Reviews (page 5 of 8)
An important band for its time and for those influenced by them. More melodic than The Stooges of their time. Buster before he was buster.
New York Dolls – New York Dolls (Mercury, 1973) – Review Ah, the New York Dolls. Five gutter-glam miscreants who look like they were coughed up by the Bowery after a particularly nasty bender. Half drag queens, half juvenile delinquents, they stumble onto the scene in platform boots, too much rouge, and an attitude filthier than the floor of sleazy club. And then there’s this—their debut album, a slab of scuzzy, trash-can rock ‘n’ roll that sounds like Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones getting mugged in an alley by Iggy Pop. From the sleazy stutter of Personality Crisis to the lipstick-stained sneer of Trash, this record is a lewd, chaotic, beautifully shambolic mess. David Johansen yelps and howls like Mick Jagger’s bratty, less coherent cousin, while Johnny Thunders and Syl Sylvain’s guitars crash together in a gloriously out-of-tune car wreck of riffs. It’s primal, it’s dumb, it’s utterly brilliant. If you’re looking for subtlety, you’re in the wrong place. Frankenstein lurches along like its namesake, a sludgy, nihilistic monster of a song, while Jet Boy is pure amphetamine-fueled delirium. Producer Todd Rundgren, somehow roped into this circus, does his best to tame the chaos, but really, what’s the point? The Dolls were always more about attitude than precision, more about provocation than perfection. Of course, the critics will sneer, and the mainstream will recoil. The Dolls are too raw, too ridiculous, too New York for polite society. But here’s the thing—without this record, there’s no Sex Pistols, no Ramones, no punk as we know it. It’s a glorious, gender-bending, lipstick-smeared middle finger to rock ‘n’ roll pretension. And if you don’t get it? Well, darling, that’s your problem.
Old school American punk. I was sorry to read that the lead singer died only 12 days ago ...
Fun and messy! Never heard of them before.
Pretty good
Glam punk at its earliest inception
Fun! I liked it, though it leaned a bit into samey territory. Overall fun instrumentals and decent vocal work. 'Bad Girl' was my fave from this set.
The New York Dolls invented punk, before it was called punk. They combined Bowie's glam rock, the Stooge's brash attitude, and pushed it towards the Rolling Stones' style of bluesy rock. The result was an amazing mixture that predated punk and glam metal by creating the first draft of both. The band's self-title debut may be the best work of their short - but incredibly influential - career. The band only released two albums in the 70s, and regrouped in the aughts to release new music. This album captures the raw energy of a great, experimental young band.
cool sound but all same-y
I know virtually nothing about New York dolls but love the cover! Ultimately I liked the vibe but wish it was… glammier? Less Rolling Stones lite? I dunno. I can understand why they were big on the scene back in the day but it didn’t feel timelesss the way some other music from the era does.
I was pretty disinterested until Frankenstein. I don't know what it was about that track, but I was all in after that.
Yup, I enjoyed this a lot! I'll definitely listen to this again. Also love the album art, would hang on wall (or display the vinyl).
I wish I had listened to this in the 70's. I would have cranked this on the stereo just to annoy my parents if nothing else. Still good now so 5 stars or A-.
Personality Crisis was the highlight, it kinda dragged on from there.
yeah this is fucking awesome. how on earth did this come out in 1973 and why did it take so long for us to get more stuff like it. the lead in the air really fucked everything up didn't it? i listened to it like 5x before i turned it off
Another one for the catalog of "oh this upset people of the time? what was it? oh...." Really enjoyable, look forward to listening to more.
Fun. Sometimes I think I loved at the wrong time.
I mean, it is the New York Dolls
Boring shit
I recall not really liking this album the first time around so I'm happy that it clicked more this time. I have a lot more appreciation for this group, they were really ahead of their time in many ways. Their blend of punk and glam rock is really cool. Also the drag is cool as shit. Unlike bands like Kiss, I wouldn't say these guys are completely style over substance but their appearance is definitely a large part of their appeal. Regardless this is a solid album with a good share of quality songs. Its still not really something I'm crazy about but I salute the New York Dolls for their service. 🫡 Favorite track: Frankenstein
Mix between the clash and the Ramones? Unfortunately I'm not a fan of either... I think American punk lasted longer because there were less rules about what is and isn't punk. It's decent background music
Liked it more than I thought but after a while it all sounded the same and I didnt care as much.
Great to have an excuse to listen to this, as I've heard the New York Dolls referenced so often in the context of bands I know: Bowie (Spiders), Velvet Underground, T Rex, the Stones, early Roxy, early Japan etc etc. I'd probably need "Mr Schneebly" and a blackboard to figure out exactly what fits in where, so suffice to say this holds its own and I wasn't disappointed. It even sounded quite fresh. All the songs held my interest and I liked the musicianship and production. Really good.
Classic 70s punk, hearing influences of The Ramones and Iggy Pop.
There was nothing inherently wrong with it, but honestly all of the songs sounded the same. It's interesting that in our modern age a common criticism of recent music is that it all sounds the same, but then this exists in the 70s? Food for thought. Any of these songs could stand solidly on it's own but listening to the album together just makes them all feel repetitive
All energy and attitude.
This has gotta be the most influential album for punk music. The blueprint for what was to come near the end of the decade. The album starts with a bang, lots of great songs. Goes on for too long though
so much like this, yet nothing ever came close. would metalheads be gay if they heard this before wasp, et al??
Was okay. 3/5
4.5
First listen. More punk-sounding, aggressive and better than I expected.
Great bridge album between Glam and punk. This was recorded the same month that Aladin Sane Dropped and seem very much of the same ilk on the first side, while the second side gets more hard and chaotic. Beingba fan of glam I really enjoyed the first half over the second, but was a sold fun listen through out (8.27) ★★★★
Cool mixture of glam and proto-punk. Two genres I am not that into, but this worked well. 4 stars
I was at a 4.5 on this, but as I look though my ratings, I like it as well as some of my 5s, so I'm gonna bump it up. Just some great sloppy glam punk. "Personality Crisis", "Trash", "Vietnamese Baby", and "Lonely Planet Boy" are all great and nothing it really bad here. 5 stars.
4.5
Past 1st track Personality Crisis which is a good enough tune this is a big long stale glam rock trudge. The guitar riffs are punky and fine but the vocals suck big time and act like a bulldozer in drag over songs which which mostly tend to sound the same after a certain point anyway. 2.5 stars
I get the feeling I could enjoy this album a lot more if I understood the lyrics. Maybe I'll listen against with lyrics in hand. But for now...... It's just generic punk?? A harder version of The Clash?. I was reading they were one of the first and kudos to them for going against the on going homophobia of those years. But it's not really music I dig.
Lack of variation.
Bought this years ago and never really got into it. Listening afresh it sounded great in the car and I was thinking defn 5. At home on the stereo it feels a bit clumsy and not quite so rocking - still a few 5* tracks like Trash/ Pills.
New York Dolls I was quite into this album around the time of The Strokes etc, although I don’t think I ever completely loved it. It’s definitely one of those albums loved by the bands you like, and you can really see its place in music lineage and its influence, coming 3 years before punk but creating a template; scuzzy Chuck Berry / Stonesy guitars, simple songs and energetic tempos with sneering vocals and attitude. Some of the songs are great proto-punk rockers, I always liked Personality Crisis, Looking for a Kiss, Trash and Jet Boy, and of the moments when they slow it down Lonely Planet Boy is great, with it’s slight country touches. The rest, while not always that memorable or great, is at least all carried along by attitude and enthusiasm, and there are always some great Johnny Thunders licks strewn about each song. I like it, it’s a decent album of trashy proto punk and it’s clearly very influential. Not sure how often I’ll come back to it, so it sticks as a high 3. 🪆🪆🪆 Playlist submission: Jet Boy
I can understand that right place, right time, they were exciting back in the day; but hardly pioneering over what the Stooges or Bowie or Bolan was doing - and everything they've done has been superseded and done many times better. They remind me more of Kiss than a glam or punk I outfit I like. Are a couple of great songs though, Personality Crisis, Trash, Frankenstein, Private World. Makes it to a three, just about.
I knew them vaguely and thought I'd have loved this album more. I love early punk but this was a bit too much like (not so good) hard rock for me but with added quirkiness. It's all good fun though and I feel it does belong on the list as a quite influential band.
Boh non male
Listenable
Oh, this is so good!
Liked it more than i thought I would. The more punk-y stuff is growing on me.
These guys do have a very early punk sounds for 1973 and can likely be attributed to feeding into the early genesis of that genre. A pretty good rough rock and roll sound throughout.
Meh, 1/5 for Trash.
Gloriously camp.
A campy, glammy party that's really quite fun until you realise they really only have a single trick up their sleeves, and they will be performing it 11 times in a row.
While I don't really have any issues with this album per sey, it was just really uneventful and honestly quite boring. I don't even have much to say about it. Every song sounded the same, but at least the songs were all relatively enjoyable listens.
I think the swig of water I had that went down a bit funny was more eventful than this album. It's all competently performed but felt incredibly formulaic. No doubt a result of getting to the scene a bit early, I would have to imagine this albums inclusion would be at least somewhat historically motivated. Thankfully it was not a super long album although a lot of the songs with a singular theme/hook like Trash and Frankenstein started to make this feel like more of a drag than it should have
Proto-Punk bores me. I understand it is a precursor to the wider musical movement that became punk rock and it has it's place as an influence, but it's an era totally spoiled by what came after it. This album is utterly forgettable musically if listened to today if you have ever heard anything more hardcore than the E street band. I actually googled this one because I never understand why all these white bread middle of the road acts end up on a list of most important albums and wiki tells me that this punk precursor was reactionary to the 'sophistication' of prog rock that was on top at the time. Yea man I'm really gonna show those snooty prog rock guys by making a dogshit uninteresting album.
Proto Punk? Inspired by the rolling stones and of a similar vein to the Stooges? A song called Vietnamese baby? Provocateurs? This album and band has pedo shit written all over it. But to my surprise it appears as though this album beats the accusations. It's a shame that the first song I love off this album comes 5 songs in, and the album definitely gets a bit better from there 7/10 Fav tracks - Frankenstein, Trash, Subway Train, Private World
Early in my listen of this album, I became bored and checked the wikipedia page to see that this has received the mark of the Antichrist himself: Robert Christgau. How he gave this a A and gave Raw Power a B+ is totally beyond me. Probably because Iggy wasn't a NYC/Village rat. This album is a fun novelty of the early days of punk and you can see the influence here, probably. The lyrics are nonsense, the vocals are okay at times, the instrumentation and production are serviceable. There's one good song on here and the rest I hope to never have to hear again except maybe in a Gitmo 'advanced interrogation room' Highlights: Jet Boy
I can't believe I missed this album when it was posted a couple weeks ago. Its a classic. While its not a 5 star album based on the music, it deserves the rating it was so incredibly original and influential.
A lot of fun. I’ve heard it before but this time reminded me of the Only Ones. Trash is great. Whole thing is solid, if a bit one note.
Some classics on hear. David Johansson is great but the guitars are even better. Definitely a precursor to the punk sound that followed. I bet Joe Strummer and Mick Jones listened to this a lot.
Some nice, no-frills rock and roll. Sonically this sits between the Clash and the Ramones to me. I listened to this a few times but I think I got it on the first listen. Some of the songs blended together for me, but I don't think the New York Dolls were shooting for mastery here. I bet the live shows were fun.
Important, but boring.
Glad I listened to it because of the influence they’ve had, but don’t really want to listen to it again.
Nice mixture of glam and punk rock. Too bad they weren't around for the long run. Solid album.
pretty chuckalicious
The New York Dolls undeniably had a huge influence on early glam rock, metal, and punk, so I’ll always agree that they deserve the recognition they get. That said, their music just doesn’t resonate with me. Once I’ve heard an album once or twice, I never really feel the need to go back. Their sound just doesn’t stick with me in a way that keeps me coming back for more.
Maybe it wasn't in their time, but I felt it was quite average.
This freakin rules. Crazy to think that the guy who wrote "Hello it's me" produced this. It sounds awesome, has so much energy, and you can feel the impact. Crazy that this album cover could come out now and still be"controversial."
Didn’t excite at all really… probably doesn’t deserve a 1 but doesn’t quite reach the heights of 2… oh go on then, I’ll be nice
first listen a super classic american sound for me
This is an album that's like, a 3 for how much I like it and for the sound but a 5 for how indescribably important it is.
Sure, you can see the influence on punk to come on the album, whatever, but more than anything this is just a fun, silly, loud album to listen to at any time.
This was alright, but didn't leave an impression
Not quite what I was expecting. I guess they are more proto-punk and glam than they are punk, which I guess I didn't really realize that. Fun record for sure.
I've read about the New York Dolls but never given them a listen. I'm not a huge fan of early punk so I've stayed away. This has the same issues I have with that early punk but I do like the party vibe. And some of these tracks were catchy. I totally get why they are considered pioneers.
All albums will be 1, 3 or 5 stars, with no further commentary or explanation given. Played via streaming, first time listen.
Definitely can see how this heavily influenced the future of punk music. Overall there are some good songs here. Pretty cool
Didn't care for it.
So much can be said about the Dolls. Trashy, sloppy, messy, a Rolling Stones rip-off, but there is no doubt, they were one of the most influential bands of the 70's, as their music mixed elements of punk, glam and good old 60's rock 'n' roll. The album cover, with the band dressed in drag, though tame by today's "standards" was probably rather shocking at the time and may have raised a lot of questions. When I bought this album in the late 70's, I hadn't heard it at all and since I was a big Stones fan, the music isn't too far off, but this album sounds very dirty New York to me. Kind of like a Lou Reed song brought to life. It's too bad the band only released two studio albums, but this debut was shockingly good. The Dolls led me to an obsession with guitarist, Johnny Thunders' career (with and without the Heartbreakers), so this record is special to me in that way. I also wore a New York Dolls t-shirt with the cover image, to school which felt cool and may have raised a number of questions from my parents.
Just some early pinkish rock
3.5 - it may grow on me. Also, it may be that I was so impressed with the Sam Cooke album anything that followed was going to be a let down.
Nothing exciting
Seems like these guys influenced a lot of punk down, there's familiar guitar licks and some of the vocal choices feel like late 80s/90s punk. Got some Rancid vibes here and there. While I can appreciate their influence, there wasn't a whole lot that grabbed me, no real reason I could see myself coming back to this album It seems like all of our albums have been from the 70s and maybe I'm just getting a little burnt out. 3.25/5
There are just so many better albums in this genre. Nothing stood out to me, but probably fun live.
I liked learning about this band more than I liked the actual music. Pills was my favorite track just because it was kinda goofy. The band named themselves after The New York Doll Hospital that opened in 1900 which is such a creepy thought, a whole establishment full of old broken dolls. One of the members dated Connie Gripp who tried to cut his thumb off. She also is the crazy ex of Dee Dee Ramone, there’s a few Ramones song about her. One is Glad to See You Go. She also is said to have slashed his ass open with a broken beer bottle.
A fine little punk-ish album. I prefer the Ramones, but I found this to be a rather enjoyable listen.
I love the 70's glam sound, but nothing totally grabbed me. I liked "Personality Crisis" and "Trash" the most. Was wondering if it influenced Bowie, but of course Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane came out before this one.
Meh.
I dont think they can be famous for being the band that inspired the idea of a more famous band
Not for me
According to the wiki article this band and album inspired the punk rock that was to follow. Thank you very much NOT. Inspiring a bunch of punk rock "singers" again thank you very much. This album is not actually that bad but I can't forgive it for the utter garbage that it inspired.
4/10. Listenable but didn’t enjoy a whole lot of it.
Blind album and artist. This is one of those bands that my fiance and I would call a Walmart Band. A knockoff of a better band. A store brand band vs the name brand band. Why would you listen to the store brand when you have the name brand? To save money. This band is cheaper.
Not bad, but nothing amazed me.
Proto-punk rockers who have been long surpassed by better talent.
Very enjoyable.
I've known about this band my whole life but I never listened to them. I feel like I'm hearing KISS, Twisted Sister and all my other favorite hair metal bands from the 80's. This album cover really has it all. Platform boots, roller skates, platform clogs. As a young boy in the 70's I really liked the fashion, I had a great pair of corduroy bell bottom pants. When the times were groovy.
A perfect proto punk album
Punkigt, lekfullt, ibland lite glamrockigt? Ska ha varit väldigt inflytelserikt, vilket adderar coolhetspoäng, även om det kvalitetsmässigt är en klassisk trea. Alla låtar bra, men ingen låt som blir en personlig instant classic. Ska ha varit influerade (och kommit upp i samma miljö som) Lou Reed och tidiga Velvet Underground, vilket hörs i t.ex. 'Lonely Planet Boy'. I 'Frankenstein' finns en härlig tonårscoolhet. 'Vietnamese Baby' också cool. 'Subway Train' har ett lite mjukare och melodiöst sound (iaf i verserna (till en början)), vilket är välkommet. Dock stegras den rätt rejält. 'Private World' låter som någon ELO-låt!! 'Personality Crisis' och 'Trash', som nog ska vara de stora hitsen(?) är bra men inte mindblowing. Låter lite som en förlaga till soundet som Gun Club gjorde perfekt på sitt första album. Bästa låt: Frankenstein
I'm usually not a big fan of any punk that came out before '77, but this one is pretty good. The singer has a very unique voice, and I think he uses it well. Also this album has some pretty good guitar tones and production. The last couple of songs do drop the ball a bit though. High 3.
Ugh. Bad music and weirdo hair
Definitely an important album to listen to and an interesting band to read about. I do only end up returning to Personality Crisis on a regular basis though Rating: 3.9
Starts strong and ends strong but the middle brings it down.
too sloppy punk for me. I’m sure they put a lot of effort to sound that sloppy though. i like the cover.
4 - great example of 70s rock that isnt what I disliked about the stooges
Outstanding. Favourite track. Trash
Musically it's not punk, not glam, and not really anything special. Being daring doesn't automatically create great art.
Today I learned Buster Poindexter is the lead singer of this band.
A bit uninteresting for me, musically, which I didn’t expect from the vibes/aesthetics/history. Oh well!
Sounds similar to other things I enjoy
I like this album ! i really like the lyrical content
Pretty boring dad rock and roll. not punk enough, the playing isn't very interesting.
Glam rock-punk break away. Jagged guitars punchy lyrics. Teenage angst +. Very rocky horror.
It’s ok …
There is no reason this album should make any Top 1001 if you actually listened to it. I tried it once before when I read it was a "must listen". David Johansen is a frontman, not a singer. They made it cool to dress as women and go full glam, that was their contribution to popular music and they set the table for a lot of 80's hair bands to follow. Even the one "hit", Personality Crisis, is hard to listen to in its entirety. Musically it's no better than an Alice Cooper or Kiss album from the same general time. They may have been fun to see live and to feel the energy firsthand but this is not an album anyone "must" hear, ever. One star for trying and for visual influences.
- so enjoyable .... did not realize that the Todd was involved with this one. I'm sure he made it better .... -
It sounded so much like The Strokes. It's crazy when you listen to one of your favourite band's influences and can track it like that
A true point of inflection in alt rock. This album has been so influential for many generations. It still sounds current and transgressive.
Þetta er almennilegt prótópönk og glam. Meira svona.
Netter Bluesrock und 2,3 gute Stücke
A punk record without the usual punk energy. High 1.
One of the greatest albums ever made, from one of the greatest bands that ever lived. More punk than Punk; more glam than Glam. If I had to pick a favourite track, it might just be Jet Boy. Fun with a capital UH.
Glam stilettos taking the first few wobbly steps towards punk. Falling over is encouraged.
Got to give them pre-punk punk chops. The haphazardness belies the forward-thinking energy. Like a seedbed for punk, heavy metal, glam rock, hair metal, post punk, Kiss, the Tubes, you name it. What fun. Best taken in small doses, though, else the repetitiveness gets cloying--stick with a couple at a time.
I do appreciate the raw energy and the fact that these guys were punk in 1973 before the massive wave… it doesn’t always land but these guys are truly seminal. It may be a bit rough but I’m all in.
This is a band I simply never took note of. Well, that's not entirely true. I know a guy in NY who ended up joining the band when they reformed in 2006 (Steve Conte, he "replaced" the late Johnny Thunders), so I own that album and know enough about the band as an institution. But I was six when this was released, and by the time I started exploring music, they were long gone. And this was not the kind of music I would have gravitated toward in those days, anyway. Today, this hit me as a seriously good record. I'm not the first to say it, but there's a heavy Stones-meets-Bowie dynamic right out of the gate. But the band cultivates a unique personality and sound — and look, of course — that is raucous, fun, irreverent, sleazy, gritty, and glam... I mean, if that's not an apt definition of rock and roll, what is? It started to run out of steam just at the end, but the songs and performances on the record are raw and visceral and it holds up all these years later.
yeah, i don't know. these guys are ok. raucous, four-on-the-floor rock, a bit punkier than their peers (save for the Stooges and maybe one or two other bands). i never really understood the hype, but maybe you had to be there.
This is an album that I've heard about for years on various greatest albums of all time tv shows or in silent conversations in whole in the wall bars. Hipsters and Glam Punk C grade college students and I finally listened to it. I don't think I like punk, proto punk, emo punk, glam punk or any punk except Nirvana or Green Day if you want to call them punk. The Clash. But this just didn't do anything for me.
Not my cup of tea. For a band called New York Dolls, this sure oozes british slop. Best Song: Personality Crisis Worst Song: Lonely Planet Boy
Boring listen, it's all attitude with no real substance. The tracks are mostly boring and underdeveloped, the production is unpolished on purpose I presume, but it's just not good. Best song: Personality Crisis Worst song: Private World Cover check: Grabs your attention, but just like the music it's wannabe edgy and has no real debt
This one was alright, though I don't see myself returning to this album any time soon.
# Album Name: New York Dolls # Artist: New York Dolls # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: I was expecting something pretty special out of this band. I always read they were one of the best US punk bands of all time. Overall it was a decent listen with some good tracks like jet boy, frakenstein, trash and PC. I still prefer british punk if im honest. I'll come back to this one i think. # Top Tunes: jet boy, frakenstein, trash and PC. # Would I listen to it again? Probably
This is music song. Vocals are not it. Instrumentals don't really do it for me. 2.
Really enjoyable proto-punk-glam-rock. If you can't get behind the energy, attitude and enthusiasm here you probably need to stick to Steely Dan and ironing your underpants.
Haven't listened to them before. Reminded me of the Rolling Stones. Didn't like them either. 3/10
Better than expected, Trash was my favourite.
Already listened, couldn’t bring myself to relisten for this
Love everything about this, the aesthetic, the sound, the lyrics, the voice. Absolutely everything about this is a 5/5
For being a genre that lastet like 10 years, Punk surely had a lot of pioneers that ALL belong in this book/list.
Well, that was fun!
I've been fascinated by the Dolls' story as well as the whole proto-punk scene of the New York underground in the 70's, but musically speaking they never were one of my favorites. They're glam in style but for the most part this is pure rock n'roll played so hard this passed for punk.
The punkiest glam rock band ever to touch the Earth. This album earned its place here for its huge influence on the music to come, but glam rock just isn't my thing.
I rarely love early 70s glam rock, but the proto-punk feel behind that one saves the game! Cool and energetic album.
Didn't know them before. Kind of enjoyed the raw proto punk vibes but also a fair bit of filler.
Weird and wonderful
I knew of the New York Dolls but never paid them any attention. That was a mistake. I can hear (and see) how the Dolls influenced the early albums by KISS and you can hear how The Rolling Stones influenced the Dolls. About a zillion bands credit the Dolls as an influence. All influences aside, I really enjoyed this album and will probably listen to it again.
Rock, RnR, 1973 -> 3
Enjoyable Listening
Ironically, this album sounds derivative of the dozens of arguably more famous bands who were clearly influenced by it. To me, it sounds like a 70s version of The Strokes with more energetic singing. I really enjoyed listening to this - it was trashy, messy, and a hell of a lot of fun.
This is great - Musically, I can hear Rolling Stones all over the record, but more punky and fun. It feels like a live record, which I really love.
You can hear how important this must have been, very obvious influence on the punk and hair-metal directions that rock went in during the 70s. So anti-mainstream that it bombed commercially at the time despite its enduring relevance, similar to Velvet Underground and Nico, and must have been hugely challenging in 1973. They really pushed some boundaries but it's still a fresh, fun ride to listen to with plenty of intensity Not 5* because I don't love the vocals but they do suit the style
this is like if the rolling stones couldn't sing (ie somehow more of a disgrace to the black origins of rock n roll). it's like punk music made exclusively by people who have been kicked in the head by horses
Tenía energía y me gustó en su época.
Classic
Love it, Trash is a song that has specific good memories for me!
Seventies punk that's just like a harder Rolling Stones.
Proto-punk. It’s cool I guess but doesn’t really stand out.
i don't get it. you're one of the founders of "punk". you're dressed as women and absolutely serving on the cover. todd rundgren produced your first album. you're foundational to independent music and have that coveted "favorite artist's favorite artist's" reputation. how are the New York Dolls this boring? it's not all bad. "lookin for a kiss", "trash", and "jet boy" are pretty good for what they are (garage band Rolling Stones worship). but what could i get from the whole album that The Stones or Alice Cooper don't already have? i'll take Raw Power over this any day. yes, even the Bowie mix.
2.75
Beautiful chaos of a record. The grit, the joy and the madness of that time in New York made into music.
#368. This sounds a bit like a bastard love child of Kiss and The Ramones or something, and not in a good way [if there ever could be a good way] 2/5: pass Song added to playlist: Personality Crisis I've created a playlist on Spotify that consists of the best and/or my favorite song from each of the albums in this book. This list can be found here if you are interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7MAXDGLWlwLkFLb8veGfkA?si=FqkQQPgZTFWG0jAUJXLFZA&utm_source=copy-link
Some dunce gulled me into thinking this was a “haircuts first band”, so I’ve missed out on this pleasure for decades. This belongs to a raunchy lineage of weirdos from Little Richard through MC5, the Stooges and maybe the best of the bunch, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, who tragically almost entirely exist as bootlegs. This doesn’t have any out-and-out revelations, but no song is dull, and most are fascinating - “Frankenstein” seems to avoid chorusing or climaxing out of some perverted need rather than lack - and I’m often caught out by a voice or guitar or some unidentified crash jumping out of the mix. The lyrics are stand out, really rare for me on this list, mainly because they’re the right kind of stupid-deranged. “Subway Train” might be the best train song I’ve heard on this list yet. I’ll be back here again. Yes, Simon, I do prefer this to “Exile…”, great call!
High marks for the influence of this album, slightly lower marks for its content after so many decades have passed. Still a great listen, but others ran with it and achieved greater results. That said, I bet Mark likes this better than "Exile On Main St." and he may have a point
why was this lowk fire. maybe im just in a good mood
5/10 - Idk it was fine, it was punk rock which is alright but nothing revolutionary.
More mediocre hard rock. Between a 2 and 3, going 3 because it wasn’t offensive
Day268 - the same boomers who fight against the gays and drag queens we’re listening to the dolls and wanting to be as cool as them. put them in the rock and roll hall of fame before they’re all dead.
OK straight forward rock music with mediocre vocal and pretty bad lyrics - very banal and repetitive.
Oh yeah, some good ol' glam punk. Love David Johansen and Johnny Thunders' sardonic writing, sneery vocals and guitars. It's not a perfect album but it's definitely a darn good one. With songs such as 'Personality Crisis' and 'Trash' being obvious highlights and classics, the rest of the album maintains the pace and interest throughout most of it's lenght. And now it bought a lot of respect for Todd Rundgren for me - as while I did already like his output - didn't know he was responsible for finally making this album work and making it sounds super cool in the process.
I'm always down to listen to punk bands that I'm not as familiar with, particularly ones I've heard are influences of bands I love. With a cool mix of Elton John and Sex Pistols vibes, the New York Dolls really caught my attention with this record. You don't often hear catchy piano riffs intermixed with the fast and loud punk sound, but they somehow made it work. Very fun listen! Notable Tracks - Personality Crisis - Frankenstein - Trash - Subway Train 6/10
Great example of this musical genre.
I get that this band was important to the development of Punk Rock, and I'm sure that people appreciated their music in the context of the time and place. However, today this album just sounds dated. Yes, the record is still lyrically striking, and the music is perfect for transmitting the energy and carrying the lyrics. But from the perspective of the modern listener, I'm better off listening to something from the million subgenres descended from Punk or, if I want a '70s band, something from Classic Rock. Unless you are specifically invested in the history of the movement, there is no reason to listen to some weird old-timey guys trying to do both at the same time.
I think the New York Dolls are who Kiss think they are or at least who they want to be. They are obviously not. New York Dolls have an authenticity to them. It’s straight forward but there is more urgency and dynamics to them than most of these punk rock 70s bands. I particularly like the middle of the album, Frankenstein and Trash 6.1/10
Always start an album with a guttural scream. More unhinged Rolling Stones. The first three songs were pretty generic classic rock. I enjoyed the softer 4th song Lonely Planet Boy. The perfect album to listen to 30 seconds of each song and move on to the next. 4/10
Made it all the way through but its a one and done for me.
Definitely hear the proto-punk right away. It sound like a later album than it is. It's funny to see how the album cover was shocking in the day when I would just be confused by it nowadays. I would have to agree that for a debut album the band has a decent and unique sound, and I can definitely see how they acquired their local following. Overall a fun listening experience. Favorite song: "Vietnamese Baby" Best representation of the album: "Frankenstein"
Never heard of them.
I've always admired the Dolls for their attitude and ability to bust out a rock 'n' roll song with swagger and gusto. Clearly they're a precursor and progenitor of some bands that had a serious impact on my musical life. But I've also never been able to fully endorse their records. 3 stars reaching for another.
This was fine enough punk-adjacent, glam rock. Several songs here made me think of Bowie a la Suffragette City (Looking For a Kiss, Frankenstein, Trash). Some others, like Vietnamese Baby, tapped into the punk aesthetic a bit deeper and reminded me a bit more of Gang Of Four. This was fine, but rarely exciting to me. Flirting with the 2/3 boundary for me. Nudging because I enjoyed more than I didn't.
aight punky album. 3 stars. punk sucks
On the better side of mediocre. A bit more variety than I was expecting, but never heard anything special
Singer is dumb, song structures are dumb generic punk
Some alright punk. Def sounded like it could be on a Tony Hawk soundtrack.
The New York Dolls basically invented Glam Punk with this album and that when Punk wasn't even a thing. This is the essence of combining the established Glam Rock with the slowly emerging movement that would later be called Proto-Punk. This album is raw, energetic, noisy and full of rebellious anthems that pathed the way for a new genre of music, influential to many, many bands. The album starts with 'Personality Crisis', a Rock n' Roll inspired and really manic intro to the song that is pretty much Punk Rock in its earliest true form. Musically, it's not really difficult and it's basic but the emotion and energy that is put in here is just amazing. The song is loud and the vocals sometimes escalate into something manic, unmatched on many other Punk records. It's such a fun song to listen to and undoubtably an incredible song, maybe even perfect if you're really into this. The slight inclusions of Hard Rock combined with the theatrical performance on 'Looking for a Kiss' is something really unique and definitely another song that's just pure fun to listen to. My main criticism is that the second half of the song feels a little to repetitive and it gets stale pretty quick. It's definitely not a bad track but I am not won over completely and I don't think it's much more than a pretty good song. 'Vietnamese Baby' has some really great songwriting. It builds up to the hook in such a nice way that the tension builds so well and once it does release it's really satisfying. The parts where the moog synth and the drums play together is just incredible as welland the song as a whole is just some really well made Glam Punk. The Punk stlye is pretty much thrown away on 'Lonely Planet Boy' which brings in some Folk and Acoustic into the still very Glam Rock sound. The vocals are sometimes a little goofy but the song doesn't really suffer from that, maybe because the song as a whole isn't really that interesting. It's not bad and there are some really nice moments but it doesn't fit, is a little too long and just isn't made all that great. It's an okay song but nothing more. The quite lengthy 'Frankenstein' brings in some Horrorpunk aesthetics with the story that really tries to give off a similar vibe to what a horror movie might have and I think it does work really well at some points. It's an incredible track and even with the length that it has, it still is really enjoyable all the way throughout without getting boring a single time. The albums second side is opened with 'Trash', another simply amazing song that feels very much like the Punk version of the Rolling Stones. The vocal delivery is at points very similar to that of Mick Jagger and I absolutely love it with this style of music. The song is so fun to listen to and just absolutely perfect throughout. It is without a doubt my favourite song on the album. Such a great performance from literally everyone involved with this track. The Blues Rock additions on 'Bad Girl' together with the loud and noisy guitars are really well integrated with the raw sound that this song just pushes even further. It's an absolutely crazy song with some really outstanding moments that make this another incredible song on the album even if the end gets a little unfocused and less manic in the delivery. 'Subway Train' tunes things a little back and even if the hook gets a little more energetic, it feels just off. The song feels unfinished and not like it ended up how the imagined it. The song turns out bland, uninspired and not really interesting at all. It just plays and sometimes feels like it doesn't work at all and goes right back to just playing. And the longer it goes, the more annoying it gets until the song end with me just feeling like this is just not a good song. The harmonica Blues at the start of 'Pills' gave me some hope that wasn't really fulfilled. The melody and the songwriting is nice and I can't help but groove along but it gets stale very quickly until I am no longer interested in what it does. It's an okay song, still, but I can't give it much more than that. Very similar story with 'Private World', the start and some of the ideas throughout are really interesting but the way they are used and get drowned out by some of the other instruments just destroys the reason the are there in the first place. The result feels off and gets annoying very quickly. The percussion especially is mixed way too loud and just makes my ears bleed (figuratively). It's straight up bad with only the hook and the energy saving it from being straight up terrible. The album ends with 'Jet Boy' which does pick things up again or rather isn't completely terrible. But really, the song isn't bad at all, it has some really enjoyable moments and the guitarwork as well as some of the screechy vocals are really amazing. It's mainly the way the song is put together and performed throughout that makes this a good song but far from great. favourites: Trash, Frankenstein, Personality Crisis least favourites: Private World, Subway Train Rating: light to decent 7 https://rateyourmusic.com/~Emil_ph for more ratings, reviews and takes
These guys were pretty good but it sounded pretty generic of the NY rock scene of the era - no songs jumped out at me. The guys kinda looked like the meme, "I want KISS; We have KISS at home". 6/10.
flash, trashy, vibrant and fabulous
Big attitude
Little too screamy for me
It was ok I guess. Didn't enjoy it so much.
01) Personality Crisis - 6,5 02) Looking for a Kiss - 6,0 03) Vietnamese Baby - 5,5 04) Lonely Planet Boy - 6,0 05) Frankenstein (Orig.) - 5,5 06) Trash - 6,5 07) Bad Girl - 5,5 08) Subway Train - 6,0 09) Pills - 5,5 10) Private World - 6,0 11) Jet Boy - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,86 (59/100) Current ranking: 250/302
Full to the brim with hard rock and attitude, but dotted with the odd introspective song (Lonely Planet Boy in particular). This isnt usually my thing, but I wound up enjoying it quite a bit more than I thought I would. It gives me vibes of Rolling Stones evolving to punk rock.
This album started and I did not enjoy it. All I could think was “There’s no way this guys singing career lasted more than a couple years”. By the end though these Dolls had completely charmed me! Really interesting and enjoyable song writing choices, open and honest lyrics and damned if his singing didn’t grow on me too. Good stuff!
A neat punk/rock sound from the 70s.
Kinda odd, but could see it being a 70's thing
I knew this would eventually happen. My propensity to give out three stars and have that mean "OK but Meh" to "Yeah, this is actually pretty good!" is finally here to burn me. Because there is nothing "wrong" with the New York Dolls, no technical faults, the musicians are solid, lyrics... But the punk movement has a serious side to it. Even the songs that were purposefully a bit tongue in cheek were laced with anti-establishment, rebellious edges. It was a social movement. I think of post-punk and Rage against the Machine and the "fuck you I won't do what you tell me" lyric that became more and more dead serious and rage inducing. We demand change! But with the Dolls? I never got that sense of seriousness, it is as if they thought "yeah, we can do this" and had fun and all but was any of it real? It is just not there for me.
Not bad!
Aww fuck yeah! L-U-V 5/5
A fun proto punk album. I enjoyed it
This one was a lot of fun and I had no idea who this band was
Nothing spectacular outside of early punk. Thankful that Johnny Thunders went on to create the Heartbreakers - but aside from that? Meh.
This is ok I guess, the guys voice really grates
I bought this CD second hand from the late great Avalanche Records in Glasgow in 2004 because I liked that the cover had cross dressers on it. It blew my 14 year old mind because it was so different from everything I’d ever heard before. Since then I’ve heard the bands who have lapped them - and their better contemporaries- but I really loved revisiting this glam, gross, gorgeous record.
This is great rock-'n'-roll. 5
An interesting album. Sounds to me like a mix of Thin Lizzy and punk music. I could see this being a big influence on later bands.
A pretty good CD by a very mediocre talent band. Fin amd cool to see as a novelty in the 70s punk scene and david johanson a good frontman this album is very good and one everyone must listen although its not great
Raw, hard driving, stripped down, raucous, pre-punk rock. I enjoyed this quite a lot. Pretty awesome, high energy stuff.
1. criziz - 1.5 2. kizz - 1.5 3. baby - 1.5 4. boy - 1 5. frank - 1 6. trazh - 1 7. bad girl - 1 8. train - 1 9. pillz - 1 10. private - 1 11. jet - 1
Impactful? Yes. Just not my cup of tea.
This was pretty good. Never listened to more than a couple songs of theirs before.
meh protopunk. Nothing I heard felt very revolutionary to the scene, and songs were very similar sounding.
3/5
This was pretty badass. The grittiness of the New York City underground in the 70s was palpable here. I'm not sure I could take much more than 45 minutes or so of this at a time, but this brief album was a great listen. 4.5 stars
So I'm not sure this is "good" but it is certainly fun! Definitely don't think they are especially talented musicians but they definitely have a specific sound/attitude that makes up for it for me. I'm hoping I can take that attitude into other punk albums. We will see though because from what I read this is more of a precursor to punk so maybe I like it because it's a bridge to the genre? Some of it is genuinely catchy though. I liked "Personality Crisis", "Looking For A Kiss", "Trash", "Bad Girl", "Pills" , and "Jet Boy". 6/11 isn't too bad considering this it outside of my typical wheel house. "Trash" and "Personality Crisis" are particularly catchy to me of that list. I think this is probably most accurately a 3.5 because 4 feels too high, and 3 feels too low. I'll go with a 4 because I like that this pushed me out of my comfort zone a bit.
More glammy rock? Slade in a public toilet? Or a pre-cursor to punk? The Sex Pistols are always viewed as original, but this is halfway there. Less posey-sounding than, again, Slade, as well. It's not life-changing or complex. By 'Trash' and 'Bad Girl', it wears your patience a bit. Too many weak songs, really. 'Pills' is poor. 'Personality' is more appealing, catchier. The energy is contagious, if basic. Quite a lot of fun. 'Jet Boy' is a fun ending after a bunch of filler songs.
Very goof High 3
Like this, particularly Personality Crisis. It sounds far too rough to be American.
Not really a fan of this one at all.
totally classic album
The title of track 6 sums up this album perfectly for me 1.25
It's alright punk music. I don't regret listening to it but I don't need to hear it again. Didn't hate it but didn't really like it either.
If someone went back in time and killed the butterfly who flapped its wings and set off the events that made New York Dolls a success, would that mean we’d be spared all the insufferable imitators of this vocal style? The band is fine. Can’t stand the singing.
Fav: Frankenstein Least Fav: Bad Girl
It seems punk just doesn’t do it for me. The will is there but I just can’t. I started off liking this album then it kind of all started to merge into one. Want to give it a 2.5
Good fun! No wonder parents got all weird in the 70's.
Some of the better Punk I've heard here, and Personality Crisis really clicked, but Punk is Punk, so it can only go so far.
Fun punk-ish music, but the entire album is just one song on repeat. 2.5, rounded up to 3 because it's not bad, just boring.
This was better than I expected it to be. It's a little scary seeing that you got an album you don't know from a band you've never heard of, and on top of it all, they're in drag. But like I said, it was rockin'. Favorite track: Trash
Classic punk album
Meh. Didnt hate it.
Wouldn't have thought that I like so much screaming
Angry, raunchy, camp - I like the energy
No spark but familiar sounds
Fun album, a little too rock and roll and not enough punk for me for it to be a go to for me. Will I listen to again: 60%
I never understood the appeal of the New York Dolls. They are called proto-punk, but contemporaries like Stooges and MC5 make superior music.
It's not bad, interesting sound (I keep thinking Elton John if he tried punk), just not really my vibe.
I'm sure seeing this group live was something special - but the studio recordings just don't really do it for me.
The past, the present and the future mingle in this one. Iconic opener "Personality Crisis" winks to the contemporary glam-rock shenanigans occurring on the other side of the pond in 1973 (think Mott The Hopple and Bowie) ; there are sprinkles of T-Rex's boogie and Steppenwolf's road rage in closer "Jet Boy" ; the infectious "Trash", with its instantly likeable high-pitched background vocals, both hearkens back to the early days of rock'n'roll and foretells the 1977 punk revolution ; and so do "Looking For A Kiss", "Vietnamese Baby" and "Subway Train", equal parts Rolling Stones and The Sex Pistols--it's no wonder the New York Dolls' Johnny Thunders would soon partake in said punk revolution across the Atlantic with his own Heartbreakers, even if that's a story for another time, kiddies... "Vietnamese Baby" also logically picks the proto-punk ball that The Stooges had just dropped in those years, which leads us to the sinister "Frankenstein" a couple of tracks later--an incredible centerpiece not only impressive because of its ominous atmosphere, but also because of how its noisy and apocalyptic contents directly point towards what another legendary New York outfit, Sonic Youth, would start to accomplish a decade later... So yeah, this debut is an angular stone for sure. *Very* angular at times. But beyond its pivotal place between classic rock and punk, what makes it stand out today is the reckless, raunchy, devil-may-care artistry and performance on it. Just like the record's provocative artwork showing the Dolls in drag--exactly how the band looked onstage, I hear--its proceedings give you the feeling that danger lurks around the corner at all times. The dynamic tracklisting, cohesive enough to dig a clear groove throughout, yet also varied in its different intents and moods, is to thank for that. And Todd Rundgren's simple and straightforward production is to be praised as well--the band claimed they sounded even wilder live, but given where Rundgren comes from as a rather "baroque" musician enjoying all sorts of mannerism in his own work, the results could have been far less appropriate than what we ultimately had. What matters is that the guitar work is "dirty" enough, with quite a few messy details here and there to make that whole monster of an album come alive in front of your incredulous eyes and ears. Aptly "Frankenstein'-like, as if made out of the disparate, most outrageous bits and pieces of the history of rock'n'roll, from both days yonder and the ones to come... To put it in a nutshell, freaks will "get" this record for sure, and instantly perceive why it should not be confused with most other dad-rock LPs from the early seventies--you think your average "dad-rock" can post that sort of album cover on Facebook anyway??? 😄 As for the other listeners, well, they can get kicked by a platform boot and go find their pleasure elsewhere. After all, there are all sorts of kinks for everyone out there in this list. Even if I doubt a lot of them sound as fun or wild as the transgressive pleasures offered through this seminal album... 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list, rounded up to 5 4.5/10 grade for more general purposes (5+4.5). Number of albums left to review: 130 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 377 (including this one). Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 223 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 281
good early/proto-punk. but eh overall 3.5
A load of fun here. Good, hearty androgynous rock. Weirdly, the main thing I knew about them was that they were Morrissey's favourite band growing up. It's tricky to see the influence really.
Cool album. You can see how both punk rock and hard rock picked up where the Dolls left off.
New York Dollsissa yllättää aina se, että biisit eivät kuulosta niin mielikuvituksekkailta kuin bändin ulkomuoto. Ehkä sitä odottaa musiikistakin shokkia. Sitä ei tule, eikä toki tarvitsekaan, mutta kaipaisin jotain selvää persoonaa mukaan. Ihan kuin jotain jäisi puolitiehen, vaikka into ja tunnelma ovat mukana; biisejä olisi voinut työstää enemmän? (Mulla oli kyllä huonot kuulokkeet tälle, musa meni puuroksi.) Vaatinee useamman kuuntelukerran, jotta tenho löytyy.
Tämä LP ei ole koskaan kuulostanut näin hyvältä - outoa, mutta en valita. JT:n kitara olisi sellaisenaan tutkimusaihe, mutta myös biisit ovat pääosin vahvoja ja ihmeen persoonallisia - kuin Johansen olisi puolitietoisesti seurannut materiaalin sisäistä jännitettä ulkoisen muodon sijasta. Voidaan toki kysyä, mitä merkitsee se, että levyyn tykästymiseen voi mennä vuosia. Mutta juuri nyt en kysy!
Why didn't we listen to these guys more back then, this is great stuff. Love it, 4 stars!
Reminds me of a rougher version of the Rolling Stones. Not for me.
I understand why it was influential to the punk scene but it's still not my jam
Kinda sounds like Great White with a shitty lead singer. Not a fan.
This was pretty fun. I can see why it was influential at the time. There's an outside chance I'll return to it someday, so it will just barely get a 3.
This album has an fantastic sense of fun about it - I can fully believe Sylvain Sylvain's view that producer Rundgren captured their live feel. Despite being labelled 'Mock Rock' by a UK TV presenter back in the day, this is a fine debut album that had a great influence on subsequent punk acts, especially those of New York. From the opening track onwards there's a huge energy rush in this album, in large part due to David Johansen's enthusiastic singing. Luv the album.
Shrug,not for me
Fun album that paved the way for so many of my favorite bands. I don't enjoy it on the 5 star level but it's too important not to assign it a 5.
Crude musicianship and youthful attitude. While a commercial failure, it was an influential precursor to the 1970s punk rock movement
New York Dolls (and their producer The Runt) delivered proto-punk in the early 1970s rivaled only by The Stooges. Raunchier than the Stones, looser than the Ramones, and louder than just about everyone. Absolutely required listening for any fan of garage, punk, or post-punk.
Rock but forgettable
No doubt influential. But also no doubt that it sounds awful. I’m so bored of how similar most of the albums on this list sound.
Found this very repetitive. Didn't really do anything for me.
Punk is just too fun to score low.
I liked this album. Glam punk. It reminds me of Social D. 2.6
Proto-Punk at its finest
5 Great album 👍🏻
Awesome. I’ve heard this a lot. The singer sounds like he’s slobbin’ on a knob. 4.5
Good, soft 4
Reffilegt albúm - einhvers konar blanda af pönki, rokki og glamrokki. Fíla þetta.
I'll never forget hearing this record for the first time. I'd been reading Please Kill Me, and I played this over and over in the house in the gulch with the dogs running around and the outbuilding full of rotting trash. Frankenstein is a bit plodding, but everything else on here is absolutely stellar. The back half is fantastic. David Johansen is making excellent folk music these days, by the way. It's better than Buster Poindexter, even. Anyway, classic slab of trashy proto-punk sleaze rock here. Lurve.
Another album that should be one of my favourites but somehow misses the mark for me. It's clearly the influence for some of my favourite artists from the Smiths, to the Strokes but I can't say that I love it. I still really like it and enjoyed it, but wished it clicked with me more. Cool, gritty, flamboyant and bluesy, this is 70s New York in 11 tracks. 23/06/24
3.2/5 listened 2x
Not being a bug punk fan, it's pretty good. I can see going back to it in the right mood. It's easy to hear how it influenced many that would come after it.
There is nothing good here
This is hard rock that sounded like punk which is a genre I don’t like very much. It was okay but the tracks were hit and miss for me Listens: 2 Fave Track: Trash Rating: 3
Stones-esque sound. Definitely a lead into punk but with much of the original rock influence. Solid album, nothing special.
While I can respect them as musicians, this album did absolutely nothing for me and I couldn't wait for it to end. It was very boring and mind numbing.
Not bad, very entrenched in it's genre. Enjoyable
This doesn’t really do anything for me.
Interesting and solid album. A little quirky, but in a good way. Was definitely worth a listen and will probably investigagte more.
Great album. Established the template for so much of what was to follow.
Love it. Glam punk. Glunk.
Blah! Why?
Interesting...
Hmm... a band that prominently performed in drag and were often rejected by labels out of fear they were gay? On the first of June?! Wow. Of all the coincidences pertaining to this project, this may be one of the funniest yet. As for the album itself? I didn't really care for it much. It's a pretty run-of-the-mill 70s hard rock album. The singing is okay. Not bad, but it doesn't really stand out. The instrumental sound is solid. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with it. It, again, just doesn't stick in my head. The writing is 70s rock writing. They sing about drugs and women. What a surprise. Overall, It definitely feels like an early Rolling Stones album. I don't really like early Rolling Stones that much. I see the value in the album, but it doesn't really appeal much to me myself. High 2/5.
I was looking forward to hearing this one since many bands I enjoy were influenced by this band, KISS, Motley Crue, Guns 'n' Roses, etc. It was more punk and shouty than I was expecting. I did enjoy some of it. Favorite tracks were the first and last (Personality Crisis and Jet Boy). Overall, it was a bit disappointing considering my high hopes. I might revisit it later.
Apart from the glam bits it was pretty good. Clearly influential on future punk, and that's enough to grab 3 stars
Album rips. I like Trash and Frankenstein.
Pure, straight ahead head rock and roll. No frills in the music. Love the guitar tones.
I dug it. This would have been totally awesome live.
An okay album, at lot sounded similar. I did like Trash and Personality Crisis.
A most influential album for the American Punk scene. You can hear the origins of so many of the greats, television, Ramones, and early Misfits and Racid can all be heard here. The album is gritty, yet somehow well polished. There's an aggressive undertone that carry through the whole album that satisfies the old punk in me.
3/5. Dang, way more punk than I thought. I do like the loud and different energy but it can be a little much sometimes. I do enjoy some instances of it and I dig the choice to dress in drag to follow that punk mindset. And to clarify, I love the Kiss and Stooges energy, it just doesn't work with all of the songs on the album. Some of the songs are just not well written. Maybe it'll grow on me but not right now. Best Song: Personality Crisis, Vietnamese Baby, Jet Boy
3.75
Everyone is saying how influential this album was. I'm sure they're right. It's also a great album.
Very nice!
Great. Punky stones. 84/100
American punk. About as good as Brit punk. Nothing special here.
Några schyssta låtar finns det.
Mostly much ado about not terribly much, primarily because it's so performative and derivative — playacted Bowie, Stones, Mott, T Rex, bit of Velvets — and feels more like a something/anything than the thing itself. There is a high degree of tedium for all the sleaze, when one can be forgiven for expecting flash and glamor. “Frankenstein” is scary bad and “Trash” aptly named. Feels a bit too gritty to be glam and occasionally too poppy (soft and tame) to be punk. The outfits are stupid and this is a band one can safely forget about however long one has before death. “Lonely Planet Boy” “Subway Train,” “Jet Boy” are the only passable cuts. The fakery and posturing make the Strokes seem singer-songwriter-level earnest and authentic. That Malcolm McLaren learned from them sounds about right – and probably poetic justice for all concerned. Ultimately feels like Kiss – a concept packaged and marketed to a cohort that no doubt liked to think itself as much more sophisticated than Kiss fan.
It was….ok? I think you had to be there
Never been a huge fan of New York punk, but this is pretty cool
Trash. 1.63
It’s so easy to like a band that openly played gigs in drag at the height of casually accepted homophobia. The music itself is decent punk. Everything sounds charmingly messy, and the vocals show so sign of singing lessons. I’d possibly enjoy this less if not for the whole drag thing, but I’ve found myself having a soft spot for the New York Dolls.
Much less annoying than expected -- some songs are actually enjoyable.
1973 is too early for punk, but this must have gone a long way to inventing the genre. It's hard rock, but with a punk attitude. The best of both worlds. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Personality Crisis Date listened: 17/05/24
Personality Crisis Trash
Excellent album with a huge influence. Very varied instrumentals that create an interesting sound. If only the band could have developed further.
Favorite Tracks: Personality Crisis Jet Boy