DESCRIPTION:
Stiv lived his last years in Paris, France. He did gigs with The Lords but after the band broke up in 1988 he moved temporarily to New York and formed a new solo band, did a live album called "Live At The Limelight" and came back to Europe. He teamed up with Alan Lee (ex- UK Subs) on guitar, bass & drum programming and Vom (from 1 Dr. And The Medics). They did a new demo with three songs: "No Compromise, No Regrets", "V For Vendetta", "I Will Stay" and "Lords Of The Dead". On September 1, 1989 Stiv, Lee (on guitar), Vom (on bass) and Bryn Merrick (on bass) did the only gig with that line-up at The Opera On The Green in Shepherd's Bush, London. You might find a video tape of that show somewhere.Stiv went back to Paris and a local record company, Bondage Records put up the money for a recording session in Paris, in order for Stiv to put down some demo tracks and to record his second solo album. The songs the band was working on included some of Stiv's finest stuff like "Magyk", "Yesterdays (Will Find You)", "Nobody", "Two Hearts" and a Dee Dee Ramone composition "Poison Heart". The musicians in these sessions were Stephen Richie on drums, Neal X (ex- Sigue Sigue Sputnik) on guitar, Tony James (ex- Generation X and S. S. Sputnik) on bass and Kris Dollimore (ex- Godfathers) on guitar. Originally it was planned to only record two or three tracks but the chemistry had such essential kick that they ended up recording more.Sadly the new Stiv Bator never saw the daylight because of Stiv's accidental and premature death. Those unfinished sessions were not meant to be released but nevertheless Bondage Records put out a CD in 1996 "The Last Race" with eight of the songs. Stiv wasn't happy about his vocals and he would have wanted to re-done them. Also the Bondage CD is mixed in totally different way. At some point after in the 1990's Stiv's wife Caroline was about to release the songs in a good way but so far nothing has happened. We can only hope the best.
On Last Race CD Johnny Thunders and Dee Dee Ramone are listed for playing guitar and bass on those sessions but they didn't play at all in those sessions. There was an argue between Dee Dee and Johnny before the first chord had been struck and Dee Dee left back to New York and Johnny followed him very soon.
In June 1990, while standing on a sidewalk in Paris, Stiv was hit by a car. He walked away from the accident, because he was immune by then to suffering pain, but later died in his sleep at home.