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(TV) NY Dolls



As someone who, when pressed to the wall, will blurt that the NY Dolls are the
greatest American rock band of all time, I have to admit that -- aside from
the "Seven Day Weekend" demos mentioned earlier today -- there's not too much
semi-official or unofficial Dolls stuff that's of more than historical
interest.  The Paris concert is well recorded but poorly mixed (buried vocals,
not enough Syl).  Dallas '74 is just this side of listenable.  The early
sessions released on ROIR are a mess.  And the Red Patent Leather era stuff
documents a brilliant band in decline.  In my opinion, the best available live
Dolls is the videotape of their appearance on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. 
Even if the band's a little weary from multiple takes, the sound and
performance are excellent.

The Todd comments posted earlier today were telling.  Between the lines he
seemed to be saying "How dare these five cretins come in here thinking they're
going to make an important record."  But that's what makes the record so
great, and such a representation of the American dream -- how could five
people with such gumption, willpower, and attitude, but with such little raw
skill, go in there aiming for the bleachers?  Never has so much been made with
so little.  And then to do it all over again with their second album.  (To a
slightly lesser degree, I feel the same about Marquee Moon.  Obviously, our
boys had much more chops than the Dolls, but really, it's a minor miracle that
they pulled it off.)

Anyway, here's a site with an obsessively comprehensive Dolls/Johnny Thunders
discography:
http://home.eol.ca/~ifftay/thunders.htm

- Jeff Strell



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