It’s 50 years since Nancy Spungen introduced the new Heartbreakers ‘L.A.M.F.’ line-up – writing a full-page feature in New York Rocker. 

Nancy Spungen will forever be remembered for her fatal connection with Sid Vicious.  But prior to landing in the UK, she was a mover in the similarly burgeoning NYC punk scene.  In 1976 Richard Hell left the Heartbreakers after disputes about the number of songs each of the three leads should sing.  The solution was two-fold – a new pro bassist, Billy Rath, who’d honed his skills in various New Jersey bands, and new songs from Johnny Thunders, Walter Lure and Jerry Nolan to replace Hell’s contributions.

The new line-up had a deadline, a gig at Max’s Kansas City on July 23^rd.  Nancy’s feature (attached) is based around that event, and the songs she described were the ones later to become the ‘L.A.M.F.’ album.  Shortly after, manager Leee Black Childers received the phone call from Malcolm McLaren inviting them to the UK’s ‘Anarchy Tour’ with a band they knew nothing of – the Sex Pistols.  On the same day they arrive in London, the Pistols did their interview with Bill Grundy … and suddenly the tour was front page news.

Nancy followed the Heartbreakers to London, arriving on March 15^th as they were preparing to play the Speakeasy (recorded and released as ‘D.T.K’).  However the band think she’s bad news; when she gets let into the flat they’re staying in they hide from her.  Soon she is ejected, then rejected by Johnny Rotten and ends up with Sid, who quickly contracts hepatitis. (more info: www.sidviciouslives.com)

‘L.A.M.F.’ has had a chequered life.  It was not until 44 years later that a clean master was found in co-producer Daniel Secunda’s attic.  The original release was criticised for sounding muddy; a mastering fault.  After the chaotic Track Records collapsed, manager Leee burgled the offices for the tapes, but he only found multitudes of mixing sessions.  Secunda had left Track, sore at being unpaid and sidelined.  Outtake mixes and remixes made up subsequent reissue versions of the album. 

‘L.A.M.F. – the found masters’ was first issued in 2021 as a pandemic Record Store Day release and the following year elevated to a ‘RSD Essentials’ neon pink pressing.  Now to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of the L.A.M.F. lineup coming together in New York City, it’s being reissued in a transparent vinyl version. Notes in the inner bag are by Simon Wright.  It’ll be alongside the two-CD, hard-cover 32-page book version with an extra disc of L.A.M.F. demos, and a yellow vinyl version of ‘D.T.K. – live at the Speakeasy 1977’.

Listen to the ‘found mixes’: https://promo.theorchard.com/zOF7g721cf5hsFONgHih

Here’s a Johnny Thunders timeline:  www.johnnythunders.info

Sid & Nancy timeline: www.sidviciouslives.com