Punks on Drugs takes a "clever" concept -- punks and proto-punks performing songs about drugs -- and executes it poorly. One of the problems is there simply aren't that many good punk songs about drugs. The two best songs here,
the New York Dolls' "Pills" and the Heartbreakers' "Chinese Rocks," are from old-school,
Stonesy proto-punkers and the other worthwhile songs, like
the Slits' "New Town," are by arty punkers, who only occupy a fraction of the disc. The rest of the album is dedicated to cult rockers and unknowns, who generally turn in uninspired performances. And, if this wasn't enough, the sound quality is poor and live tracks and rarities are scattered throughout the disc, making
Punks on Drugs a record only masochistic, undiscriminating punk fans could tolerate. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine