NEW YORK DOLLS

To be fair I'm not sure if the New York Dolls were the first punk band as their style of music, although paving the way, was not punk music in the strictest sense. In fact, I'd say the Ramones have the honour of being the first real punk band. Still the New York Dolls, despite the brevity of their career, were a great band. I read an article by David Bowie about glam rock in which he claimed American bands like Kiss and the New York Dolls weren't proper glam rock bands, despite the make-up, because there was nothing ambiguous about their sexuality. Now, I don't know about you, but I think dressing entirely in women's clothing and talking like a butch drag queen is pretty fucking ambiguous. That said Bowie does have a point in that, contrary to their appearance, the Dolls weren't actually ambiguous in their sexuality. They were all straight as a die, hard lovin' men. Quite how they managed to dress as drag queens but still portray themselves as heterosexual hard rockers is beyond me. But they did. Perhaps the "cucumbers down trousers" trick on the inlay photo helped them along. Anyway, the Dolls only released two studio albums during their brief career, about three years I think before Malcolm McClaren mis-managed them to destruction, but this album alone is enough to justify their critical popularity. I say critical as they have never been commercially popular even after their demise. The incredibly shoddy CD releases are proof of this. The sheer aggression and power of this album marks it out as one of the most exhilarating rock albums ever. Every track (bar "Lonely Planet Boy") is a madcap rush of rock 'n' roll energy. At odds to the general punk ethic the group's lead guitarist, a youthful Johnny Thunders, was an absolute diamond. Laying on the licks at an incredible rate and with searing guitar solos to boot. I realise those last sentences were a little promotional but what can I do? I love Johnny Thunders and I want the whole world to know it. Anyway, the song I mentioned above, the acoustic "Lonely Planet Boy" is definitely the worst song on here. The saxophones make it seem more glam than most but it is a fairly uninteresting effort. The chord changes are more than a little similar to the far superior "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" from Thunders' solo career. Anyhow, every other song on here is an absolute screamer. Not necessarily in quality (although they are all at the very least good) but in the energy and passion with which they are performed. The opening "Personality Crisis", one of the best numbers on here, has one of the best intros committed to tape. The rock 'n' roll riff starts off before the piano pulls the song into life. Johansen (the singer) then cries out "yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah...no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no...NO!" The final emphatic "NO!" sets the scene perfectly. Try as you might you can't resist the brilliance of this record. "Looking for a Kiss" was famously spoofed by the Sex Pistols in the form of their song "New York". Personally though, I find the Pistols' spoof repugnant. "You dirty little faggots", oh how witty Mr. Rotten. Not at all jealous that his band was never as good as this one. "Vietnamese Baby" and "Frankenstein" both have a more sinister vibe to them than most songs on here with Thunders driving "Vietnamese Baby" along with an angular riff. Johansen is also on top form for both songs. They are both fantastic songs. The best song on the album, though, is probably "Trash" with its vocal harmonies and its awe-inspiring descending guitar lines for its main hook. Another great song. Actually maybe it isn't the best song on here. So many of the songs are just so great that it is hard to choose between them. "Bad Girl" has a superb dirty punk feel to it with a destructive riff but I guess it lacks a solid structure to back it up. So brilliantly aggressive, though. "Subway Train" is maybe one of the most melodic on here but that isn't really where the power of this album lies. The final song "Jet Boy" is another classic with a nice hand-clapping touch. Again Thunders and Johansen are the real stars of the show. So an immensely influential and resonant album if still lacking wide-spread popularity; or even acknowledgement. Unlike their Boston cousins Aerosmith, of course.

Their second and last album was a similar yet different affair to the first. The full throttle rock 'n' roll, for the most part was still in place but the style of the music and the image of the band have changed somewhat. It's fair to say the band, and the music as a result, are far more glam than the previous album. There are four covers on here (a bit of artistic stagnation maybe?) and they are all pretty camp, glam rock songs. Female backing vocals are also present on a few songs (and noticeably crucial on one) whilst Johansen, for the most part, has dropped his roar for a mock-Jagger slur. Now I've got no problems with this (Jagger being one of my favourite vocalists) but in places this does seem quite far removed from their first album, even if it actually isn't. Another way in which it is different is that this album is not as good. It is still a great album but not as revolutionary or as exciting as their incendiary debut. The four songs they choose to cover are certainly an interesting mix. The first one is an old sixties novelty track "Stranded in the Jungle". I, however, am not particularly keen on it (maybe because of the racist overtones) and it certainly seems far more glam than most of their own compositions. The "back in the States" bit with the rock 'n' roll riff sounds a lot like muzak to me. Like that episode of Father Ted where they all dress like Elvis for a talent contest. When Dougal, as the young Elvis, comes on, he dances to a sort of muzak rock 'n' roll riff. That's what this sounds like. On a scale of one to ten: how helpful was that description? Yeah, yeah, I know. One. Anyhow "Stranded in the Jungle" is certainly interesting. "(There's Gonna be a) Showdown" sounds like a song from Grease (maybe it is, I've never watched it) and thus ups the glam quota even further with its musical theatre overtones. (Almost as bad as racist overtones, if you ask me). It's good fun though, particularly the bit where Johansen eggs on drummer Jerry Nolan. The start sounds like a song from Zappa's Freak Out!. Quite what that signifies, I don't know. "Bad Detective" combines both songs in that it is quite musical theatre and racist at the same time. Still, again it is a lot of fun. Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't You Start Me Talkin'", on the other hand, isn't that glam with a fairly standard rendition. The Stones famously covered it ten or so years earlier so there's room for a few more comparisons if you so wish. I think people sometimes forget how influential the Stones were. Certainly more so than Sly and the Family Stone and even the Ramones, as I've heard claimed. "It's Too Late" and "Puss 'n' Boots" are songs most similar to their debut with "It's Too Late" just shading it as the better (probably the second best song on here) with its harmonica driven riff and jiving vocals from Johansen. A good slice of Stones-esque misogyny. The album opener "Babylon" is also another cracker of a song Straight away, though, Johansen's vocals are much more noticeably slurred than his original style. How could I have written all this crap and not mentioned my old mate Johnny Thunders? Well Thunders' composition "Chatterbox" is almost certainly the most revolutionary song on here. With a dirty ol' riff (very similar to Thunders' subsequent solo offerings) Johansen delegates vocal responsibilities (presumably at Thunders' request) to the female backing singers. Their slutty drawl really elevates the song and is also, presumably way ahead of its time, paving the way for female punks in the late seventies and the likes of Bikini Kill a bit later. What I'm trying to say is, it must have been one of the first times women sang on a rock song not having to sound like Janis Joplin or that bird from Jefferson Airplane. Ho hum. The best is saved until last with the crowning "Human Being". Proof that truly emotional songs don't always have to be about your wife leaving or your folks dieing with Johansen excelling in delivering lines about the Doll's drug-addled, sleazy lifestyles. One of the Dolls' best statements and one of their best songs to boot. But then it's all over. In a blink of an eye. The album title says it all.

From: Stephen J Ryan

Hiya, Jack! I don't know if you were kidding when you stated: "Well Thunders' composition "Chatterbox" is almost certainly the most revolutionary song on here. With a dirty ol' riff (very similar to Thunders' subsequent solo offerings) Johansen delegates vocal responsibilities (presumably at Thunders' request) to the female backing singers." Female backing singers??? That there's Johnny Thunders, pal. Almost ruined an otherwise great essay. Stiiv Ryan. http://www.stiiv.com

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