New York Dolls - New York Dolls
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Free Music Notes for New York Dolls
Free Music Review: "Mick who?"
Hit: 5 Stars
Ah, the Dolls. More than any other band, they were the epitome of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle (them and The Stooges..but that's another story). They didn't just burn the candle at both ends--they used a blowtorch on the middle. All the drug-crazed, trashily androgynous, Rolling Stones-in-drag insanity of the New York Dolls was woefully short-lived, but the result was a breakthrough 1973 LP that was a huge influence on the future punk movement. The Ramones (guitarist Johnny Thunders was a friend of Dee Dee Ramone's) and the Sex Pistols (Malcom McLaren managed the Dolls before there even was a Johnny Rotten) probably wouldn't have existed without Johnny Thunders and David Johansen to show them the way. Way grittier and wilder than their glam rock kin (David Bowie and T. Rex), the Dolls basically updated the early rock 'n' roll of Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. What the Dolls lacked in instrumental prowess they made up for in reckless sexual abandon and crazy R&B swagger. Thunders' guitar is HUGE, sloppy, and manic, and his filthy riffs and solos are what make this album. But let's not forget the trashy wit and great singing of Johanson, Sylvain Sylvain's piano, Jerry Nolan's crashing drums, and bassist Arthur Kane...well, he sucked, but you barely heard him over the wonderfully shambolic boogie anyway.
The opener Personality Crisis establishes everything the Dolls were about--stomping piano, riproaring guitar, and Johanson's cocky swagger and crazy vocals. The 1-2-3 punch of Personality Crisis, Looking For A Kiss, and Vietnamese Baby is then followed by the short reprive of Lonely Planet Boy. The epic Frankenstein brings the rawk back, and it is immediately followed by the insanely addictive sing-a-long Trash. The album ends with Jet Boy, which hooks you with the biggest freakin' chorus ever. Filler? What filler? Every song rules. They're so good that you will almost forget about Todd Rundgren's godawful production. Almost.
The New York Dolls' first release ranks up there with The Stooges' Fun House and The MC5's Kick Out The Jams as the definitive proto-punk album. Barring that, it may be the greatest pure rock 'n' roll document EVER. You need this one.
Free Music Review: Rock in its purest state
Hit: 5 Stars
Loud, crude, dirty, obnoxious, drug-addled, and cool as hell, the Dolls are the missing link between the Clash, T. Rex and Keith Richards: David Johansen sounds like an American Joe Strummer, but guitarists Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain crank out the distorted, Chuck Berry-esque riffs that Richards made his career off of. And their songs have titles like "Personality Crisis" and "Lonely Planet Boy" which, along with the album cover, probably say something about their preferences. Anyway, what makes this record really work is the combination of Thunders and Sylvain, who add remarkable riffs ("Vietnamese Baby," "Personality Crisis," "Bad Girl"), and David Johansen, who camps it up memorably and hilariously on several tracks ("Looking for a Kiss," "Private World"). I'm not sure how it works when the group tries stuff other than Stonesy, sleazy hard rock: the acoustic-and-sax "Lonely Planet Boy" isn't exactly a favorite of mine, though it's worth noting that Tom Petty's huge hit "Free Fallin'" is based on those chords. But when they rock, they rock: "Frankenstein" is a dense, loud masterpiece with Keith Richards riffs, pounding piano, pounding piano, high-pitched harmonies, darkly humorous lyrics, and screams; "Trash" is a hilarious '50s rock parody/tribute; and there's even a tempo shift on "Subway Train," something neither the punks nor the Stones did much of. Then there's the frenetic cover of Bo Diddley's pills, which adds a wailing harmonica to the proceedings and adds to the already lovable cacophony. Okay, so it's not the most listenable record in existence. So what? Fans of the proto-punk scene will be glad to know it easily ranks up there with Fun House and Back in the U.S.A.Free Music Review: New York Dolls 1st Album rocks!
Hit: 5 Stars
I'd heard talk about a band from the 70's named New York Dolls, referred to as the seminal punk glam band, also credited as a major influence for Slash and Izzy of Guns N' Roses, one of my favorite bands. I first ordered their 2nd album, "Too Much Too Soon" having never heard any of their music, only knowing of David Johansen as the 80's Buster Poindexter and the cab driver in the movie Scrooged.
After listening to it for a couple of days, I knew I had to have more Dolls! This album, their first, is every bit as good as "Too Much Too Soon". I've heard comments that this one is not as good, but I couldn't disagree more. There's not a track on this album I don't like. "Personality Crisis", "Looking For a Kiss", "Trash", "Subway Train", and "Pills" jumped right out as great rockers, but after listening to the album a few times, the tracks that didn't jump right out to me at first started to get their hooks into me. I found myself singing "Jet Boy" in the shower and humming "Lonely Planet Boy" on the way to work.
This is raw, three to five chord, two guitar, music with blistering quick guitar leads and driving drum beat. The subjects covered by the music range from loneliness to addiction to heartbreak, all the basics of great rock & roll.
I would whole heartedly recommend this album to any New York Dolls fan who doesn't already have it (is that even possible?) or to anyone interested in discovering who the New York Dolls are and how they influenced rock & roll as we know it today.
Free Music Review: ROCK AT ITS PEAK
Hit: 5 Stars
It's hard to believe that any self-respecting rock fan would actually give this album anything less than five stars - it's simply perfect.There's already so many reviews here giving the details, so to cut to the chase let me just add a few points: 1) David Johanson was an incredibly charismatic frontman, his lyrics abounding with brilliant, trashy wit; 2) Johnny Thunders' guitar licks are worth all the praise one hears of him - the inventiveness of his electrifying, divebombing guitar style runs rampant throughout this disc; 3) the overall songwriting on their debut is awesomely consistent - every song here is a killer, everyone a classic; 4) this album hasn't dated a second since its release, if not now sounding more alive and vital than ever; and 5) this platter is an absolutely essential purchase if you're at all inclined towards pure rock'n'roll a la "Nuggets", Velvets, 'Stones, Yardbirds, Stooges, MC5, Sex Pistols, Damned, Black Flag, Germs, etc., or if you're just a newcomer to the scene brought in by the current popularity of bands like the White Stripes, Strokes, etc. If so, then dig in here to get the roots of where your faves are coming from.
If it wasn't for the fact that every critic and his mother constantly hails this as one of rock's all-time essential meisterwerks, I'd say it's possibly the most under-rated album of all time; as it stands, I'll simply say that its sheer brilliance is still greatly undervalued by the general record-buying public, OK?
Free Music Review: The Rock And Roll Mainline
Hit: 5 Stars
The New York Dolls debut album is the exact point where the Rolling Stones intersect with Punk Rock.
In the early 70's, Mick and Company, like mad scientists, had perfected the distillation of Mississippi Delta blues crossed with sleazy urban rock and roll and burned themselves in the process, forcing them to retreat into the comparative safety of reggae and funk experimentation, soul balladry and less inspired rock.
In the mid 70's, the Ramones, Sex Pistols and their ilk through off all pretense of artistry or respect for tradition and fully embraced the nothing to lose vibe of urban decay. They constructed a new sound shot through with angst where speed was prized over craft and irony ruled.
With the 1973 release of their debut album, the New York Dolls tried to have it both ways. David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, Syl Sylvain, Arthur Kane and Jerry Nolan have clearly processed the gutbucket style of rock and roll offered up by the Stones but cannot bring themselves to turn away from the blast they were having in the funky but chic and lowdown quarters of NYC. Madmen running around in garish drag and rocking out with abandon, they were embraced by the bohemian cognoscenti and reviled everywhere else.
The experiment did not work out over the long haul but they made a glorious noise in their moment and left behind this 5-star testament to excess.
All the songs are terrific but I especially love Pills.