Sticks & Stones - The Lost Album

There are various reports as to what state glam-punk trailblazer Johnny Thunders was in during the months leading up to his April 1991 passing. But as evidenced by several new tunes recorded during 1990 that constitute 2009's Sticks & Stones: The Lost Album, Thunders was still writing and performing worthwhile and gritty tales of the hard life up until he passed -- regardless of his state. The eight studio tracks run the gamut, including bluesy social commentaries ("Help the Homeless"), typical Thunders rockers ("Night Lives"), ragged yet sweet ditties ("Some Hearts"), and some acoustic strumming ("Tell the Truth"). Don't expect Sticks & Stones to be comprised solely of studio recordings, however, as the set is padded with some bonus material, including four acoustic tracks from 1982 (including renditions of such Thunders classics as "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" and "Hurt Me"), as well as slightly-better-than-a-bootleg live recordings (including such New York Dolls-era classics as "Pills" and "Personality Crisis"). While the number of Thunders rarities sets that have appeared since his passing can only be characterized as absolute overkill, Sticks & Stones: The Lost Album is one of the better posthumous odds-and-ends sets -- especially due to the inclusion of the rarely heard 1990 studio recordings. ~ Greg Prato