Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Thought I was going to love this. Didn't. Sometimes the things that inspire things you love don't inspire you quite the same.
💘 I Got You Babe (Sonny & Cher cover) 💘 Back to Africa 💘 California Sun (Joe Jones cover)
Gross!
another example of just guys being dudes in the studio
Would listen again for sure
p338. 1975. 2 stars. I don't buy in to the theory that this was the origin of punk. It's an average US band with average songs, producing an average album. There are good reasons this didn't sell at the time.
Enjoyed this. Back to Africa followed by Master Race Rock made me a little uneasy. I think I like punk more than I’ve realized.
This was a lot of fun. Felt a little like an American thin lizzy but with a goofier vibe. I have come out against punk as a genre in other posts but this reminded me it can be fun when done with just the right amount of tongue and cheek, and it helps when the band can actually play. I loved the Sonny and Cher cover and there were some pretty rocking guitar parts. I’d never heard of these guys at all, which just confirms my earlier point: we Americans don’t know what to do with wryness in rock music
Lets call this Dad-Pop-Punk? I loved this. Simple songs that packed a punch in a 35 min package. I imagine bringing this record to a friends party in 1975 and getting everyone fucking psyched to have a monkey-hour. Favorites: Teengenerate, I Got You Babe
Pretty fun! Like unabashedly silly, but also some good layered guitar parts. Won't be back to this often, but these guys are goofballs and I love it.
Really fun album. Had never heard before, but am definitely a fan!
Deliciously silly punk!
This album was fine. Fun, but not essential.
Simple fun
An okay album, I liked Two Tub Girl the most.
I love a good proto-punk band. Especially ones from Queens that like to do covers of "California Sun."
I have a hard time thinking there is going to be a punk album that I'll end up liking more than this one. It is unabashedly swinging at so many societal standards in such a simple and otherwise enjoyable manner that ends up feeling way more fun than the other punk records I've listened to. And at the end of the day, that's usually what I want when I'm listening to music. Highlights: I Got You Babe Weekend (I Live For) Cars and Girls Lowlights: Master Race Rock California Sun
171/1001 First listen. Probably a trip in its day. Certainly closer to what I like than most of what this list has to offer but I don’t know why I would play this again. Also, how is this punk? 4/10
Protopunk, my arse! This is what would have been called "pub rock" in the UK. Pretend punks, playing at being rebels. Bantz isn't funny. Really, really bad.
Gotta be in a mood for this I guess, had it as background music while camping and it was more noise than it was enticing. Punk rock from the uk style on point but it just felt forgettable
None of these recent albums have hit for me, so maybe I’m feeling generous here. 2.5 rounded up.
I liked the covers, rest was ok. 2.5 rounded up.
This one was a real surprise. I've never heard of this band, and unknown proto-punk is not typically my idea of a good time. But the songs here are catchy and strong, and I was shocked to learn they're still releasing music.
Great!
Couldn’t tell you what this album is about if batman held a gun to my head
Old-school rock album, decent lyrics
Enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would… Second half was much better than the first with some fun songs. Overall songs were good but maybe a bit long and repetitive individually
Didn't really stand out for me
Boring glam rock. I've committed to listening to all albums in full but this is the first one I've genuinely looked forward to ending.
I don’t really care that it’s the first punk album ever. Not for me.
Not a fan
This was very fun! I love the sound, unsurprisingly. The guitar at the end of Weekend was especially nice. Lyrics are very silly and dumb and I'd have to listen again more carefully to form more of an opinion than that :D
Not bad. Not bad at all.
Rock and roll with a twist of punk.
These guys don't take themselves seriously and neither should you. They can swing, they'll make you dance and sing, they got no style and no taste, they dance, sweat, and stink.
Enjoyed this...reminded me of D Squad.
3.2
Fun, rough quirky-personality rock album, maybe a not-as-interesting follower to something like the New York Dolls, but still entertaining
Best Song: California Sun. Nice energy, especially liked the hellacious drum rhythm. Worst Song: I Got You Babe. When punk bands (or any heavy bands, really) cover pop songs for a laugh, it just feels like a waste of time. They never even attempt to give it a proper effort, as though they think the sheer fact that a band like them is covering a song like this is enough to be worth it. Here, as in most such cases, it is not. Overall: This feels like it must be in the list for historical reasons. I understand that they were influential in the development of punk, but by modern standards they're okay at best.
They came, they had big hair, they didn't take themselves seriously (I hope) and sounds like they had fun. Worth a listen but unlikely a repeat performance.
Good classic rock and roll
Solid guitar licks but poor singing and sound quality (sounds live) - terrible cover of I Got You Babe - would not listen to again
Dit zou één van de eerste punk albums zijn, maar tegelijkertijd klinkt het een beetje alsof het een parodie is op punk, wat dan onmogelijk zou zijn. Dus ik vind het in die zin een wat vreemd album. Wel geinig voor een keer, maar het is ook niet dat ik zeg van nou nou, zo zo. Album lijkt iets langer dan het daadwerkelijk is. De nummers zijn met een geschat gemiddelde lengte van 4 minuten wat aan de lange kant voor wat punk zou moeten zijn.
This was a weird one but it had some catchy tunes!
3.5
Not bad. The Sonny and Cher song remake was good. Not sure I would listen to this again, though.
It's fine. It's alright. It's kinda fun but that's about it.
Day808 - so you’re telling me this isn’t kiss?i might have to listen a few more times cause i like the silliness of it
Pretty silly, but the musicianship was decent throughout. The lyrics are a bit whatever, but it's a solid album.
Nah, not interested 2/5
Kinda juvenile but fun. The more early US punk I get given the more I realize I like it
Nothing but punk-rock fun. And the guitar playing is solid.
They were always my least favorite of the early New York scene. Obviously quite influential but their music isn’t that fun to listen to. Knowing what the band was all about is more important than the music itself. I’ve only got 100 albums left so will be quite irritated if this makes it over Richard Hell and the Voidoidz. Rating: 1.9
Crazy good album, similar to 1950 rock. This is a short but a very pleasurable album, not a one that stick out.
Short and not very sweet.
It’s funny how 50 years can mellow something that must of been nuts when it came out! I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would as American “punk” can be a bit shit!
One of those albums that was fine to listen to but I’ll probably never revisit and forget about.
2.5/5
Initially interested having never heard of this band or album and seeing the cover art made me think this was a comedy album or some send up. I was a little worried when I saw track titles like "Back to Africa" and "Master Race Rock" but again, thought maybe this would be a send up. Maybe I wasn't listening close enough but it didn't feel as obviously send up as I think (hope) it was intended to be. Didn't really enjoy anything about this and was happy when it was over and I could move on to listening to something else.
So if I'm reading Wikipedia correctly, this was a heavy metal parody band that accidentally helped invent punk? Cool, I guess. For me, they're not quite dumb enough to be funny, and the music is neither good enough to be impressive nor bad enough to be amusing. I feel like it's one of those parodies that is close enough to the target that it's hard to be certain it's actually intended as parody.
Reminds me of being in high school and going to watch local bands in tiny clubs, except some of those bands were good. This was painful.
This was entirely new to me, fun listen of its era
Some fun songs in there, but also some stinkers. Overall, I did like the album, but I wouldn't listen to it another time I think. Still, a fun one, better than I expected. 6 / 10
The final 'missing link' between Glam Rock and Punk Rock? Maybe the secret ingredient was the little bit of California surf thrown in the mix? Weird add for a New York band, but I'm not going to complain. You can hear influence from KISS, The Stooges, and David Bowie. You can also hear so many punk bands that would come after this - The Ramones will also record a version of "California Sun", if you want to make direct comparisons. Early band photos, and jacket of their second record, Manifest Destiny, confirm their existence at the transition between Glam Rock showmanship and the rough and tumble working-class aesthetics that will later dominate Punk Rock. A few of these songs haven't aged well, and Dick Manitoba may live up to his name, but it's impossible to ignore how pivotal this album/band are in the timeline of rock & roll. A wildly informative listen. Personal notables: "The Next Big Thing" "I Got You Babe" "California Sun" "(I Live For) Cars and Girls"
Bonus points for influencing the birth of punk and bringing (albeit dated and questionable in execution) humour to their art. But not a great album, I'm glad they walked so others could run, I'm not coming back to this at any point again however.
I’d somehow never heard of The Dictators before today. And they seem to be a key set of figures in the early days of punk. I mean, this album pre-dates the first albums released by The Ramones, The Sex Pistols or The Clash. I can hear that CBGBs New York punk rock sound all over this record. The guitars are big and loud, the melodies are simple and punchy, and there’s a raw, unpolished energy to everything. It’s not just about the sound (or the accents). Irreverent humour is front stage too. That sarcastic, anarchic sense of humour runs through everything from the way they presented themselves, to their stage names, to the between-song rants, to their covers of songs by the likes of Sonny & Cher. You can hear echoes of it far beyond the 70s punk scene too. That juvenile, chaotic sense of humour feels like a clear precursor to bands like the Beastie Boys, who share a similarly sarcastic, pop-culture-obsessed style. It’s a lot of fun to listen to, and you can imagine just how much craic it would have been to see these guys perform in a place like CBGBs back in the mid-70s. But while I enjoyed everything, it got a little “samey” after a while and I can’t really see myself coming back to this very often. Still, that’s what I love about this project. I never heard of these guys before today, and now I know more about a group that definitely had an influence on a lot of the punk bands that I grew up listening to. 3.5 stars
Not bad.
Not bad but thats about it. Kinda fun but its just hard to really be all in.
I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would, its fun and doesnt take itself seriously. Lacks anger to be defined as punk, cheesy rock.
Simple and fun with some wicked guitar. I quite enjoyed this!
Fun
Early punk. Sounds like the ramones
It’s brash, crude, snotty and has some really fun riffs. Handsome Dick Manitoba serves up some teenage humour on Go Girl Crazy and I would have been all over it as a teen. I can still appreciate it now as I’m not fully grown up just yet. Innovators of the snotty punk game, without the Dictators we may have never had one of my fave dumb pop punk bands of my teens, Blink 182 or present day Viagara Boys. Good fun and dumb. 3 stars
This album confused me immensely. Was it comedy? Farce? Punk? Are they racists?!?! WTH is happening. So I’ve never heard of them before but I bet that most of the punk bands in the late 70s and 80s have and that’s good enough for me. 5/10
Light hearted and low stakes punk. I love a good punk record, and this certainly is one. It rarely gets as political as something like the clash, and when it does, it’s masked by obvious sarcasm and stupid humor. The good kind of stupid humor. This album isn’t super insightful like other punk albums, but it’s really fun. And it’s one of the first punk rock albums! It’s super ahead of its time. The guitars are awesome too.
next dictators isch no funny. aha es isch nomel es proto punk album, de dimery het das glaub no gern??! i got sou babe isch es luuuustigs cover haha. ich check nöd zu 100% wiso das do isch aber california sun isch fun was macht ihren drummer ufem ride what the heellll ich has sehr zerstücklet glost es isch sehr fun aber es nume e 3. zu afoch rock.
ok ich liebs albumcover vill en melodischere ahfang als ich erwartet han AAAH jz chunnt de punk-rhythmus inne hahaha he es isch punk rock master race rock findi jz echt na cool, chli wirri lyrics aber das isch sicher extra oke ich han scho easy spass hahahahah HAHAHA BEACH BOYS hans gad 2 mal durreglost. macht würkli mega spass und han sicher scho meh chönne zwüsche de songs underscheide hahaha
Kicking ass with a shit eatin' grin!
Is good. Nothing crazy.
Was going to write it off until I saw how early this came out. Interesting as proto-punk. Some fun songs.
Yeah, this is further evidence that I just don't like punk very much, insofar as this appears to be proto-punk and I'm not a fan. I think the thing that I see in punk reflected here is that I found myself going 'Not much of real substance here, is there?'
3.5
Solid
A hugely silly album. Garage Rock, covers, ludicrous lyrics. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with this, it’s got a stooges energy but more chaotic. It’s MC5 with politics replaced with vague teenage rebellion. Did enjoy listening to it? Yeah. Do I feel improved after doing so? Not so much
there are so many lyrics on this album that are on a VERY fine line
I don't like it, I don't get it. I could try harder but I don't want to.
I tried setting aside time to listen to his album on the proper day, but various circumstances kept coming up at home which pushed it back until the next morning at work. There is a saying I often think about it when it comes to early or influential albums (I do not know who first spoke it, but I heard it from Todd in the Shadows' review of Pop Muzik): being right too early is often indistinguishable from being wrong. I definitely agree with that sentiment in the context of this debut album from The Dictators. Cited as an early example of punk movements to come, I can definitely hear these musical qualities in the bands' oddball songwriting sensibilities, full of sarcastic and irreverent lyrics with occasionally deliberately non-melodic shouted sections which remind of Sleaford Mods. While those seeds of punk sensibility are definitely planted here, they just don't fully sprout on this album, leaving it feeling a little unsatisfying and not fully realized. The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! is a fun listen, and it deserves the recognition it has received in retrospect, but countless bands will go on to this style more effectively than The Dictators do. Highlights: The Next Big Thing, Teengenerate, California Sun, Two Tub Man, Weekend
I think they are trying to be light, dumb and sarcastic but also maybe its not the best look. Nothing really is amazing, it is just sort of okay. It just feels meh
They sound like KISS: dull and dumb. This exists solely for straight white 16 year old boys. Other than things feeling slightly racist (reviewing the lyrics answers nothing one way or the other on that), I can’t really comment further. There’s simply nothing interesting going on here.
These guys were apparently influential in the early punk sound, so that's cool. I can appreciate that they don't take themselves very seriously, it adds a levity to their music. The covers on here were fun, especially California Sun. I liked Weekend too. Nothing to really love, but it was enjoyable enough for a 3.
This is pretty good! It's good fun and quite consistent. 3.5 rounded down.
Not bad. I always thought The Dictators had a female lead singer but I guess not
I kind of dig it.
This was better than I was expecting. Still not great by any means but not bad.
Normally I consider myself a punk and punk rock lover, but I really couldn't find anything that spoke to me here. It didn't really have anything meaningful to say, but when it tried to be funny and tongue in cheek, it did not hit for me. The vocalist came off as annoying as well, but there were a few nice guitar riffs/solos, and that was all there was to show for it. I respect it as an early example of punk, but I did not enjoy it.
This was a fun album
Always liked this one. Goofy protopunk stuff that regularly, unexpectedly adds in interesting musical detours. Never realized how major lead songwriter Andy Shernoff was in not only the direction of The Dictators but also later Joey Ramone stuff. He's got a real ear for the pop songwriting/thresher guitar work that Joey Ramone was still fond of merging together. The California Sun cover on here was a major favorite of mine in high school. And despite its MAD Magazine ass lyrics, Back to Africa is putting in some power chord work that any rock band would have been jealous of. I found Teengenerate kind of affecting on this listen too. It's been a long time since I listened to this in full and while it's definitely not as rich of a text as the Ramones, there's a lot of great stuff on here. I've never forgotten Master Race Rock, a really good pisstake on the Nazis by a couple of funny Jewish guys, with the immortal chorus "We're the members of the master race/we got no style and we got no grace" One of the core essences of NYC punk music. Favorite Tracks: Teengenerate, Master Race Rock, California Sun, The Next Big Thing
Rowdy, goofy proto-punk that plays loose and, much of the time, is produced pretty badly. It has an endearing charm even though the lyrics sound like they were written by a third grader. Really enjoyed the rollicking "Two Tub Man" and the weird covers of "I Got You Babe" and "California Sun." They're like a missing link between early rock and punk.
Nothing all that unique, leans pretty heavily into other contemporaries like Alice Cooper and even Kiss, and the production is meh. Theyre hardly the Stooges in terms of impact on punk, but fun for what it is. Dated as hell at times with songs like Back to Africa, yikes. But still, solid shredding, catchy choruses, pretty enjoyable even if it's not game-changing.
I always wondered about the band that forced the Canadian electronic artist to change his name from Manitoba to Caribou. Coincidentally, I also live in the province of Manitoba. This band is...fine, I guess.
2.5
Probably good live not feeling it.
Simple but fun punk album. Enjoyable and with decently fun riffs and occasionally pretty funny vocals. Pretty basic but energetic and entertaining. 7/10
Punky. I think this is good.
Cracking stuff!
Worth it for the guitar solo in Master Race Rock alone. Rude, crude and totally out of control, the Dictators are the comic book villains of punk rock. I can understand why someone would hate this, but I think it is stupid, teenage fun.
if you're told of it's importance related to being one of the first punk albums, it's noticeable in the way it sounds. but if you don't know, the album despite that, its good and funny. Nothing to call home about, but i think it's funny that nowadays an album about hamburgers, chicks, cars, and the most controversial stuff, getting high on friday afternoon, feels quite tame and casual.
Not really my vibe. There are some fun songs but nothing I feel like I need to listen to again.
loads of fun!
How have I never heard of this band? Pretty rocking and funny
Never heard of the dictators before. They definitely have good energy. They sound a lot like the hair metal bands of the 80's to me. It's a bit of fun, if unspectacular. There's also some of that punk rock weirdness about it, too. Two Tub Man starts with a riff that sounds very similar to a certain famous AC/DC song, too. They were very clearly inspired by The Dictators. I also wanna shout out the cover of I got You Babe. Very transformative, I love a good transformative cover version.
Never heard it before but loved the garage rock style
Their wikipedia page is a good deal more interesting than this album and the album ain't bad.
i don’t know exactly how i feel about it. some songs creeped me out for some random reason. i’m not sure why because some of them were cute but certain noises were just weird.
Don’t like this much
did not like the energy
Made me uncomfortable the whole time that I couldn't finish it. Though I do like the 'Handsome Dick Manitoba' wind breaker on the album cover.
Really solid, raw Rock'N'Roll
Yet another subpar male late 70s rock band
Too Loud™️
Ridiculous, immature and annoyingly enjoyable
I like the cover of California Sun and that’s where I know these guys from. I like how they add their own words for “and I <activity>”. The Ramones’ cover of California Sun is much better though!
protopunk baguncinha não tem erro né papo reto
hard rock proto-punk completamente besta???? lindo demais passaria facinho como trilha sonora do bully ou qualquer besteirol adolescente oitentista. coisa boa demais, rapidinho, não se leva a sério, guitarrada decente, só alegria!!!
This was pretty cool. The time when Rock was starting to veer off and turn into punk was a cool time. This sounds like the Clash but before the clash and on our side of the pond. I was pretty impressed with the simple instrumentation and punchy vocals. It all aged pretty well... maybe not the lyrics.
Dated lyrics aside this was pretty basic proto-pop-punk from the 70's Mostly memorable for the cover of I Got You, which made me laugh. The singers voice is appropriately ridiculous and the musicians are all good enough for this.
Kind of fun, pre-Ramones (I think) punk rock. Unpretentious. I quite like it but wouldn't say it's Art or even Must Hear.
An early punk album that I like so much more than what punk evolved into. This was a lot of fun! I like proto-punk a whole lot more than fully realized punk.
Was gonna give my whole yadda yadda spiel about how punk doesn’t do much for me again but there’s some pretty damn good written songs on here! Too bad they’re called… that. “Master race rock” absolutely slams but I can’t be saying those words in that order in a public space. That being said there’s still some punk fluff that doesn’t do it for me but this is certainly one of the better ones so far! Sorry punks fans I just don’t get it.
This was alright, reminded me of New York Dolls, mix of glam and early punk. Wouldn't say I loved it though, I found it a bit silly. I like punk to have attitude and be anti establishment... Not parodying the Beach Boys. Punch up next time!
Pretty basic rock and roll album.
Fun and silly. Rocky Horror Picture Show minus the musical genius and hot Tim Curry.
6.0/10
Thought this was fun. Like the energy. Amused by the rendition of ‘I got you babe’ and strains of linked Beach Boys at times. Had an immediate connection with it, simples but interesting. Would listen again. ‘let’s Go!’ 4 Number of tracks: 9 Fave track: 4, Master Race Rock 11/2/26
The opening chords presage The Ramones, which would come a few years later. The Sonny & Cher cover that came up next made me snort! I instantly thought of Viva Las Vegas as done by DK. So perfect, way ahead of it's time. Loving it! Later tracks indicate this is a product of its time, Master Race Rock may raise some eyebrows, it feels very tongue in cheek, but prepare yourself.
Fun energy. Boarding on classic rock and early punk stuff. The more the album went the more I thought these guys sound fun, I would've loved to hear them first as an opener and then buy their album and tell my friends they should check it out. Not sure I think that album is perfect start to finish (which is my criteria for 5 stars: perfect start to finish and want to listen to again right away) but the energy was so good I'm rating it high
While I can hear a little bit of Glam Rock in this one, it's definitely clear to see that this is a progenitor of your classic Punk record. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 4.5 that, surprisingly, I’ll bump up to a 5. I mean, there’s definitely flaws. I think “The Next Big Thing” feels a little bit vapid as an opener, since the album hasn’t really established its overall tone yet, so it feels like it’s trying to use a voice that doesn’t really work out of context. After that though, the weirdly intense shift on the cover of “I Got You Babe” that adds an awkwardly funny tone to the whole thing reveals this album’s modus operandi: it’s an album full of mockery. Granted, some of that mockery in & of itself has some tracks that aren’t as tactful as it could be; “Back to Africa” is a mockery of the “white savior” concept, but the lyrics read as almost fetish-y at times. I think the track works, but it’s not one you can really throw into a playlist nowadays. “Master Race Rock” has the baffling opening line about “picking a slave”, but it’s also a complete mockery of white supremacy & overt toxic masculinity, and that makes itself very clear by its final verses, so it doesn’t feel as painful. After that though, the album glides a lot more, both instrumentally & without some of the earlier lyrical missteps. “Teengenerate” feels like a loose mockery of fake tough guy teenage angst, underlined by the usage of “heck” – some of the backing vocals give a Beach Boys vibe that helps the track. “California Sun” feels pretty earnest, honestly. Certainly a little goofy in the lyrics, and that Beach Boys comparison feels warranted again for the subject matter / verse repetition, but the guitar solos make it work. “Two Tub Man” is just weirdly chaotic yapping that reminds me of some old batshit insane ‘80s wrestling promos (certainly helped by the Verne Gagne mention), and I just admire the absurdity of it. “Weekend” is genuinely just a good track with some loose Alice Cooper vibes to it; maybe one misstep with the “Beatin’ up the kids from Spain” line, but the whole track is full of drug-induced absurdities that I can look past it as a goofy overexaggeration. “(I Live For) Cars and Girls” is the biggest pisstake on the Beach Boys that the whole album has. The other tracks at least do them some justice by talking about something of substance, but it really is just a full blown lyrical mockery of their “Surfin’ USA” era of music. There’s a Zappa-esque quality to it, helped by the fact that they play the track itself totally straight, even pulling together some nice vocal harmonies to make it work. All in all, I genuinely did enjoy it. It’s just a good bit of ‘dumb’ punk rock, & one that’s keenly self aware of that fact. Even with the early missteps, I can chalk it up to not really getting the vibe of the album in full & a different era of humor in 1975. It is punk rock, yes, but I don’t think it’s “punk rock” as the Sex Pistols & Ramones would later run with. This doesn’t have the same bite to it, yet somehow, I think it works all the same. The vocals aren’t super melodic, but they don’t have to be when the instrumentation genuinely holds up really well for the time. It’s a lot catchier than I expected, and that clear DNA of the Beach Boys & the Beatles is still influencing these tracks in a way that makes them feel appealing. Yeah, it’s dumb, but it’s the fun kind of dumb that I just fuck with. I think the floor is a 3 (or a 2 if those early lyrical missteps feel THAT bad), but for my tastes, but solely on its ‘dumb fun’ vibes, I’m feeling generous enough to bump this up to a 5. I’m glad it’s on the list.
Silly frat rock
Sure, whatever
I had never heard of the Dictators before. This band reminded me a little of the Ramones. Upbeat and fun. Really enjoyed the album. Highlights were California Sun, (I Live For) Cars and Girls and The Next Big Thing.
Fun record. The dictators are one of the better punk bands of the era
This was fine but didn’t hold my interest very long, took me 3 listens to actually hear each song at least once. 3/5 enjoyment, 2/5 engagement
Definitely tongue-in-cheek. Fun listen but not exactly rushing out to buy this album.
Fun trashy rock and roll that I would never be unhappy to hear but at the same time, i can’t imagine I’ll ever listen to it again.
The music is infectious and fun. Some of the lyrics seem clumsy and agreed. High 2 low 3
Awkward lyrics. Doesn’t quite land for me
Not funny but not too annoying.
I am quite sympathetic to this sort of disheveled dive bar rock, a straightforward presentation of embryonic punk ideas. They have the campness of Queen and the rough and readiness of the Ramones. The issue is that each song has a joke at the heart of it, and I never get the joke. With “Back to Africa” and “Master Race Rock” the band would be courting controversy, if anyone had ever heard of them. The music is decent / fine. The lyrics are frequently strange and occasionally appalling. It is never funny to me!
Okay so The Dictators… I surprisingly really enjoyed their sound, it’s my kind of punk! Lots of similarities to early clash, it’s secretly super melodic and hooky. However the 1-2 atrocity of Go Back to Africa and Master Race Rock is at best misguided and hard to swallow… however(!) I LOVE the I Got You Babe cover, so umm…. High 2???
Not too bad, despite the weird cover. Pretty solid, old-school punk. A pretty fun listen. Hadn't heard this one before as well.
I get it’s satirical, but that doesn’t make it fun to listen to.
Yeah, that was coo.
Dreadful from start to finish. It's like all the songs were written by a 7th grader. I had to look them up since I couldn't accept that he was saying what he was saying. No value, no hits, no reason to be on the T1001. The author needs to be a solid headlock and getting a painful noogie at this point. 2 stars cuz you can't hate it.
Just when I think I'm going to give up on this 1001 LP list (mostly for its apparently deliberate snubbing of Warren Zevon), they throw me a bone like THIS nearly completely forgotten delight from my youth. Is it totally juvenile? Absolutely! But in a way that seems to me far less mean-spirited (and generally misogynistic) than so many comparable efforts from groups that would tread this same type of path in the decades to follow. This is garage-band vibe at its most fun and energetic.
Eh, its ok. Kinda fun, kinda dumb.
better than a punch in the face I guess
Fun
Well I can start with the good. The tones are nice, the guitar is performed well most of the time. That could be it. The vocal performance isn't very good, and I don't think the timbre works with the genre. The songwriting also leaves so much to be desired. The songs just throw anything together and are hoping it works - the parts themselves really don't flow into each other very pleasingly. Individually some of the moments are catchy and fun, but it's usually not more than 15 seconds at a time that I'm finding myself able to vibe with any song. That said, they do get a quality 15 seconds here and there, and it seems like they were having fun, but that's not nearly enough to make up for the quality of song they display here. It really drags along for what feels like a whole lot longer than 35 minutes. 1.8/5
I weirdly liked it
Non è proprio il mio genere, anche se l'ho ascoltato fino alla fine
I didnt hate this, but some of the best songs were the covers.
I am surprised this is in the top 1000 albums, am I missing something? Sounded like American 1970's glam rock
Liked the glampunk instrumentals… lyrically……. Urmm “dated”
Oh dear. This is American punk ? Sounds like rich boys doing a beach boys rip off. Unlikely to change the world.
Thumbs down
C'est semble-t-il l'un des premiers albums de punk de l'histoire (voire le premier, j'ai pas tout compris). C'était très fun, même si une partie de l'humour a pas forcément très bien vieilli (Master Race Rock et Back To Africa, bien évidemment). C'est encore assez proto-punk et apparemment, ça a pas marché du tout à l'époque. C'est un album qui marche très bien, avec une reprise improbable de Sonny & Cher. Vraiment, je ne connaissais pas du tout et c'était une excellente surprise ! 4/5, ma foi.
This album made me smile and laugh which was very refreshing. Very pleased I listened to it but not scrapping to go back to it.
Massive fun with only a little quality
Haha hell yeah. Great Caribou fact from the top reviewer. Cheers. I vaguely recall stories in the book 'Please Kill Me' of Manitoba being a fuckwit as well. Funny how many bands that aren't the Sex Pistols get labelled as 'proto punk' - protecting Malcolm McLaren's image I reckon.
Solid Punk rock nothing extraordinary but a good listen.
Fun, chaotic, but probably not something I'll be revisiting.
In my opinion it was nothing special, just a Punk album. Not a bad one for sure but not an amazing one either 3/5
A beast of a punk album.
Not very good, not very bad. Just an overall nice punk rock album. It is a bit monotonous overall, with most songs being samey in terms of tempo and theming, but since those things are overall chosen quite well, it is not a big drawback. 3/5
I did not like this vocalist. There were good songs here, but overall this wasn't great. The instrumentals were a lot of fun tho. This just wasn't super special for me. Actual rating...2.5 Liked Songs: "I Got You Babe" , "Master Race Rock" , "Teengenerate" , "California Sun"
3.5
Even for a punk album, this feels quite juvenile and too much like the cookings of a fraternity. Some lines can be a bit witty, like "First we check to see what you eat. Then we bend down and smell your feet". But 'Master Race Rock' definitely left a bit of a bad taste, and so did 'Go Back To Africa', even though the lyrics aren't as bad as the title might suggest. The two included covers 'I Got You Babe' and 'California Sun' didn't do much to help the situation though, and I overall missed some cool hooks in the songs.
Fun album cover! The music is very early punk and there is some juvenile fun there. Upbeat, short and sweet. Good document of where punk started. Also, am I crazy or is the cover of “I Got You Babe” actually good? Low 3.
Missing oink record for me in the history of punk. Very fun, lighthearted and rocking with a nice dash of satire. Love the pro wrestling-esque album cover and in-record references too.
Highlights: - California Sun - (I Live For) Cars and Girls
Fluffy and repetitive but galvanizing nonetheless.
Early punk rock record, really juvenile humor done loud and fast. There were other bands already doing this style much better in my opinion. The guitar shreds, the lyrics are goofy. They do a couple covers in punk style that are pretty fun. I think the target audience is a bit younger and I could see this being something I would have cranked up in my late teens but it didn't age great. I am also of the opinion this should not have been included on the list of 1001 things I had to hear.
Love the amount of self deprecation and unseriousness of the album when punk afterwards would be nothing but serious
Yes
Meh. It's fine. Old punk sums it up
# Album Name: Girls go crazy # Artist: The Dictators # Rating: 3/5 # Comments: Not bad but nothing that sets the world alight. # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? Yes
Who? Apparently this is considered to be Proto-Punk, but I think it lacks the energy and rawness of Punk, plus it sounds too manufactured. Also, the album is considered by some to be humorous, but I didn't find it funny. As a Rock album, it's competent, but nothing special.
One of the first punk rock records! Super silly and fun. How could you not love it? Great cover of Sonny and Cher's I Got You Babe Best song: Back to Africa
Um, it's like the unreleased version of a garage band, but in a good way?
Meh. I don't think this was awful and the instrumental/vocals were pretty alright but this won't leave a huge impression on me
Well, the Dictators are no MC5, but this is worth a listen and not just for historical context.
This is already the most intriguing one I’ve gotten, just by looking at the cover. Looks punk, and a lot like a lot of those queer riot grrrl album covers—something like The Third Sex. Very good opening, with the clapping and little dialogue bit, then some drums and a guitar solo launching into a catchy riff. It’s amazing that this came out pre-Ramones. I’m happy to get some punk on here. It’s my favorite genre but I haven’t gotten any, unless you count the Pixies. I love how unapologetically self-indulgent and funny it is. The line in the first song, “they didn’t know we were Jewish,” also feels unironically very important in the history of punk, like a sort of NOFX “Brews” type-thing (thought personally I really dislike NOFX), or even something more serious like Bad Religion (who’s controversial logo was intended by Brett Gurewitz to flip around the discomfort he faced as a Jew in the 80s SoCal punk scene) or a band that mixed fierce politics with sarcasm like Reagan Youth, who’s lead vocalist was Jewish—something that largely informed his lyrics and anti-authoritarian political leanings. RIP Dave Rubinstein. I know that I Got You Babe is supposed to be a sort of humorous cover, but I really don’t like it. His voice sounds like Robert Smith’s, which doesn’t suit him well. I wasn’t a huge fan of this song. Then oh geez…Back to Africa…yeah this one aged poorly. It was a different time, obviously, and it sounds vaguely ironic, but God that’s in bad taste. I’m cringing so bad. The secondhand embarrassment is insane. Musically, the song is pretty standard. It didn’t really stick out to me like the opening did but it wasn’t bad like the second song. It definitely feels very ahead of its time in terms of the punk sound, however. Master Race Rock is a great song. Gonna have to bring back that Reagan Youth reference again, because wow this sounds right out of Punk Rock New York. And add some octaves, an oddly-complex bass line, and creepy vocals, and this could be a Dead Kennedys song. Extremely punk proto-punk. I can see how this inspired both fun, trashy pop-punk and more political hardcore punk. Teengenerate isn’t very good at first, but as it progressed it grew on me. Catchy riffs and almost ironically melodic vocal harmonies. And then California Sun is just straight up Dead Kennedys at the opening—the drums, the descending bassline. And I was going to compare it to The Ramones until I remembered that The Ramones also did a cover of it and that’s why it reminded me so much of them. You could tell me that Two Tub Man was a Black Flag song and I’d believe you. Similar vocals, very TV Party-like. An excellent song. Weekend continues that same energy, and it’s also a great song. (I Live For) Cars and Girls is obnoxious but also hilarious, with the obvious dig at The Beach Boys (though I do love The Beach Boys) and is a perfectly sarcastic ending to a hilarious album. This is a pretty perfect punk album, and obviously extremely influential. It was refreshing to get as well, as before I began branching out to all genres due to being crazy and also very stupid, I was mainly just focusing on learning about the history of punk music and all of its scenes and subgenres and such. However, that had to get sidetracked when I decided to be an overachiever. Despite never hearing this album before, its sound is very nostalgic for me. I can’t give it higher than a three given that there’s one dud and another that has painfully failed the test of time, as well as just some overuse of noodling. However, this album is fantastic. You can see punk’s DNA in it, and it’s amazing that this was pre-Ramones. I will say I was very wrong about it being a queer riot grrrl album.
Silly, but fun.
It's okay i guess. The guy's voice isn't good at times, neither is his backup vocals, the lyrics are a bit outdated, I dont think this is an album you NEED to hear at all, but sometimes the guitar lines are cool. 4/10
This is a cool album, quite catchy and irreverent. Punk is not really my jam, but this is so early, it’s not yet offensive to the ear.
Punk ... I like some, not a lot. This one is supposedly one of the best but it is really just a 3 for me.
It gives murauders vibes, very rock
i like the vibes yes bar highway
5/10
Not ignoble but certainly not good.
I hear a mixture of Kiss and the Beach Boys. Not great. 1.5/5.0
I had a lot of fun with this, I like punk that’s fun and not torture; i.e. public image
This is what I was hoping for from this app; discovering new albums from bands I had never heard of, for better or worse. So much to unpack, even from the first three tracks. We open with a 70's hard rock song which is no doubt on a OST somewhere for a film called High School Daze or something. This is followed up with a cover of Sonny & Cher's I Got You Babe, which lures you in to a false sense of complacency, before we get the bizarre Back to Africa - I couldn't quite believe my ears. Spotify even seems to be leaving out certain lines from the lyrics transcript. I'm not sure there is any real malice, the boys in the band are just morons. This is swiftly followed by the clumsily titled and clumsily tracklisted Master Race Rock - I understand this isn't a white power anthem but good god this a dumb name for a song. I was quite relieved that after this the album calms down somewhat and gets a bit more boring. Don't get me wrong, there were still moments my ears pricked up (like when he claimed to have the former first lady of the USA in his pants). I can't deny it kept me entertained (which is more than some of these albums have) which makes scoring it really difficult. Is it an important album? No. Is it stupid and fun album? Yes. It's fun to be fun.
Sub rate Ramones
Half punk, half parody, 100% New Yawk. Look at most any pic from CBGB in the era and you'll see these bozos with the Ramones, Blondie, everyone. The I Got You Babe cover is a masterpiece.
- 0 nummers toegevoegd aan MMMM - 0 nummers al toegevoegd aan MMMM
Not for me
This was a fun surprise and I enjoyed the energy and crass humour immensely.
Started ok, ended ok. Middle was quite the cliff falling trough. I am also slightly worried that this is what KISS sound like to people who don’t like KISS
The Dictators: Go Girl Crazy! While Go Girl Crazy! is undeniably energetic and rebellious, it is a difficult record to fully embrace. There is a "coming-of-age" charm to tracks like "The Next Big Thing" and "California Sun," but the album’s heavy reliance on campy humor and loud, abrasive production makes it a polarizing listen. It is the kind of project that feels strictly personal; its lack of "out-loud" appeal and social versatility makes it hard to revisit. A decent historical document of proto-punk, but one that lacks the maturity to transcend its own noise.
lol nice intro. This was a good album. I loved the punk element to it.
Never heard of this band till now. Great punk/rock sound similar to The Clash and KISS. Solid, concise track list and great guitar and vocals throughout
Not particularly exciting with some really quite dumb lyrics
Never heard this. Heard of them, and always assumed they were really punk, but they are more New York Dolls hard rock pop with snark and comedy. The cover of I Got You Babe is genius. The whole thing is like a weird NY twisted fantasy of California. Not terrible.
I wasn’t particularly impressed, though the energy was fun on some songs.
I liked this debut album fine from The Dictators! It wasn’t anything deep or mind blowing but it was a fun punk rock album that I would listen to again in the future.
I think this is the first one where i hadn't heard of it at all? so i love to be introduced to something new. cowbell was fun. definitely silly overall. i can see how it was influential.
Wow! The missing link between The Stooges and Sex Pistols? Can't believe I've never heard this before, but I can tell all my punk heroes did.
Although I'm guessing this album got included largely for its asterisk-infused birth-of-punk status, if I hadn't read about the band's formative influence on the nascent "Punk" magazine's editors, I would have simply guessed that this was yet another album in the line of Meatloaf and other flamboyant-esque novelty music (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Mott the Hoople, aspects of Kiss and Alice Cooper, etc.), albeit without the rock opera aspirations. I'm also struck how musical their flavor of punk-like music was, with actual sung lyrics, and chord progressions and the like; "Master race rock" was probably the closest to the punk stylings to come. Highlights for me were their cover of "I got you babe", "Back to Africa", and "Weekend". Kind of underwhelming overall, but also mildly entertaining, and kudos for the fantastic album cover--that Handsome Dick Manitoba is quite a catch!
Delicious to listen to this right after Brian Wilson's Smile. Balance has been restored. I do wish their sound was a little faster and rougher but I'll take what I can get, which is lots of fun.
Good fun album and I love the old school wrestling references!
Solid punk record, fun, no track that stays in your brain, not that bad, not that good.
New to me, why is American punk so different to English?
super fun originals, wild covers
This was fun and fast.
No, not for me.
Loved the covers.
This feels like an album made for Andrew Dice Clay fans.
So there’s just no quality control for this list hey? Any old junk can make it? This album was terrible. Poorly mixed, poorly sung, shitty guitar solos. An album by a band saying “fuck you” to the mainstream while trying so desperately to be accepted by the main stream. Straight up embarrassing. Was this the authors Dads band or something? I cannot figure out why this should be on the list other than the phrase “Handsome Dick Manitoba” on the front cover
Basic. Not bad.
Grower, not a show-er. The comedy is punkish, and the guitars fucking rip. The second half of the album hits a stride and the hooks jam!
eggs
Fine
Like the sound and making fun of other bands
This was way, way better than I was expecting. The songs are good and the covers are inspired. It sounds like they are having a great time making music and just not giving a single fuck. This is a superb album.
Wasn’t my thing. Wasn’t awful, but not sure why this is an album I had to listen to….
This reminded me a lot of the Dead Kennedys. Not awful. I probably won’t go back. The cover songs were the most memorable
A fun album that doesn’t take itself seriously
Starts off strong but then loses steam, maybe I'm just old but the whole shtick just felt forced to me
Not what I was expecting based on the cover. Very fun but definitely would enjoy it more in a different context. I'll try it out again when it gets warmer.
This was pretty cool. I was turned off by the cheesy cover, but the pre-punk, 70's rock vibe really worked.
No es de mi estilo o no me atrapo
Great fun
Track 1 and I'm listening to Blue Oyster Cult... but with less talent. Then a Sonny & Cher cover? I've no idea what to say about 'Back to Africa' other than it really hasn't aged well. Is this a novelty album that someone mistook for early punk? I'm not wasting any more time on this tosh. 1/5
This is one of those albums that while I didn't love it, I can see why it's on here. Obvious lineage to Ramones, early influence for punk. But it's two covers which aren't amazing and for punk the songs aren't overly tight. Even for proto-punk. So I get it, but wouldn't come back to it.
Very generic punk rhythms and the vocals/lyrics feel vulgar and grating to me. Weird blend of schlock/glam/punk, I don't like it.
Not the best but meant well
Mid pack but didnt dislike it
sounds like early era alice cooper band (think “love it to death” era), but instead of alice singing, they recruited one of the sweat hogs from 70’s sitcom “welcome back kotter”. a couple of cover tunes. and the last song a parody of the beach boys. a mixed bag, this one. overall, i like punk, but i didn’t really get much of a punk vibe from this album. i honestly didn’t “get it”.
Fun, campy, with the listen
I have recently had an epiphany; there was CBGB punk and Max’s Kansas City punk. This is the latter. I have always been more into 2nd wave punk but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect the classics This one feels experimental yet borderline parody. I sometimes wonder if the up and coming bands were trying to out do Iggy. Regardless, I love the energy and power. This album rocks. PS: Your favorite band loves this album.
Obnoxious rock. 2/5
No nie. I jeszcze ten cover I got you babe. Kolejny zespół, któremu się wydaje, że jest inny, a jest taki sam. Jakieś krzyki, wyciszanie utworów. Za jakie grzechy dobry Boże? Nie była to najgorsza płyta na tej liście, ale w swojej miałkości była po prostu słaba, przeciętna i łatwa do zapomnienia. 4/10.
Not great. the bands that formes when members moved on (Manowar and Twisted Sister) are much better.
I like this. Early punk that isn’t too rough. 4/5
Definitely an early version of "joke" punk bands like Minutemen, NoFX, etc. In spirit if not musically. Nothing too amazing though, as expected.
Not really sure about this one, it wasn't terrible and was kinda funny in a tongue in cheek way.
We are all in on this joke, yes!
Surprising like a mix of New York Dolls and The Ramones. They kick ass on the covers and their Beach Boys punk mix on "(I Live For) Cars and Girls" is strong! 3.5
interesting, cars and girls is good, some interesting rock beats
Didn't care much for this.
Didn’t love the album, but it’s cool seeing the early days of what became punk rock. Teengenerate and California Sun were my favourite tracks on the album.
Punk rock was never really my thing but it is a fun album.
Yesterday, I generated a pioneer for Heavy Metal, and today, I got a pioneer for Punk Rock, and hells yeah, dude, it's a hidden gem! I was not expecting to be blown away by virtually every track on the album, despite having lyrics which appear to be wrote by teenage males. Favorite Track: "I Got You Babe".
Album 966 of 1089 The Dictators - Go Girl Crazy (1975) Rating : 3.5 / 5 I’ll be honest - this one really took me by surprise. I’d seen it mentioned as one of the earliest punk albums, so I was expecting something a lot more chaotic and sloppy, maybe even a little unhinged. Instead, what I got was a tight, genuinely fun rock album with more craft to it than I ever would’ve predicted. There are some really catchy tunes here (even if the track titles might mislead you into expecting pure shock value). The musicianship is stronger than I expected - the guitarist especially deserves a nod - and the vocals fit the attitude perfectly. And the production? Surprisingly solid for a band associated with the “punk before punk” label. Overall, this is just a good time. Energetic, tuneful, confident, and a lot more polished than the early-punk tag suggests. I’ll definitely be hanging on to this one for future spins. Sometimes it’s nice when an album shows up and proves your assumptions wrong.
Almost immediately you can hear the distinct New York sound that seems to permeate through any band from the city. Had never heard of these guys and while I can appreciate that, in 1975, this was one of the frontrunners of what would become punk, it also suffers from (for me, at least) a lot of that genre’s faults - namely that much of it seems quite shallow and doesn’t have that much replayability. An enjoyable listen but not sure I’ll be coming back to it much.
Enjoyed more than plenty of the rock albums.
Don’t think I like American ‘punk’ and I didn’t like this album!
Another album that was forward-thinking and probably went nuts live in some tiny punk club or basement; another album that is enjoyable but not exciting. Apparently one of the first examples of punk rock and it sounds fairly similar to the rock of its time, maybe a little filthier and funnier. It has guts and personality but I don’t plan on revisiting. The covers are fun, especially “California Sun”.
Was meh
Dumb rock and roll fun from dawn of punk, they're doing budget glam with all the skill and production nous of a highschool battle of the bands, but that gives it a great mix of ironic joking and earnest commitment to the bit.
Sometimes, being the earliest version of something means that other folks come behind you and do it better. This is one of those cases. 2/5
I like to think of myself as a real student of the punk game, but I have never heard of this before today. This is a poster-child proto-punk album. I can see this really mattering and being influential. It's got some Ramones-y sounds, NY Dolls, that sort of thing. I mean, the riffage is fine, the songs are fine, but it's also real stupid, and not the fun kind of stupid. "Back to Africa" and "Master Race Rock" are NOT funny or clever. The "I Got You Babe" cover doesn't do anything interesting with it. I did, however, like the Beach Boys/Ramones/Bad Religion/NOFX-y oozin ahs of the last track.
Album cover very much did not match the music lol
I don't really like it that much
3.5 Just super solid mid-70s power rock! It’s not my favorite, but honestly nothing super wrong with it. Short and fun to listen to!
Punk rock? More like punk schlock.
Not bad. Early punk edgy lyrics.
darling you dont know the shape im in
Definitely one of the solidifying sounds and attitudes of what later became known as punk rock. You'd think this came out in the early 80's or something. So ridiculous, hard, and who-gives-a-fuck at all times. I especially love the mock wrestling promo at the start of "Two Tub Man".
Actually super enjoyable! Expected something different from the “proto-punk” album but this was a nice surprise.
Ok! It's not bad. Cute. Reminds me of Richard Hell. Old punk of the 1970s. I enjoyed it. Not sure if it will be one that I come back to often, but it was a good listen.
Meh, I knew of this band but never really listened to them before. I honestly expected more, it was a little boring, but I’ll give it a 2+ stars for timing and influence.
The MC5 did this way better in 1969. I wasn’t impressed with anything on this album. The Ramones did the better California Sun cover too. I’m all for proto punk and garage rock but the Dictators don’t stand out.
There were a few good ones on here, but mostly forgettable....
It's ok, nothing crazy here Will I listen to again: 3%
Die Dictators waren einst eine nette Unterhaltung. Aber man muss diese Musik heute nicht mehr unbedingt hören.
Fun and funny. Punk that actually requires some talent.
Go girl give me nothing
I can see why this album is considered an important early punk record, but it doesn’t really sound like punk to me. The guitar riffs are heavy, and the guitar playing is almost too good for punk — songs like I Got You Babe don’t really sound punk at all. Yet the attitude is pure punk: sarcastic and completely unapologetic. Punk isn’t just a sound; it’s an attitude.
Alright, was enjoyable but not going to relisten
Some fun hard rock/protopunk. Nothing spectacular here, but some of the basslines are really good. Favorites were Master Race Rock, California Sun, and Cars And Girls.
Not for me
Shocked I never heard of this still going NYC protopunk outfit!
I had a surprisingly good time with this album. It’s not perfect, but that’s the charm. It sounds like people having fun making imperfect music. One of my favorite things is hearing people record music for fun, rather than it needing to be a magnum opus. I know some of the lyrics were a bit questionable at times, but I think that can be overlooked with how influential this type of music was to punk and other genres.
Scuffed music
lol. i guess this is supposed to be somewhat satirical which is amusing but maybe it did too good of a job because it just sounded like Dude Rock to me.
an incredible mix of uninteresting, uncomfortable, and unremarkable. always good to hear the proto-punk albums on this list and see just how far we've come with the genre... favorites: the next big thing, i got you babe, i live for cars and girls
Kind of fun early punk