblin’ Rose”, the Stones’ “I’d Much Rather Be With Boys” and Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” keep an effervescent mix at boiling point. A recklessly high-energy take on Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made For Walkin'” illustrates, too, why this toxic combination could never last.
