‘Cause I Sez So

Atco Records  www.nydolls.org

Even decades after I first bought the record including ‘Jet Boy’, I STILL put it on when I want to feel a straightforward burst of energy. The strident guitars, the fast handclaps, the whiny sneering vocal, the whomping backbeat, the Yardbirds-inspired guitar buildups…like the MC5’s ‘Looking At You’ and Jo Jo Gunne’s ‘Ready Freddy’, this is pure rock’n'roll, if that’s not a contradiction in terms. When the New York Dolls first appeared, they were an intriguing mix of the obvious and equally the not so. They clearly had the Rolling Stones as an inspiration, not least in Mr Confidence David Johansen’s preening delivery. But like Alice Cooper, this guy could really sing and understood his band’s dynamic. They dressed in absurd creations, daring people to mock them. But why rise to the bait ? All that really mattered to me was how they sounded. Certain sorry-for-themselves suburban losers like Morrissey latched on to their look and attitude. They were a sonic and visual beacon for those who loved to portray themselves as outsiders, who revelled in the very notion of being (ahem) ‘different’. The band almost seemed to me to be trying too hard and we had enough of our own would-be glam pop icons over here already, Marc Bolan for start and mostly brickies in makeup. But even if the New York Dolls were a confection, no serious listener could deny their musical talent and power. With a knowing producer like Todd Rundgren helping them capture their sound, this shooting star of a band would leave its mark.

The Dolls were shortlived, in their original incarnation. They came together in 1972 and by spring 1975, Thunders and Nolan were off to form The Heartbreakers (not to be confused with Tom Petty’s band). New and brash they were, yet they knew about Bo Diddley (recording a great version of ‘Pills’) and Sonny Boy Williamson the 2nd. Their storming ‘Personality Crisis’, ‘Trash’ (revisited on this brand new set), ‘Looking For A Kiss’..these cuts still sound great today. In his later career, the late Johnny Thunders sometimes came close to greatness but his bad habits caught up with him and curtailed his life and future. Working with Sylvain Sylvain brought the best out of Johnny and on this new record, Sylvain fires up fellow axeman Steve Conte time and time again. With a rhythm section of Brian Delaney and Sami Yaffa, this edition of the Dolls has a lethal mix of experience and renewed enthusiasm that Rundgren sets out to capture.

From the off and the title track, the sound is purposeful and electric with an echo of ‘It’s Only RocknRoll’, dumb chorus and all. A pinched-harmonic guitar solo is followed by a grinding, darker one. Two minutes in and the house is rocking, booming bass staggers and all. Johansen sounds happy to be helming this noisefest, no more so than on the rolling ‘Muddy Bones’, his voice is deeper than of yore yet still distinctive. When played well, this strand of rock is never in or out of fashion but still sounds to this reviewer so much more relevant than any number of po-faced ’serious’ metal bands.

The easy-paced ‘Better Than You’ would get a grin from Keef Richards, whose own band could do a lot worse than get Rundgren in to produce them, with the late great Jimmy Miller gone so long. The two-guitar weaving here is breathtakingly apposite, framing the singer’s tongue-in-cheek lines. ‘Lonely So Long’ sounds like a longlost Merseybeat tune, it’s wintery beat evoking a canalside walk in the mist.

‘This Is Ridiculous’ is a skewed Willie Dixon/Elmore James excursion giving Johansen a chance to strut his blues styling and the band swagger along to suit. ‘Temptation To Exist’ is taken at a Big Apple Mink deVille lope with David almost crooning and a light-touch arrangement. It sounds noble, authentic, touching. The mysterious guitar spiralling intro of ‘Drowning’ intrigues and the song is a gritty tune with eastern motifs flowing through it.

‘Nobody Got No Bizness’ is R&B fun with harmonica toots and a Bo Diddley vibe, undoubtedly a future stage favourite. ‘Trash’ has a Caribbean styling on this outing.

Closer ‘Exorcism of Despair’ is a fuzzy, noisy bash and shows drummer Delaney off a treat.

To Rundgren’s credit he has not streamlined the New York Dolls into anything fashionable. Their raucous charm is brought to the fore and celebrated on this album and very welcome it is, too

Pete Sargeant   www.fairhearing.co.uk