2002. Hanoi Rocks reform with only two original members. To be fair, one had been fired (and his better-known replacement subsequently died) and so may not have wanted to return; another had largely turned his back on music; and the third original member, judging by comments in Andy McCoy’s book, would not have been made to feel welcome (although to this day he regularly works with Michael Monroe).
2004. The New York Dolls reform with only three original members. It should be noted that they were the only three still alive (I’m omitting Rick Rivets).
2011. The Dogs D’Amour reform with only one original member. As far as I know everyone that has ever been in the band is still alive. The case of the Dogs D’Amour is slightly different as the ‘classic’ line-up is arguably the one that counts, but even then only Tyla prevails. On bass, Dave Tregunna has some pedigree as he featured on some of the studio recordings that made up ‘The (Un)Authorised Bootleg Album’. As with the above re-unions, I'll still go ....
Showing posts with label New York Dolls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Dolls. Show all posts
Friday, 11 November 2011
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
New York Dolls - Dancing Backwards In High Heels
The New York Dolls have recently released their fifth studio album, Dancing Backward In High Heels, and as it’s the third since their reformation in 2004 they have now been more prolific than during their 1970s guise. Normally I would have already acquired the album and posted up a few thoughts. Instead I have only got as far as listening to the samples available on the 429 Records website.
I was slightly alarmed to see that ‘Funky But Chic’ had been dusted down – hardly a lost classic deserving of a second chance – and I was immediately reminded of those questionable moments on ‘Coz I Sez So’ when the Dolls tried to do funky (along with the unnecessary reworking of 'Trash'). Turns out – assuming the samples are a fair representation – that Sylvain and Johnassen have embraced said funkiness to the point that they’ve produced a whole album’s worth of it. To an extent there are echoes of the early-60s girl bands that have always been part of the Dolls mix, and in my heart of heart's I know I have to give the album a proper chance but at the moment I just don't know if I can return to it ...
I was slightly alarmed to see that ‘Funky But Chic’ had been dusted down – hardly a lost classic deserving of a second chance – and I was immediately reminded of those questionable moments on ‘Coz I Sez So’ when the Dolls tried to do funky (along with the unnecessary reworking of 'Trash'). Turns out – assuming the samples are a fair representation – that Sylvain and Johnassen have embraced said funkiness to the point that they’ve produced a whole album’s worth of it. To an extent there are echoes of the early-60s girl bands that have always been part of the Dolls mix, and in my heart of heart's I know I have to give the album a proper chance but at the moment I just don't know if I can return to it ...
Friday, 10 September 2010
The power of Lou Reed
Some sites are reporting this story as 'Lou Reed Makes Susan Boyle Cry'. You've probably read about it - the legendary Velvet Underground man stopped the (can I really type this ...) Britain's Got - ahem - Talent singer from performing Perfect Day
on the US version of the show. What surprises me here is not that he did this, but that he that the power of veto. And I'm guessing that she would have performed it in the style of the awful BBC-promotional version (which did have Reed's backing, and indeed involvement) rather than the 1972 original.
And it was back in November 1972 that Reed stopped the New York Dolls from supporting him at a gig in Liverpool during the latter's ill-fated UK. I dare say there are numerous other examples of the great man flexing his muscles ...
on the US version of the show. What surprises me here is not that he did this, but that he that the power of veto. And I'm guessing that she would have performed it in the style of the awful BBC-promotional version (which did have Reed's backing, and indeed involvement) rather than the 1972 original.And it was back in November 1972 that Reed stopped the New York Dolls from supporting him at a gig in Liverpool during the latter's ill-fated UK. I dare say there are numerous other examples of the great man flexing his muscles ...
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Kris Needs & Dick Porter - Trash: The Complete New York Dolls
I feel I'm getting a little pre-occupied here with the New York Dolls (and I haven't yet talked about their show I attended last month, or the fact that I finally got round to watching All Dolled Up
- although I had seen a lot of that footage at the Bob Gruen hosted screening as part of 2004's Meltdown festival). But still, my reading Trash: The Complete New York Dolls was long overdue and now seemed a good a time as any.
It seems odd that one of the Amazon reviews tries to write off the book as a 'an attempt to cash in on the reunion last year', while directing potential customers to Nina Antonia's Too Much Too Soon
(which admittedly Needs & Porter used as one of their reference documents). Kris Needs had seen the band at Biba and later built up a relationship with Johnny Thunders through his career as a journalist (and at one point, a fellow heroin user), so this seems a touch unfair. That said, the detail on the band post-1975 does follow Thunders' career far more than anyone else; whereas the troubled guitarist provides perhaps the most rcok & roll story he certainly was not the most commercially successful (step forward Mr Johannsen, albeit in the guise of Buster Poindexter).
On balance Trash is a superior and more substantial read than Too Much Too Soon, and the circumstantial background to the band's formation (such as the state of New York in the early 70s) gives their story a welcome setting. Aside from the pre-occupation with Thunders' post-Dolls career there is no significant bias towards any one member, or any suggestion that any one Doll was more responsible for the band's formation than any other - indeed that process comes across as a very organic one.
Currently reading: Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall
by Luke Haines
Older posts:
I, Doll: Life & Death With The New York Dolls
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
The New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
- although I had seen a lot of that footage at the Bob Gruen hosted screening as part of 2004's Meltdown festival). But still, my reading Trash: The Complete New York Dolls was long overdue and now seemed a good a time as any.It seems odd that one of the Amazon reviews tries to write off the book as a 'an attempt to cash in on the reunion last year', while directing potential customers to Nina Antonia's Too Much Too Soon
(which admittedly Needs & Porter used as one of their reference documents). Kris Needs had seen the band at Biba and later built up a relationship with Johnny Thunders through his career as a journalist (and at one point, a fellow heroin user), so this seems a touch unfair. That said, the detail on the band post-1975 does follow Thunders' career far more than anyone else; whereas the troubled guitarist provides perhaps the most rcok & roll story he certainly was not the most commercially successful (step forward Mr Johannsen, albeit in the guise of Buster Poindexter).On balance Trash is a superior and more substantial read than Too Much Too Soon
, and the circumstantial background to the band's formation (such as the state of New York in the early 70s) gives their story a welcome setting. Aside from the pre-occupation with Thunders' post-Dolls career there is no significant bias towards any one member, or any suggestion that any one Doll was more responsible for the band's formation than any other - indeed that process comes across as a very organic one.Currently reading: Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Part in Its Downfall
by Luke HainesOlder posts:
I, Doll: Life & Death With The New York Dolls
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
The New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Richard Hell - Go Now
Self-proclaimed as an 'originator of punk', Richard Hell, published the novel Go Now
in 1996. I only recently picked it up and read it in two installments either side of Arthur Kane's I, Doll. Funnily enough the New York apartment that the book's lead character, Billy Mud, lives (or rather exists) in bears a certain resemblence to one of Kane's former hovels, described as it is with a bath tub in the middle of the kitchen. Whether Hell visited Kane there, or whether such a set up is commonplace in such a prime location, I couldn't say.
In Go Now Billy Mud is a fading punk rock star, stifled by record company wranglings and dealing with acute drug addiction. He's offered the opportunity to take a road trip across the US to bring a car back from Los Angeles and to document the experience, taking with him a female photographer friend with whom he has had an on-off (mainly off) relationship with for many years.
Part road-trip, part tale of a self-obsessed junkie musician, the novel has just enough about it to keep you interested to the end (and Mud's road-trip ending humiliation - or at least he should have been humiliated; the drugs prevent that natural reaction).
in 1996. I only recently picked it up and read it in two installments either side of Arthur Kane's I, Doll. Funnily enough the New York apartment that the book's lead character, Billy Mud, lives (or rather exists) in bears a certain resemblence to one of Kane's former hovels, described as it is with a bath tub in the middle of the kitchen. Whether Hell visited Kane there, or whether such a set up is commonplace in such a prime location, I couldn't say.In Go Now
Billy Mud is a fading punk rock star, stifled by record company wranglings and dealing with acute drug addiction. He's offered the opportunity to take a road trip across the US to bring a car back from Los Angeles and to document the experience, taking with him a female photographer friend with whom he has had an on-off (mainly off) relationship with for many years.Part road-trip, part tale of a self-obsessed junkie musician, the novel has just enough about it to keep you interested to the end (and Mud's road-trip ending humiliation - or at least he should have been humiliated; the drugs prevent that natural reaction).
Friday, 20 November 2009
I, Doll: Life & Death with the New York Dolls
It's fair to say that I, Doll: Life & Death with the New York Dolls
would probably not have been published had the New York Dolls not returned so triumphantly in 2004. The subsequent, and sudden, passing of its author, one Arthur 'Killer' Kane and the release of the excellent New York Doll
documentary have further increased the undeniable goodwill that has been extended to the luckless bassist.
Arthur Kane was working on what is believed to have been a series of memoirs, of which I, Doll is the first (and will now remain the only) installment. Covering the 18 months from forming the New York Dolls, Arthur charts the band's early rise to prominence on the New York scene centred around Max's Kansas City as the band take an 'all-for-one-and-one-for-all' approach to mere survival, through to their disastrous UK tour, where the camaderie starts to erode and inner factions develop, and ultimately culminating in the death of Billy Murcia. Arthur clearly carries some guilt over Billy's death, noting that if they'd been back in NYC he would never have been left alone like that. The second half of the book sees Barbara Kane take on Arthur's story to its conclusion in 2004.
The book is written in a truly Arthur-esque way (if you've seen New York Doll then you will have no trouble imagining Arthur speaking what's on the page), comparable in that respect to Julian Cope's Head On/Repossessed
and Tommy Lee's contributions in The Dirt
. Unlikely to win any literary awards, it's refreshing that, bar a number of corrections by the editor at the end of the book (itself not exhaustive), the publishers appear to have remained faithful to the manuscript.
Any casual fan reading this book would be left thinking that Johnny Thunders was the band's singer right up until the early Mercer Street Arts Center shows. Such is Arthur's disdain for David Johansen he doesn't even mention when he joined the band and it's only on page 60 when Arthur refers to their 'singer' (and a couple more pages before he's mentioned by name). Johansen though gets off lightly compared to the Leber/Krebs management team, but the three of them are very much held responsible for the failure of the Dolls and Arthur's subsequent descent into a life of a struggling musician, as detailed in wife Barbara's section of the book that picks up where Arthur's writing ended.
As in the New York Doll documentary, Barbara Kane's tale revolves on her 'unique' life as a 'rock star's wife without any money' and reveals that within the genteel man that most would have seen Arthur had a temper that would come to the fore when drunk. This was seemingly also driven at least in part by his refusal to accept that the Dolls were over completely, coupled with his frustration at seeing nemesis David Johansen carve out a career in both music and film. Indeed Arthur lays claim to the stage name Buster Poindexter, and quotes that Johansen's own ex-wife has observed that the 'singer' took various ideas and lyrics from Arthur and passed them off as his own.
On balance, a good book which although lacking somewhat in detail (his later devotion to the Church Of The Latter Day Saints may have contributed a reluctance to go into some of the more seedier details) the afore-mentioned goodwill and a dearth of other available texts makes this a must-read.
Older posts:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
The New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
would probably not have been published had the New York Dolls not returned so triumphantly in 2004. The subsequent, and sudden, passing of its author, one Arthur 'Killer' Kane and the release of the excellent New York Doll documentary have further increased the undeniable goodwill that has been extended to the luckless bassist.Arthur Kane was working on what is believed to have been a series of memoirs, of which I, Doll
is the first (and will now remain the only) installment. Covering the 18 months from forming the New York Dolls, Arthur charts the band's early rise to prominence on the New York scene centred around Max's Kansas City as the band take an 'all-for-one-and-one-for-all' approach to mere survival, through to their disastrous UK tour, where the camaderie starts to erode and inner factions develop, and ultimately culminating in the death of Billy Murcia. Arthur clearly carries some guilt over Billy's death, noting that if they'd been back in NYC he would never have been left alone like that. The second half of the book sees Barbara Kane take on Arthur's story to its conclusion in 2004.The book is written in a truly Arthur-esque way (if you've seen New York Doll
then you will have no trouble imagining Arthur speaking what's on the page), comparable in that respect to Julian Cope's Head On/Repossessed and Tommy Lee's contributions in The Dirt. Unlikely to win any literary awards, it's refreshing that, bar a number of corrections by the editor at the end of the book (itself not exhaustive), the publishers appear to have remained faithful to the manuscript.Any casual fan reading this book would be left thinking that Johnny Thunders was the band's singer right up until the early Mercer Street Arts Center shows. Such is Arthur's disdain for David Johansen he doesn't even mention when he joined the band and it's only on page 60 when Arthur refers to their 'singer' (and a couple more pages before he's mentioned by name). Johansen though gets off lightly compared to the Leber/Krebs management team, but the three of them are very much held responsible for the failure of the Dolls and Arthur's subsequent descent into a life of a struggling musician, as detailed in wife Barbara's section of the book that picks up where Arthur's writing ended.
As in the New York Doll
documentary, Barbara Kane's tale revolves on her 'unique' life as a 'rock star's wife without any money' and reveals that within the genteel man that most would have seen Arthur had a temper that would come to the fore when drunk. This was seemingly also driven at least in part by his refusal to accept that the Dolls were over completely, coupled with his frustration at seeing nemesis David Johansen carve out a career in both music and film. Indeed Arthur lays claim to the stage name Buster Poindexter, and quotes that Johansen's own ex-wife has observed that the 'singer' took various ideas and lyrics from Arthur and passed them off as his own.On balance, a good book which although lacking somewhat in detail (his later devotion to the Church Of The Latter Day Saints may have contributed a reluctance to go into some of the more seedier details) the afore-mentioned goodwill and a dearth of other available texts makes this a must-read.
Older posts:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
The New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
I, Doll: Life & Death with the New York Dolls
Thanks to JadeB over on The Slums Off Hollywood for her post on Arthur Kane's book I, Doll: Life & Death with the New York Dolls. I saw this listed on Amazon a few months back but forgot all about it. My copy is in the post now (so who knows when I'll see that) and having recently re-watched the excellent New York Doll I'm already geting quite impatient!
Update: just had a call from home, apparently it's arrived ....!
. I saw this listed on Amazon a few months back but forgot all about it. My copy is in the post now (so who knows when I'll see that) and having recently re-watched the excellent New York Doll I'm already geting quite impatient!Update: just had a call from home, apparently it's arrived ....!
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
Interview with Ozzie from Gunfire Dance
Just picked up this interview from Sugarbuzz. To be honest it's not the most insightful of interviews but Gunfire Dance features are so few and far between that anything is noteworthy!
From a quick trawl of the Sugarbuzz site I've also found a piece on old friends and ex-bandmates of mine , the 2 Sick Monkeys. Go on, have a read ....
From a quick trawl of the Sugarbuzz site I've also found a piece on old friends and ex-bandmates of mine , the 2 Sick Monkeys. Go on, have a read ....
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
The top 10 pages on Glamrock Aftershock
A check on the Google Analytics stats for this site over the last three months threw up some notable trends. Naturally I'd expect the homepage to be at the top, and it's not a massive surprise to see bands with the stature of the New York Dolls and the Manic Street Preachers taking positions 2 & 3. I'd like to say that The Rockit Dolls are at number 4 on merit but I know full well that the majority of that page's hits came via a posting on the Swindon Music Forum. Still, I'll take a number 4 placing any day.
Numbers 5 to 8 however are what really caught my eye. None of Gunfire Dance, The Last Of The Teenage Idols, Soho Roses or Uncle Sam are household names. In their time they managed five albums between them (three by Uncle Sam, one each by the Last of the Teenage Idols and Soho Roses) and four singles/EPs (two each by Gunfire Dance and Soho Roses), all of which were on small labels and/or self-financed and all long-deleted.
Over the last couple of years the collected recordings of Soho Roses and Gunfire Dance have been reissued and MySpace has also helped bring their music back into the public arena.
Their high positions will have been helped by the comparatively small pool of sites available to anyone searching for them; but it's heartening to see that people ARE searching. I suspect most of these readers are of a certain age (i.e. roughly the same as me), have warm, possibly rose-tinted, memories of these bands (ditto) and probably feel that their equivalents today don't come close to matching them (double ditto).
Friday, 5 June 2009
So far in 2009 ....
As noted in a previous post, I managed to get to the end of 2008 without any albums released that year troubling my ears. Thanks to a little application on my part I'm pleased to report that almost halfway through 2009 there are already a handful of albums that are making my daily commute more bearable.
As well as the latest releases from the New York Dolls and the Manic Street Preachers, Iggy Pop's french-jazz Preliminaires
, the new Eels album, Hombre Lobo
, and Jarvis Cocker's Further Complications
have all succeeded where every album released in 2008 failed.
At this rate I'm on course for a year-end top 10.
As well as the latest releases from the New York Dolls and the Manic Street Preachers, Iggy Pop's french-jazz Preliminaires
, the new Eels album, Hombre Lobo, and Jarvis Cocker's Further Complications have all succeeded where every album released in 2008 failed.At this rate I'm on course for a year-end top 10.
Monday, 1 June 2009
The New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
For those of us frustrated at there only even being two New York Dolls studio albums (the second of which was vastly inferior to the debut), the arrival of the album that doubles the tally, Cause I Sez So, whilst also out-performing 1974's Too Much Too Soon
is most welcome.
The title track has been on the net for a few weeks as a taster, and along with 'Muddy Bones' it's immediately clear that the album has at least two songs that would hold their own in a live set. Hopefully that live set wouldn't contain the reggaefied re-recording of 'Trash' that turns up here - an unnecessary revisit. Indeed it seems that whenever the modern-day Dolls look back they falter; 'Rainbow Store' on 2007's One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
was reminscent of 'Great Big Kiss' (as featured in the Dolls repertoire back in the 1970s and later recorded by Johnny Thunders on the excellent So Alone) but was little more than a throwaway number.
Having failed to catch the New York Dolls live since the Royal Festival Hall shows in 2004, I think seeing them again is this year's priority. Not sure that the Lovebox festival is the way to go, so will be banking on a few dates being added in the week after before they head off to France ...
New York Dolls tour dates
See also:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
is most welcome.The title track has been on the net for a few weeks as a taster, and along with 'Muddy Bones' it's immediately clear that the album has at least two songs that would hold their own in a live set. Hopefully that live set wouldn't contain the reggaefied re-recording of 'Trash' that turns up here - an unnecessary revisit. Indeed it seems that whenever the modern-day Dolls look back they falter; 'Rainbow Store' on 2007's One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
was reminscent of 'Great Big Kiss' (as featured in the Dolls repertoire back in the 1970s and later recorded by Johnny Thunders on the excellent So Alone) but was little more than a throwaway number.Having failed to catch the New York Dolls live since the Royal Festival Hall shows in 2004, I think seeing them again is this year's priority. Not sure that the Lovebox festival is the way to go, so will be banking on a few dates being added in the week after before they head off to France ...
New York Dolls tour dates
See also:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
Sunday, 12 April 2009
The New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
The forthcoming New York Dolls album, Cause I Sez So
, can now be pre-ordered over on Amazon.
The title track is also being streamed on the band's My Space page. And pretty good it is too!
See also:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
, can now be pre-ordered over on Amazon.The title track is also being streamed on the band's My Space page. And pretty good it is too!
See also:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
The New York Dolls - Cause I Sez So
A release date has been set for Cause I Sez So, the forthcoming New York Dolls album - May 4th in the UK, the following day in the US.
As well as re-uniting with Todd Rundgren the band have re-recorded 'Trash'.
Watch this space ....
See also:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
, the forthcoming New York Dolls album - May 4th in the UK, the following day in the US.As well as re-uniting with Todd Rundgren the band have re-recorded 'Trash'.
Watch this space ....
See also:
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Royal Court of China - Geared And Primed
This blog has been a good excuse to go through my collection and see what's been gathering dust. The Royal Court of China were mentioned in the thread on the Swindon music forum that emerged from this blog and so I found myself in the loft rummaging through boxes of tapes to see if I still had anything by them.
I was first exposed to the Royal Court Of China were some older guy brought their Geared & Primed
album up to the counter in the record shop I worked in and asked to listen to it 'on the cans'. I dismissed the guy as thinking he was much cooler than he really was, that he should immediately stop using words like 'cans' and that he had no idea what this band was about.
I was first exposed to the Royal Court Of China were some older guy brought their Geared & Primed
album up to the counter in the record shop I worked in and asked to listen to it 'on the cans'. I dismissed the guy as thinking he was much cooler than he really was, that he should immediately stop using words like 'cans' and that he had no idea what this band was about.He proceeded to buy it, making comparisons to Georgia Satellites. My opinion shifted slightly and he started to become more credible. He then said he wanted to buy the Simpsons album and those gains were lost. Until ... 'Because my old mate Davey Jo's on it' he said. Eh? Surely he doesn't mean? And he did. And the worst thing is I can't for the life of me remember how/why he knew David Johansen (who under his Buster Poindexter alter-ego duets with Bart on Chuck Berry's School Days).
I haven't got round to playing the tape yet (limited access to a tape deck doesn't help), but if a friend of David Johansen rates it and says it sounds like the Georgia Satellites then what more do you need to know?
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Your must have, ultra-essential glam release ...
Nice little thread over on Glitzinet - name "the album, whatever, that you feel is an essential MUST HAVE of the genre ... that one release that we all feel is the "must have", the CD that when you go into somebodies house who claims to be into the style, if they don't have it, you almost faint."
"Easy" you might say .... but then think again. As there had already been a few answers I had a brief inclination to say something different. I toyed with Appetite For Destruction, as that was the album that kick-started things for me and moved me away from Metallica and Anthrax, but as good as it is it's not THE album. Too many flaws, particularly much of side two.
Soho Roses nearly got a look in for 'The Third And Final Insult', the album that my band at the time attempted to imitate (and almost got there in that we apparently sounded like the Buzzcocks). Then there's the Hollywood Brats - I can still remember my excitement when I first got that LP home and on my turntable.
But in the end it came down to the debut album by The New York Dolls. It wins almost by virtue of the opening chord and cymbal crash on Personality Crisis
alone.
Voice your comments and nominations here.
"Easy" you might say .... but then think again. As there had already been a few answers I had a brief inclination to say something different. I toyed with Appetite For Destruction, as that was the album that kick-started things for me and moved me away from Metallica and Anthrax, but as good as it is it's not THE album. Too many flaws, particularly much of side two.
Soho Roses nearly got a look in for 'The Third And Final Insult', the album that my band at the time attempted to imitate (and almost got there in that we apparently sounded like the Buzzcocks). Then there's the Hollywood Brats - I can still remember my excitement when I first got that LP home and on my turntable.
But in the end it came down to the debut album by The New York Dolls. It wins almost by virtue of the opening chord and cymbal crash on Personality Crisis
alone. Voice your comments and nominations here.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
New York Dolls - Royal Festival Hall 18/06/04
I'm not going to repeat myself (or rather re-repeat myself) about the lack of interest many of my friends had regarding the return of the New York Dolls.
Personally I couldn't get tickets quickly enough, and not just for the gig but for a showing two days beforehand of footage of the band taken by Bob Gruen and introduced by the man himself. There were backstage clips (the sight of band hairdresser Johnny Thunders having to jump up so that he could spray Arthur Kane's hair sticks in the memory), recordings taken from TV appearances (as this was pre-VCR this was captured by literally filming the TV as the shows aired) and arguably the highlight was the special trailer to the 'St Valentines Day Massacre' gig that showed the Dolls in full 1930s gangster regalia. Much of this footage has since been released as part of All Dolled Up.
That same night, though, the Dolls had agreed to play an extra show due to the demand for tickets. Now, one thing that was apparent during the screening was the lacksadaisacal approach to checking tickets. Both the venues involved are odd in that you don't need a ticket to get through the front entrance, only to get into the performance areas. So after the film finished we moved on to the Royal Festival Hall next door, took up residency in the bar and monitored the situation. Once suitably oiled it was apparent that a sneaky peek at the Dolls was on the cards, particularly when almost on cue the doorperson wandered off for a moment ...
The 45 minutes of the set we caught that night blew away the full show I saw two nights later. Being drunk and sneaking in probably helped the sense of occasion (plus the tickets I had for the Friday show turned out to be up in the gods, despite getting them in a supposedly special pre-sale), but mainly it just came down to the excitement of seeing the three remaining New York Dolls on stage - and putting in a performance so unexpected for a band that hadn't played for almost 30 years. The DVD
of the Friday night show captured them perfectly, even leaving in some of the errors (such as Steve Conte playing the opening riff to 'Jetboy' instead of 'Personality Crisis').
The passing of Arthur Kane a few weeks later was a huge shock; from seeing the excellent and emotive biopic New York Doll you can't help but think his only reason for staying alive was to get the band back together one last time. Thankfully he got that one last wish.
Personally I couldn't get tickets quickly enough, and not just for the gig but for a showing two days beforehand of footage of the band taken by Bob Gruen and introduced by the man himself. There were backstage clips (the sight of band hairdresser Johnny Thunders having to jump up so that he could spray Arthur Kane's hair sticks in the memory), recordings taken from TV appearances (as this was pre-VCR this was captured by literally filming the TV as the shows aired) and arguably the highlight was the special trailer to the 'St Valentines Day Massacre' gig that showed the Dolls in full 1930s gangster regalia. Much of this footage has since been released as part of All Dolled Up.That same night, though, the Dolls had agreed to play an extra show due to the demand for tickets. Now, one thing that was apparent during the screening was the lacksadaisacal approach to checking tickets. Both the venues involved are odd in that you don't need a ticket to get through the front entrance, only to get into the performance areas. So after the film finished we moved on to the Royal Festival Hall next door, took up residency in the bar and monitored the situation. Once suitably oiled it was apparent that a sneaky peek at the Dolls was on the cards, particularly when almost on cue the doorperson wandered off for a moment ...
The 45 minutes of the set we caught that night blew away the full show I saw two nights later. Being drunk and sneaking in probably helped the sense of occasion (plus the tickets I had for the Friday show turned out to be up in the gods, despite getting them in a supposedly special pre-sale), but mainly it just came down to the excitement of seeing the three remaining New York Dolls on stage - and putting in a performance so unexpected for a band that hadn't played for almost 30 years. The DVD of the Friday night show captured them perfectly, even leaving in some of the errors (such as Steve Conte playing the opening riff to 'Jetboy' instead of 'Personality Crisis').The passing of Arthur Kane a few weeks later was a huge shock; from seeing the excellent and emotive biopic New York Doll you can't help but think his only reason for staying alive was to get the band back together one last time. Thankfully he got that one last wish.
Monday, 15 December 2008
The Joneses
If only a fraction of what I've read about the Joneses is an accurate reflection of the band then I should love them:
'A hot-blooded mix of the New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders, and Eddie Cochran, too glam for punk and too punk for rock. If the term “trashy rock ‘n’ roll” could only apply to one band, The Joneses would take the label in spades' (Full Breach records)
'One of the last of the great "loud and snotty" REAL trashy glam rock'n'roll bands who WERE 100% authentic were Hollywood's Joneses. The Joneses really did have that raunchy, fifties rhythm and blues stilletto appeal that always informed the REAL Johnny Thunders. Whiney, brattish, sneering vocals, yearning high-lonesome for another fix, scuzzy dueling guitars shades of the greats, horny piano pounding worthy of Jerry Lee or Little Richard, catchy choruses that you could never be certain about-was he singin' about dope or chicks? Either/both/probably dope, mostly.' (Sleazegrinder)
I've recently read on Glitzinet that a new collection is being issued - Criminal History
- but having listened to a few online samples I've not been grabbed. This may be down to the fact that I've only tried listening to them at work and haven't been able to crank it up - but as a fan of the New York Dolls, Soho Roses, Gunfire Dance, Stiv etc (i.e. not Warrant, Winger or Slaughter) should I persevere? Answers on a postcard please (or just via the comments box if you prefer ...).
'A hot-blooded mix of the New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders, and Eddie Cochran, too glam for punk and too punk for rock. If the term “trashy rock ‘n’ roll” could only apply to one band, The Joneses would take the label in spades' (Full Breach records)
'One of the last of the great "loud and snotty" REAL trashy glam rock'n'roll bands who WERE 100% authentic were Hollywood's Joneses. The Joneses really did have that raunchy, fifties rhythm and blues stilletto appeal that always informed the REAL Johnny Thunders. Whiney, brattish, sneering vocals, yearning high-lonesome for another fix, scuzzy dueling guitars shades of the greats, horny piano pounding worthy of Jerry Lee or Little Richard, catchy choruses that you could never be certain about-was he singin' about dope or chicks? Either/both/probably dope, mostly.' (Sleazegrinder)
I've recently read on Glitzinet that a new collection is being issued - Criminal History
- but having listened to a few online samples I've not been grabbed. This may be down to the fact that I've only tried listening to them at work and haven't been able to crank it up - but as a fan of the New York Dolls, Soho Roses, Gunfire Dance, Stiv etc (i.e. not Warrant, Winger or Slaughter) should I persevere? Answers on a postcard please (or just via the comments box if you prefer ...).Monday, 17 November 2008
New York Dolls give Todd Rundgren another chance
I've just picked this up from Glitzinet - 35 years on the New York Dolls have brought in Todd Rundgren to produce their next album. As noted on Glitzinet, Rundgren's work on their debut album is the subject of much debate. Regardless, it's great to see that another album is in the pipeline.
See also:
The New York Dolls - One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
See also:
The New York Dolls - One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
The New York Dolls - One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
I've previously mentioned here that I encountered a great deal of reluctance from friends to acknowledge the return of The New York Dolls in 2004. As a result very few of them bothered to buy their 2005 album One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
. And more fool them.
When the Dolls announced they were planning a new album I thought they might plunder Red Patent Leather
or at least commit their version of 'Another Piece of my Heart' to tape (as performed at the Meltdown
shows), so it was a surprise when they instead issued a full album of new material.
First and foremost there is little point comparing this album to either The New York Dolls
or Too Much Too Soon, and not just because of the change in personnel. After all, 30 years have passed, recording methods have improved (it's no secret that the first two albums suffered production-wise), and even David Johansen's voice - although still clearly identifiable - has developed into even more of a drawl.
Perhaps a more straight rock & roll album than its predecessors (damn, what was that I said about comparisons ...), One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This initially didn't grab me but once on my MP3 player that all changed and it's very rare that I skip a song when they come up on shuffle. I can easily imagine songs like 'Gotta Get Away From Tommy' and 'Runnin' Around' taking their place in a live set next to 'Personality Crisis' et al, and with various guests lining up to pay their respects (Iggy on 'Gimme Luv And Turn On The Light', Michael Stipe on 'Dancing On The Lip Of A Volcano' this is a good an album than I could have ever wished for from a reformed Dolls.
Oddly the one song that most harks back to the 70s output - 'Rainbow Store', with its similarities to the Shangri-las 'Great Big Kiss', covered by the Dolls and later by Johnny Thunders on So Alone - is arguably the album's weakest.
So if you are guilty of ignoring this album then shame on you ....
See also:
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
. And more fool them.When the Dolls announced they were planning a new album I thought they might plunder Red Patent Leather
or at least commit their version of 'Another Piece of my Heart' to tape (as performed at the Meltdown shows), so it was a surprise when they instead issued a full album of new material.First and foremost there is little point comparing this album to either The New York Dolls
or Too Much Too Soon, and not just because of the change in personnel. After all, 30 years have passed, recording methods have improved (it's no secret that the first two albums suffered production-wise), and even David Johansen's voice - although still clearly identifiable - has developed into even more of a drawl.Perhaps a more straight rock & roll album than its predecessors (damn, what was that I said about comparisons ...), One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This initially didn't grab me but once on my MP3 player that all changed and it's very rare that I skip a song when they come up on shuffle. I can easily imagine songs like 'Gotta Get Away From Tommy' and 'Runnin' Around' taking their place in a live set next to 'Personality Crisis' et al, and with various guests lining up to pay their respects (Iggy on 'Gimme Luv And Turn On The Light', Michael Stipe on 'Dancing On The Lip Of A Volcano' this is a good an album than I could have ever wished for from a reformed Dolls.
Oddly the one song that most harks back to the 70s output - 'Rainbow Store', with its similarities to the Shangri-las 'Great Big Kiss', covered by the Dolls and later by Johnny Thunders on So Alone - is arguably the album's weakest.
So if you are guilty of ignoring this album then shame on you ....
See also:
Nina Antonia - The New York Dolls: Too Much Too Soon
Johnny Thunders - So Alone
Motorcycle Boy - Popsicle
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Albums I still listen to 15/20 years on ...
This blog started off the back of a thread on Glitzinet, encouraging people to post their top-10 albums of all-time. I'm not that up on what's new on the scene, and any list I might have submitted is unlikely to have included anything post-1995.
I'm also incredibly bad at naming favourite bands/albums/songs, and when I finally tried to put a list together various memories came back to me that related to many of these albums. Hence, Glamrock Aftershock.
I still don't have a definitive list, and am unlikely ever to have one. However as a starting point here are 10 albums that I first heard between 1987 and 1992 that I still listen to today (and in many cases have re-bought on CD to replace well-worn or lost LPs). Don't read anything into the order (which is roughly speaking the order in which I first came across them). Some albums I've already blogged about, some are yet to feature.
Guns & Roses: Appetite For Destruction
The album that saved me from a descent into thrash before it got too serious (liking Metallica & Anthrax is one thing, but I've even found an Onslaught record in my collection - it could have got so much worse ...).
Hanoi Rocks: Back to Mystery City
The album where Razzle came on board and the final piece of the jigsaw fell into place. I know a lot of diehard fans favour the band's debut but this is the standout album for me (exception as below!).
The New York Dolls: self-titled
From the opening crash of cymbals and Thunders' ploughing the riff to 'Personality Crisis', right through to the finale of 'Jetboy' the Dolls' debut is a lesson in pure trash.
The Dogs D'Amour: In the Dynamite Jet Saloon
It may have taken them five years (and several line-ups) to reach the public eye but it was well worth the wait! Strange to find this is out-of-print - if there's a market for Soho Roses and Gunfire Dance collections (see below) then surely the Dogs D'Amour's back catalogue should still be available?
Hollywood Brats: self-titled
Had no idea who they were but trusted the guy at the record fair (Tony McCrory - responsible for many discoveries I could have missed).
The Jacobites: Robespierre's Velvet Basement
Another record fair purchase, and again I had no idea what to expect. Lo-fi production and the occasional Casio keyboard do not detract from the rest of the music.
Letters From London - Uncle Sam
Again, why on earth has this never been reissued? Rock's most famous milkmen deserve more!
Flies on Fire: self-titled
(Revival of) Creedence Clearwater Revival. Despite being on a major label, having Ric Browde at the helm and even bringing in Jo Dog, Flies on Fire remain obscure but their two albums are well worth the pittance they trade for.
Redd Kross: Third Eye
KISS meets the Beatles. 'Nuff said.
Motorcycle Boy: Popsicle
Dragged kicking & screaming into the studio by Sylvain Sylvain, arguably the forgotten hero of the Dolls gets his name onto another great rock & roll album.
Honorary mentions (as they're not strictly 'albums'):
Soho Roses: Whatever Happened To... The Complete Works
Collection of their 2 EPs and album. A fine band who I managed to see once (an MTV Xmas show at the Astoria along with Last of The Teenage Idols and Tigertailz). My band at the time desperately wanted to be a mix of Soho Roses and Hollywood Brats. We didn't quite pull it off but we had fun trying.
Gunfire Dance: Archway of Thorns
Another post-career collection. Taking their cues from Iggy, Brian James and Stiv Bators Gunfire Dance always seemed on the verge of something - and then went no further. RIP Ant.
Hanoi Rocks: Self Destruction Blues
The best Hanoi album, but as it's a collection of b-sides and out-takes I thought it only right it should be down here!
I'm also incredibly bad at naming favourite bands/albums/songs, and when I finally tried to put a list together various memories came back to me that related to many of these albums. Hence, Glamrock Aftershock.
I still don't have a definitive list, and am unlikely ever to have one. However as a starting point here are 10 albums that I first heard between 1987 and 1992 that I still listen to today (and in many cases have re-bought on CD to replace well-worn or lost LPs). Don't read anything into the order (which is roughly speaking the order in which I first came across them). Some albums I've already blogged about, some are yet to feature.
Guns & Roses: Appetite For Destruction
The album that saved me from a descent into thrash before it got too serious (liking Metallica & Anthrax is one thing, but I've even found an Onslaught record in my collection - it could have got so much worse ...).
Hanoi Rocks: Back to Mystery City
The album where Razzle came on board and the final piece of the jigsaw fell into place. I know a lot of diehard fans favour the band's debut but this is the standout album for me (exception as below!).
The New York Dolls: self-titled
From the opening crash of cymbals and Thunders' ploughing the riff to 'Personality Crisis', right through to the finale of 'Jetboy' the Dolls' debut is a lesson in pure trash.
The Dogs D'Amour: In the Dynamite Jet Saloon
It may have taken them five years (and several line-ups) to reach the public eye but it was well worth the wait! Strange to find this is out-of-print - if there's a market for Soho Roses and Gunfire Dance collections (see below) then surely the Dogs D'Amour's back catalogue should still be available?
Hollywood Brats: self-titled
Had no idea who they were but trusted the guy at the record fair (Tony McCrory - responsible for many discoveries I could have missed).
The Jacobites: Robespierre's Velvet Basement
Another record fair purchase, and again I had no idea what to expect. Lo-fi production and the occasional Casio keyboard do not detract from the rest of the music.
Letters From London - Uncle Sam
Again, why on earth has this never been reissued? Rock's most famous milkmen deserve more!
Flies on Fire: self-titled
(Revival of) Creedence Clearwater Revival. Despite being on a major label, having Ric Browde at the helm and even bringing in Jo Dog, Flies on Fire remain obscure but their two albums are well worth the pittance they trade for.
Redd Kross: Third Eye
KISS meets the Beatles. 'Nuff said.
Motorcycle Boy: Popsicle
Dragged kicking & screaming into the studio by Sylvain Sylvain, arguably the forgotten hero of the Dolls gets his name onto another great rock & roll album.
Honorary mentions (as they're not strictly 'albums'):
Soho Roses: Whatever Happened To... The Complete Works
Collection of their 2 EPs and album. A fine band who I managed to see once (an MTV Xmas show at the Astoria along with Last of The Teenage Idols and Tigertailz). My band at the time desperately wanted to be a mix of Soho Roses and Hollywood Brats. We didn't quite pull it off but we had fun trying.
Gunfire Dance: Archway of Thorns
Another post-career collection. Taking their cues from Iggy, Brian James and Stiv Bators Gunfire Dance always seemed on the verge of something - and then went no further. RIP Ant.
Hanoi Rocks: Self Destruction Blues
The best Hanoi album, but as it's a collection of b-sides and out-takes I thought it only right it should be down here!
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