New York Dolls – Debut
(Mercury Records 1973 6338270)
Matrix No’s: 1Y2/2Y2 – UK Pressing
Sleeve in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
– some wear to corners, small mark/tear near top left & tiny tear at opening edge
Plain White Inner Sleeve
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)
The New York Dolls were an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although their original line-up fell apart quickly, the band’s first two albums—New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974)—became among the most popular cult records in rock. The line-up at this time comprised vocalist David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders, bassist Arthur Kane, guitarist and pianist Sylvain Sylvain, and drummer Jerry Nolan; the latter two had replaced Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia, respectively, in 1972. On stage, they donned an androgynous wardrobe, wearing high heels, eccentric hats, and satin. Nolan described the group in 1974 as “the Dead End Kids of today”.
According to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music (1995), the New York Dolls predated the punk and glam metal movements, and were “one of the most influential rock bands of the last 20 years”. They influenced rock groups such as the Sex Pistols, Kiss, the Ramones, Guns N’ Roses, the Damned, and The Smiths, whose frontman Morrissey organized a reunion show for the New York Dolls’ surviving members in 2004. After reuniting, they recorded and released three more albums—One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006), Cause I Sez So (2009), and Dancing Backward in High Heels (2011).
The band had been inactive following a 2011 UK tour with Alice Cooper, with former guitarist Earl Slick confirming the band was over in a 2011 interview.
New York Dolls is the debut studio album by American rock band the New York Dolls. The album’s protopunk sound was hugely influential on punk rock. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 213 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. It was produced by ex-Nazz guitarist Todd Rundgren.
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band’s protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later spawned the Ramones, Blondie, Television and Talking Heads.
In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, continue on today and have released three records of new material. The original bassist, Arthur Kane, died shortly after their first reunion concert.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by David Johansen and Johnny Thunders, except as noted.
Side one | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
1. | “Personality Crisis” | 3:43 | ||||||||
2. | “Looking for a Kiss” | 3:20 | ||||||||
3. | “Vietnamese Baby” | Johansen | 3:39 | |||||||
4. | “Lonely Planet Boy” | 4:10 | ||||||||
5. | “Frankenstein (Orig.)” | Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain | 6:00 |
Side two | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
6. | “Trash” | Johansen and Sylvain | 3:09 | |||||||
7. | “Bad Girl” | 3:05 | ||||||||
8. | “Subway Train” | 4:22 | ||||||||
9. | “Pills” | Bo Diddley | 2:49 | |||||||
10. | “Private World” | Johansen and Arthur Kane | 3:40 | |||||||
11. | “Jet Boy” | 4:40 |
The track “Personality Crisis” is ranked No. 271 on the same magazine’s list “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time“.
In August 2010, Morrissey submitted a list to the online publication The Quietus detailing his favorite albums. In it, he declared New York Dolls as his top favorite.
Personnel
- David Johansen – vocals, harmonica, gong
- Johnny Thunders – lead guitar, vocals
- Sylvain Sylvain – rhythm guitar, piano, vocals
- Arthur “Killer” Kane – bass guitar
- Jerry Nolan – drums
- Additional personnel
- Todd Rundgren – piano, keyboards, Moog synthesizer
- Buddy Bowser – saxophone
- Alex Spyropoulos – piano
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.