Go Girl Crazy

I love every single thing about this incredible fucking album cover. The album itself? It’s a bit of a mishmash, but it’s got potential. It sounds like a demo I would have loved to help refine and polish up a bit had I been a music executive in the 70s with the means to do so. Some cool ideas here, but they haven’t been executed well enough to give this band a leg up.

I note that the Wikipedia page categorizes this album from 1975 as "proto-punk," while Pink Flag by Wire from 1977 is "post-punk." Does that mean that the punk era itself was just the year 1976? I've always been sort of fascinated by the discovery of how close a lot of punk music is to 60s surf music. Definitely some elements here, not even to mention the cover of "California Sun." This is fun and silly, and certainly influenced other bands, but I can't say I love it.

Musically, it's ok. Lyrically, it's old-fashioned and silly. I enjoyed the covers of I Got You Babe and California Sun.

3.5 - seems crazy this music came out the same year I was born!

I’ve learned that I don’t know as much about punk as I thought I did… For a punk album that came out in the mid SEVENTIES I think it’s great! However, between this album and the Ramones, I’ve also learned I’m not as big of a punk fan as I thought… My enjoyment of the album was probably a 3. But I think the album itself (if I were a punk fan) would’ve been a 4 or 5. So I’m gonna settle on 3.5-4 for the rating.

The Dictators are kind of on a similar track to what the New York Dolls were up to around the same time, without the platforms and makeup. The band's influence on punk and garage bands that came after them is palpable in every one of these songs. They have a snotty, ramshackle energy and off-kilter approach to melody that's fun in its way, if more than a little rough around the edges. It's mostly a dumb, fun listen, which I'm pretty sure was all the band meant it to be. Fave Songs: (I Live For) Cars and Girls, Teengenerate, California Sun, I Got You Babe

Wanted to like this. I don’t like this.

I'm surprised that this is considered one of the first examples of punk rock becasue it sounded more like the metrosexual rock sounds of the early 70s with kiss and especially new york dolls. I guess I can kinda hear some punks progenitors in the drums but I feel like I've heard 60s albums that are more punk than this. A cover/original? of the song from groundhog day also doesn't really scream punk lol. Side note: I gave both this and the lana album a 3 despite them being totally different and it got me thinking about when I finish this list and look back through all my scores and have an aneurysm from various equivalent scores. like the lana 3 and this 3 and the meat puppets 3 are so different I'm not gonna know what to make of it by the end.

2.7

leuk album, 3,5

I ended up enjoying this album way more than I imagined I would. I definitely judged it by the cover, and didn't go into it with high expectations. One thing I will say is that I've seen the idea that these guys were a very influential punk/proto-punk band thrown around when looking into them, but I had never heard of them, and they are easily the smallest band I have listened to so far. It makes me question how this album ended up in the book of 1001 albums. But that is besides the point. This is straight up unadulterated juvenile hijinks. It is rough, rowdy, loud, stupid, completely bonkers, and pure dumb fun, They just talk about your average horny pubescent teenager stuff, and it sounds good. The only complaint I really have is one two songs, particularly Back to Africa and Master Race Rock. Musically, they sound similar to everything else, but the lyrical content feels out of place and strange. It borders on being somewhat derogatory or offensive. I'm not sure what any of it is really supposed to mean, but those two songs kind of stick out like a sore thumb. Thankfully, it is just those two songs though. Rating: 7/10

This felt like a classic rock album in a weird way. Never heard of this group before, but I have heard I Got You Babe somewhere, in some movie or show. I'd love to hear why this one should be on this list, too, but I'm not complaining too much.

Pop punk from when "pop" meant rock. I completely understand what they're going for. Wikipedia calls this proto-punk, I can see that too. A few good songs but nothing to blow my socks off. "I Got You Babe" is very familiar, a cover maybe? Not bad at all. Favorite tracks: I Got You Babe, Teengenerate, California Sun. Album art: Lot to unpack here. I'm fairly sure that's a man posing for the cover, maybe doing his best to look feminine. Loud red jacket that says "Handsome Dick Manitoba." Obviously a joke I'm not in on but I like it. Band font is cool too. 3/5

Proto punk, but still needing a fair bit of progress to be thee real deal. Important, rather than enjoyable, but worth a listen. Just skip the cover version!

One of the earliest punk (proto-punk) albums in the mid-1970s. While other bands that came after them made better records but it is still quite a pioneer record and it must have sounded fresh and new back then. I quite enjoyed the fast, upbeat rock, even if the lyrics were mostly just silly. But at least they didn't take themselves seriously!

The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! is the debut album by American punk rock band The Dictators. It's considered one of the earliest examples of punk rock. Although confusing to critics and commercial audiences at release for its loud, hard, & fast rock n' roll, as well as the humorous lyrics, it was well-received (rated highly for the most part) and deserves all the credit for evolving rock and roll into punk rock. This was a fun album! It had the fast & hard guitar and drum bits from punk rock, plus some comedic lyrics about anything & everything from music, to girls, to cars, to pop culture of the early 70's. I liked most of this album, since the band didn't take themselves seriously and recorded something they were having fun with. Who knew this type of music would go on to become punk rock?

Pretty good punk!

Proto-punk sound (more punk than proto) with 60s pop sensibility lyrics about cars and girls. It wasn’t bad but there are so many great bands that came after and perfected this that this sounds more like low talent imitators than ground breaking innovators.

Much better than I thought it was going to be. Feels like the progenitor of the RAMONES

That wasn't actually that terrible as I thought. It had some punk elements, but otherwise couple nice guitar melodies here and there. The vocal wasn't annoying, just an average album.

I like a lot of the bands they influenced. In fact I like the bands they influenced a lot more than I like them.

Not bad

Very good. Bought it.

Simple, catchy, and stupid in a fun way. Favorite songs: cover of California Sun, Cars and Girls.

On paper, this should have been right up my alley. But, for some reason, it's just wasn't. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. Just... I don't know. It felt cheesy and fake. I could hear the shades of a dozen punk bands to come in these songs, but they never quite realized their punk potential. I understand that it's because this is proto-punk and not actual punk. But still. One thing punk should never be is insincere and this project, as fun as it is at times, just doesn't feel real.

Not bad, not great. I would have totally listened to this is I was 13 in 1975.

This gets considerably better as it goes along. "California Sun" is a raw blast of fun and "Weekend" is loose and likable ragged rocker. The backing vocals on "Cars and Girls" are legit, tuneful and funny and surely at least half-ironic. "I Got You Babe" is sorta amusing, but not exactly the height of cleverness. "Back to Africa" also kinda cool. The sound is definitely proto-punk, and sure they might have deserved more than the Sex Pistols. The question is, how much credit do they really deserve for doing what they did? If not them, surely it would have been someone else doing something awful similar, inlcuding the many (hundreds? thousands?) of acts who didn't even gain as much notoriety bands as these cats. It's not like their innovations were that obscure or exceptional or even magical. It's rough and rowdy rock, slack at the edges, not melodiously distinct or all memorably hooky. Thus, it's ultimately not too difficult to see why they never achieved much more hype or prominence.

Enjoyable and annoying at the same time

When I first started to listen to this album, I wondered why it was on this list, but then about halfway through it started to make sense. There’s some iffy lyrics and the production value leaves something to be desired, but there’s a weird charm to it too. I’m giving this a 3, but it’s sort of a 3.5 for me. Standout songs are “Weekend,” “Cars and Girls,” and “Teengenerate.”

Lekkere sarcastische, Amerikaanse rock. Wat ik tenminste heb geluisterd, want een heel album vond ik wat veel..

- LOVE the energy - Great guitar - The skits at the beginning/end of songs were weird

Ehh Album is ok, nothing all that interesting but nothing bad either.

At least I get why this record is on here. But I’ve never been much of a fan of this record. It’s OK and it points in a great direction that the Ramones quickly ran (faster and better).

Good fun. Some um... slightly dated ideas in there, but none done with malice from what I can tell.

Сначала хотел 2 ставить, но было достаточно кеков для 3

Apparently the start of New York city punk. A pretty good rock ‘n’ roll band. Not exactly my cup of tea, but punk is punk. Take it or leave it.

Can see the roots of punk here, but it's US punk and a lot of it is unlistenable or treated a as joke so it's not a very listenable album however has a couple of stand outs - "Next big thing" & the worryingly titled "master race rock" 2.8

Bit one note

3,5

not for me, but definitely cool

Highlights: Master Race Rock, Weekend Leave Em's: Teengenerate, Two Tub Man Overall Thoughts: My first impression was that this album is a joke between the cover and their sound, and I do think that it is somewhat satirical. The embodiment of as much punk rock as possible was actually pretty fun to listen to though. While some of the lyrics were hard to take seriously, the instrumentation was great and I liked the sound on pretty much every song.

Was pretty good, guitar solo from back to africa was great

Pas particulièrement mauvais, je peux voir comment ça a été une influence sur la scène punk, mais il manque un petit quelque chose pour vraiment m'accrocher. La deuxième moitié de l'album lève un peu plus par contre et est plus mémorable que la première. Ça a principalement à voir avec les compositions qui m'apparaissent parfois un peu maladroites (exemple le rythme un peu maladroit de la première chanson). 6/10

Bella la versione di 'I got you babe'

The best thing ever done by a dictator. I know McFartney will mention something about Handsome Dick Manitoba so I’ll leave that to him.

Handsome dick manitoba! I ended up liking this one. Never heard of these guys though.

CARS AND GIRLS CARS AND GIRLS This is alright punk music - it's like a worse Clash. A mascot for a band is a strange thing - also Handsome Dick Manitoba is a dick.

Well, this album is certainly something. What it is I'm not sure, but it's something. It has much more of a 70s rock feel than most of the early punk stuff, which makes sense because those bands were organized around insular scenes, and those scenes were still forming while this was being recorded. This album is as much a comedy album as it is a proto-punk album, which works both for and against it, since it makes it hard to take the album seriously, but then again you're not supposed to. The music is okay, nothing mindblowing, unlike a lot of the early punk albums that would come out of the NYC scene. Still, it marks a progression towards the idea of punk music, and was also clearly influential on those early punk bands 3/5

Go go gadget painful erection. Absolutely discombobulated at the fact that I actually enjoyed this. It's stupid music for dumb people and I am dumb people, so I approve.

This was more standable than a lot of other punk albums I've gotten, probably because it's also rock rather than being pure punk. I'm glad that I somewhat like this album because I like the energy of the album cover. It wasn't amazing or anything, but decent. The ending is cute. I like the kind of weird energy that this has. My favourite song was Back to Africa.

Sick lyrics, and great guitar tunes... Honestly, I don't know why this album doesn't have much exposure.

The album has a bit of an attitude, mostly fun with a touch of rebellion committing to the free and unbound culture of the genre. A real punk album at its core. "Master Race Rock" is full of hooks and groove, super catchy and carrying with it some elements of the loudness of The Who, but the vocals are clearly more punky, a mix of oratory delivered with authority, capped by cheers and hype statements (e.g. "Let's go!"). It is not a bad start for a genre that has fewer hits than misses.

This was subpar, nothing I want to listen to again. Sounded pretty generic to me.

A fun pastiche of the New York Dolls

Was pretty good. Never ever heard of this band before but I enjoyed the fast, punk style album

Interesting 6/10

This is a great album from a great band. At first I was surprised to see it come up on the list, but with more thought it definitely makes sense and is worth of inclusion. Great revisiting it this morning.

nonsense but good fun

Good for what it is, not my style

Felt pretty generic but it was good

5/10 Pretty mid slightly punky Glam Rock project.

Frat bro vibes

Enjoyed this one.

The good bit of this process is discovering albums - things that clearly sit in the family tree of music but I didn't know. A lot of them don't stand up but that doesn't mean they are not fun, of the time and of the genre. I've been a bit down on my marking on some of these but this one I'll give a 4 to as it is something I could imagine myself listening to.

a little crazy and goofy

High energy and has a good vibe to it, also feels like it has more “order” to it than your typical punk rock album

Entertaining

A little too raw. Fine for once.

Not super special but ok

For the 34 minutes this lasted it was still fun

More fun then expected!

It's ok, more glam than punk

This was pretty good, but I think it was mostly due to the covers. A high 3.

I really liked this record actually! I hear the influences (KISS, Dick Dale, The Beach Boys, The Chantays) I also hear the influenced (Beastie Boys, Black Flag, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes covering pop songs in a punked-up style) I'm still not sure this is a great album though - cool and interesting but still only getting 3 stars

3.5

Orig punk

Ganska ojämnt, dom bra låtarna påminner om Stooges men dom dåliga är svårt att ta på allvar. Låter ungefär som omslaget ser ut.

Buen ritmo para pasar el rato, no muy profundo

It's like the strange lovechild of Meat Loaf and The Dead Milkmen. Almost Rocky Horror Picture Show-esque. Doesn't help that Handsome Dick on the cover looks like a fatter Frank-n-Furter (no offense). It's fine, the songs are just a bit longer than I'd like, they definitely overstay their welcome by about a minute each. Favorite tracks: "Master Race Rock", "California Sun"

Well, the Wikipedia page was necessary for me to understand the reasons for this album on this list, but now it's clear that it deserves some space on the 1001 most essential albums since with was so influential for the punk scene. Musically, I can note a mix of what I recognize as punk and some beach songs, leading me to enjoy the album, even not being my favorite stuff.

Good raucous fun. Fave tracks California Sun, Weekend, and (I Love For) Cars and Girls.

After first listen I thought it was a 2. The songs got stuck in my head though and I found myself singing them to myself until I gave it a second listen. Now I have to notch it up to a 3. I Didn’t dig the covers, but the others i found enjoyment. T3B 1. The Next Big Thing 2. Back to Africa 3. Master Race Rock

Maybe on 1001 punk albums, but on 1001 all albums?

What I expect from early punk. A lot of fun here and as inspiration many bands have improved on this and executed much better. For the era, this would’ve been excellent.

Enthusiastic, exuberant, ebullient,

Not bad!

A good laff

намного лучше, чем я всегда опасаюсь от панка

Nice catchy punk

Pretty decent punk-ish stuff, don't really think I need to revisit it though.

Precursor to punk rock. Album picked up as it went on, last four songs are actually pretty listenable. Standout is "Two Tub Man".

Knee deep into punk and missed this band... what do you know, you learn new things every day. At first listen I thought it was pretty much a derivative of UK Punk, with snotty American lyrics, until I realised, well this actually precedes UK Punk. (And most of US Punk as well...) So - besides the history lesson, it's musically fun, and while at first lyrically it kind of feels irreverent but too much in a silly way, it actually, with a closer look is actually great satire - culminating in the closing track (I Live for) Girls and Cars - the perfect California Surf pop parody, while being a great song in itself. Great choice of covers too - however ultimately, despite its importance and relevance in the pantheon of punk rock - many musicians have taken the influence, and done what The Dictators do better. In the end it's an ok record.

Probably a lot more interested at the time of its release, now it's just a throwaway rock album. Points for curiosity but I've not become a converted Dictators fan.

Ces Dictators débordent d'énergie et cela va causer un très gros micmac au sein de leur lycée. En début d'album, ces petits rigolos présentent lors d'un exercice organisé par la professeur d'allemand Frau B. un programme politique basé sur l'idée d'une dictature "saine et variée". Tout y passe, du traitement des opposants politiques au programme éducatif des enfants. Frau B. leur reproche en fin de présentation le traitement de Seb Folin qui n'était plus censé apparaître dans leurs exposés, jusque-là rien d'anormal. Nos jeunes dictateurs n'ont ensuite plus de nouvelle de cet épisode jusqu'au moment où, en plein cours de géographie donné par Rossi, Frau B accompagnée de la CPE frappent à la porte pour demander des comptes à nos Dictators, totalement ahuris par la situation. S'ensuit une leçon de morale d'une quinzaine de minutes au terme de laquelle ils sont menacés d'un renvoi définitif de l'établissement. Bien heureusement, Rossi se décide à les défendre avec son désormais célèbre "Mais ils sont pas méchants, ils sont gentils." Ils s'en tirent finalement sans aucune sanction et profiteront encore de beaux moments placés sous le signe de la scolarité.

Les dictateurs s'evertuent pendant plus de 35 minutes à nous présenter une dictature saine et variée, destinée à imposer une alimentation équilibrée au sein de leur régime. Malheureusement, une trahison à l'intérieur même du régime totalitaire par la cruelle Frau B. viendra donner un coup d'arrêt à cette belle initiative, voir même mettre en danger ses investigateurs. Ce n'est que grâce à l'aide du dénommé Rossi que ces derniers s'en sortiront sans conséquences, si ce n'est la dissolution de leur régime totalitaire.

Funny at times and classic old punk sound. But nothing made me hit the repeat button. Still was worth the listen.

Interesting

This was quite incoherent, I wasn't sure what they were going for. Some guitar and drum sections reminded me of the Supergrass album from last week though...

This was a fun little thing.

It's really "fun" but juvenile. Reads like journeymen entertainers on the circuit getting exposed to more earnest punk acts and packaging it in a more palatable form. I can see kids of the time thinking they like punk rock with this as their only sample point.

The Next Big Thing: Seems to be about his dream of being rich and famous, wanting to live the fullest life he possibly can. Overall a pretty simple track. I Got You Babe: Basically about his lover and how he appreciates her and that he can trust her and go to her in times of need. "Before it's earned, our money's always spent" is a lyric that I thought about for a bit when I heard it. In a way, I seem to relate to it. The drum rolls at the end of the song were crazy. Overall I enjoyed this track quite a bit. Back to Africa: I don't know how to feel about this track. It's just kinda weird to hear some of the lyrics in the song and how it definitely didn't age well. I think the message is there in terms of loving whoever you want but it's just said poorly. The beat was very nice and there was a guitar solo that I enjoyed quite a bit about halfway through the song. Overall I enjoyed the track mainly due to the beat. Master Race Rock: With the title I was a little thrown off with the understanding haha. But after listening and hearing the lyrics it seems to be about how he feels punk/rock people are carefree and live the "do whatever you want" lifestyle. Inherently saying that the worry-free, don't care about health and do whatever makes you happy type of mindset is the "master race". I like a lot of the vocal shifts on this song, especially from the "Dictators can swing..." portion of they lyrics. It's some very fitting vocal change ups. Teengenerate: Seems to be about a rebellious teen who is living the punk rock life style. Lost on what he wants to due, but currently just stays home and trashes the place. I relate to the lostness of career and the staying home aspect. The bridge is crazy, love that guitar solo. The piano(?) at the beginning was a great touch, very good hook. California Sun: Hook was amazing, would be a great sample. It carries that California beach vibey throughout while maintaining the rock aspect. Seems to be about the California dream of living that party lifestyle. Two Tub Man: Two tub man means a big tall dude according to some dictionary website. The song is about himself and how he and others view him. Parent's don't want their kids to turn out like him. But he lives the care free fuck it lifestyle. Weekend: Again, it's about living his own life by his own rules. Referencing how he lived as a kid, and wished every day could just be the weekend. He'd skip school to drink and end up doing his homework at bars, filling in that rebellious lifestyle. Not too crazy about this track, just felt pretty on par and normal. (I Live For) Cars and Girls: The title says it all, this song is about the two things Andy Shernoff (Lead Vocalist & Bass Guitarist) cares about, cars and girls. Overall this album is pretty neat. It's not new in terms of current generational sound so it's most likely why I didn't have an outstanding reaction to it. It did pave a huge path for newer musicians to formulate the punk rock genre, receiving massive amounts of positive reviews from music reviewers. Besides Rolling Stones giving it 0 stars, which is fucking ridiculous. 6.8/10

Listened to on 9/27/22 3/5 Favorite song: cars and girls, I got you babe The vibe was super punk-y and upbeat with killer guitar riffs. Album art is 15/10

3.5 catchy

3.5

Not bad, not great. Probably blew people’s heads off back in 1975, but just feels unavoidably mediocre now. Sound like they’d be fun live though!

Early punk, funky lyrics, quite melodic, like it

Really liked the cover of I Got You Babe. Overall really enjoyable (believe it or not cause of the album cover). Somewhere between 3-4 stars

Fun punk but nothing special

Have no idea about this early step in Punk, It's fun...but it's not quite there...like a high school band doing punk...rough and loud, with one off beat cover...but fun. 2.5 stars

Knew this was always thrown around as the first punk record but I had never heard anything except "Cars and Girls" before. They clearly laid down the core of the NYC punk sound and attitude on this album, and they absolutely deserve some major credit for that, but I'd say others went on to perfect what they established here. Irreverent good time though.

This was a fine album, pretty fun most of the time, but falls into that forgettable area for me, I'd say it was good, but it's no Ramones. I guess people forget about The Velvet Underground and The Stooges when saying this is the original punk record, but that's fine I guess. 3.5/5

Bueno para escuchar de fondo, facil de digerir y letra sin trasfondo. Buen album de punk.

Fun to see how much punk would change in so short of a time. This is milk and cookies compared to what was going to be playing in the UK in a few years.

J'ai pu relate à absolument toutes les chansons, c'est vraiment le point fort de cet album.

If this is truly the birth of punk rock, it's obvious. 30 minutes of classic punk.

I've heard about this album for a long time without ever actually listening to it, since a lot of the older vanguard of Punk crits really love to hold this album up as a high watermark for the genre's early days. This kind of praise coming from this source can be both a good and bad thing: it immediately put it on my radar as some kind of "important" album but also set unwanted anticipations of it being like any other example of similarly pre-formed music made before a genre got out of hand (i.e. better). First off, I was worried this would be a virtual clone of the New York Dolls, and it's pretty close if I'm being honest. Bright major keyed songs about light debauchery and a permanent reverence for 1950's greasers informs all of "Go Girl Crazy!", and it's a style I could mostly leave behind, truth be told. The band gets rather conceptual with their lyrics and no two tracks sound like complete retreads of each other. Still, I can't help but think of this as a relic that points to a direction that would soon leave The Dictators far far behind. How'd that dictate?

Pretty good. Reminds me a bit of the New York Dolls and the Heartbreakers. Early punk/garage rock. Nothing too outstanding though. 3 stars.

Really liked this - not even sure why I am typically unaware that The Dictators exist. They feel like they should be more famous than they are, and I know I've heard them before. This still felt like a bit of a surprise though.

strange

Points for originality in presentation and for covering I Got You Babe! I did enjoy it.

Good effort.

3/5 niceish, but...

Juvenile and silly but they have the musical chops to back up their goofy antics. The music is mostly punk but there’s moments when they sound like the Stones too. And on at least one song, “(I Live For) Cars and Girls,” they do a straight-up Beach Boys parody. Their cover of “I Got You Babe” is pretty good too, but even that they do a bit tongue-in-cheek. “Back to Africa” is a little cringe-y. Reading over the lyrics, they definitely intend it as a criticism of colonialism but I think the band is a bit too childish to really pull it off. Overall this is a fun one from a band I’d never heard of before. Kind of reminds me of the music some of my friends’ bands in high school made.

Interesting pock and rock album! Never heard of it or the band prior. Pros: - I like the funny spoken lines. Feels really raw! - Guitar work is really well done for a punk sound. - Lyrics are funny! - Oh dang this came out in 1975! After reading more about it, it's been called a precursor to punk. I'm not surprised! Very ahead of its time. Misc: - I've been following the play counts for every album on this list as they are on Spotify - and I think this one has the lowest counts. Not a single song is at 1 million streams, with the highest being 576k streams, and meanwhile most other albums easily go over 1 million for most tracks.

I kinda liked it.

Not memorable, tbh. But at the same time, it was an ok listen.

bang average.

Who the fuck is this? Some sort of Ramones knock off.

Alright, punky

Never heard of this before.

I've never heard of The Dictators, and except for the covers Go Girl Crazy was all new music for me. The band sounds like they are making music because they want to have fun (rather than reach some new or unique acheivement in music.) The Dictators sound like they're having fun, but not at a level that would draw me in for an additional level. I would not be surprised if I forget that I've heard this album soon enough. This album will get 3 stars because I never felt like I DIDN'T like what the band was doing, but I am rounding up because I didn't particularly like the album either. There were a few lyrics I was concerned with. A closer listen to the content might sink this album down to two stars. I don't want to listen again.

3, fun album

first listen the less popular cousin of the Ramones

This album cover is sooo empowering <3 trans visibility is soooo important <3 <3 These guys did punk before it was cool, and it seems they were better than the punk rock bands that followed, too. This album is better than anything the Ramones put out. I don't like punk as a genre but this could be the best punk record I've heard. A funny and energetic listen. There are some good guitar solo bits in here too

Du Punk de cons, peut-être un peu trop con pour être parfait

03/24/22

When I read the band's description and learned that one of the guys was Ross the Boss from Manowar I wanted to give them a really high score. I love the idea that they were taking the piss out of all the rock bands at the time and that they really laid the groundwork for the wave of punk bands to come. But in the end, I was just so so on the music.

I've never heard of this album or band and I had no idea what it would be like. Looking at the album cover, I took a guess at how this album might sound and it completely matches it. It was a fun romp and something that is definitely deserving to be on this list. 3.5/5

Not particularly good or bad. 3.5

Punk

I wanted to like this album more than I did. It was fun, but it did not really resonate.

Average rock

Well it is fun lol

Fun proto-punk album. Some interesting covers. I liked it, but probably won't be revisiting soon

I am not familiar with THE DICTATORS and the album GO GIRL CRAZY! at all, but I am aware of their existence. After to listening to GO GIRL CRAZY!, it started out okay then went downhill, not that the songs got progressively worse, no, in fact, all the songs have the same basic punk style and sense of humor which just gets tired quickly. Since THE RAMONES may have been inspired by THE DICTATORS and since THE RAMONES debut already included in the book, there is little reason to have THE DICTATORS’ debut included too, since THE RAMONES debut have done it better. I would replace GO GIRL CRAZY!, with TELEVISION’s second album ADVENTURE In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, GO GIRL CRAZY! Is the only album listed. Rate Artist: THE DICTATORS (3.0) Rate Album (Year): GO GIRL CRAZY! (1975 Original) (3.5) Rate Album (Year): GO GIRL CRAZY! (2015 40th Anniversary) (3.0) Ranking of THE DICTATORS - GO GIRL CRAZY! songs No. Title Length Ranking 01. "The Next Big Thing" 4:20 09.0/10 02. "I Got You Babe" (Sonny & Cher cover) 4:08 08.0/10 03. "Back to Africa" 3:35 07.0/10 04. "Master Race Rock" 4:13 07.0/10 05. "Teengenerate" 3:24 07.0/10 06. "California Sun" (Joe Jones cover) 3:04 06.0/10 07. "Two Tub Man" 4:08 06.0/10 08. "Weekend" 4:00 07.0/10 09. "(I Live For) Cars and Girls" 3:56 05.0/10 Original 1975 Release 69.0/90 = 7.66 / 2 = 3.83 Bonus Tracks - Remixed, Over-Produced, And Totally Reimagined By Andrew W.K.! 10. “Two Tub Man” 06.0/10 11. “ Weekend Go Girl Crazy!” Session Outtakes (1974) 07.0/10 12. “Backseat Boogie” (Outtake - Take 1) 06.0/10 13. “The Next Big Thing” (Alt. Take - Take 1) 07.0/10 14. “I Got You Babe” (Alt. Take W. Vocal - Take 2) 06.0/10 15. “Master Race Rock” (Instrumental) 05.0/10 16. “Teengenerate” (Alt. Take W. Vocal) 06.0/10 17. “California Sun” (Instrumental - Take 4) 05.0/10 18. “(I Live For) Cars And Girls” (Single Remix) 05.0/10 40th Anniversary 2015 Release 122.0/180 = 6.78 / 2 = 3.38

Kinda eld

6/10

191225 12:35 3 / highlights: (i live for) cars and girls, the next big thing

It's supposed to be a bridge from proto-punk to the coming punk age. But to me, it just sounds like glam rock copying the style of New York Dolls. Wasn't crazy about any of the tracks, but it does grow on you. It's vulgar, funny, and has some peculiar moments. Favorite tracks: I Got You Babe, Teengenerate, Weekend, I Live For Cars and Girls

Un. On album qui demenage hehe jai bien aime genre de punk rock. 3.5

Early punk rock. Starts off a bit rough but really picks up midway through. They can seriously shred. Favorite Track: California Sun Relisten: Yes

A fun listen! I enjoyed their quirky twist on rock and the tongue-in-cheek nature of many of the songs. I also liked their take on the Sonny and Cher and California Sun covers

Short and to the point. Nothing overly memorable but was still a good listen.

A good listen! I know this album & The Dictators is considered early punk, but I got a lot of Stones/Who/KISS vibes from this album, all bands I like. Overall an enjoyable listen that I would listen to again.

Still listening to this punk album

What happens if the beach boys are involved with a head on collision with the beastie boys? Fun but not particularly enjoyable.

Sometimes campy (teetering between funny at moments and at others sounding like countless rock/punk bands trying to be irreverently funny), but, dang, some incredible musicians in this band. Can hear how it bridges the gap nicely between hard rock and early punk, with some real strong surf rock/60s garage rock vibes. The lead guitarist is phenomenal, and they all play together so tightly and powerfully. Overall, not one I'd come back to, but given its release year I get why it's included on this list. Seems to be a harbinger of subgenres to come.

Goddammit no more punkrock please for the love of god. You call it protopunk, but its all the same. Ok this is much better than I expected. At least they're playing well. Good energy sometimes, but it just feels like cute schoolgirl metal for some reason. It's quite funny too actually. Ok yeah this is hilarious. Doesen't take itself too seriously, consider giving it a 4. Might be the first album to make me laugh out loud.

Not bad at all, I would probably give it 3.5, it was good.

Great punk energy, but with some cheeky humour and sarcastic covers. Takin' the piss since before it was cool.

Lekker rock en roll baby! Cars en girls wat een banger! carguys am i right? geef jullie top 5 olie, velgen en toetergeluiden

3 stars. Early punks. Not bad

I was initially skeptical about this but then the guitars hit in "Back to Africa" and I understood. It's the kind of sleazy guitar that the mid 70s is so awesome for. You can hear how this band sits in time around the Stooges, MC5- clearly a bridge between the early 70s, glam and punk.

Early punk, some fun stuff but ultimately didn't really touch me.

No está mal, pero totalmente indiferente :/

Fun, straight-ahead rock n roll with an edge

// Favs: — Score: Light 3

Weird, but not bad.

Some familiar songs.

Fun, would listen to again.

I like it...similar to Modern Lovers

Middle of the road album for me.

I thought this was a pretty fun listen, but I sadly didn’t enjoy it enough to add it to my library.

Enjoyable. Big influence on Punk. Never heard of them until now.

Proto punk that made the newer genre of New York more accessible and open to the mainstream. Akin to the Ramones for being trailblazers into the mainstream.

By this point, I'm already relieved every time the daily album's name and cover seem like it could be punk rock but then isn't. Instead we have some fairly standard old-school rock. Nothing special, but not bad as a whole. The instrumentation is pretty good, the vocals on the hand not very good at all. The lyrics are ridiculous and frankly, pretty stupid. But that seems to be on purpose. Won't listen to The Dictators again, but fine for one round.

Hmm. Naja. Die sind sich insgeheim zu bewusst, dass sie eigentlich nichts können, daher fehlt der letzte Schnipp zur satisfying Shiceegalness.

This was fun - catchy, early punk rock.

Good fun, I assume the lyrics/style is a bit tongue in cheek but it's entertaining even if it isn't. Not a huge amount of lasting appeal though

Good

.

Lekker rauw.

Weinig verheffend, maar in z’n soort acceptabel.

I like how much fun they sounded like they were having on the 2 covers, especially “I got you, babe”. Lyrics were a little too edgy for me. I liked the guitar a lot

"I don't want music, I want pain!" (Master Race Rock) La portada es de 10 pero el disco un poco sin más.

fun album

Rock. I got you Babe.

6/10. Funny for bits, but not a big fan

Not what I expected but not anything special. My favorite parts were the guitar solos, and sometimes the lyrics were funny but I think the vocals and instrumentals were pretty rudimentary throughout. 6

Not a bad listen. Kind of interesting that all these older albums always lead off with their biggest songs.

Fun stuff.

early punk? idk

This was pretty good. You can see how this became American Punk. Very proto, but not fully baked yet.

Always on the fence about this kind of thing. I get the "protopunk" genre, however unintentional it may of been. It mostly just seems like a goof to me. Clever enough, some harmless fun, I'm just not sure it replaced whatever it was supposedly subverting with anything that lasting.

2.8

Spotify fave song “(I live for) Cars and Girls. Good listen.

Listenable, not more :)

Appreciated more than admired

I'm not a huge fan of this kinda proto-punk stuff (I've already given the stooges like 1/5) but this at least has a bit of humour to it, and the guitar work is pretty good - just found out it's Ross the Boss, so that'd explain it. Plus I liked the bit where they said something bad about Lou Reed lol. That guy sux. Plus it turns out these guys were all involved in Manitoba's Wild Kingdom, which was more good jokey punk in the early 90s or so. On paper I shouldn't really like this, but I do. 3/5.

Somewhere between parody, punk and rock. Album a bit shit but bet they were fantastic live.

Fine

Naja

I mean sure its proto punk. Late 70's harder, sleazier rock than the radio. But this is kinda derivative, kinda edgey humor even for the time. But its fine not everything can be a homerun, I won't ever really come back to this.

Not very memorable

Kinda dumb

Almost won me over. Certainly a piece of pink history, even pre-dating the Ramones and some other more popular bands I typically think of as the punk pioneers. But yeah I'm gonna rate this one based on how much I enjoyed listening to it, not how glad I am I listened to it before I died.

fun. really stays in its lane, eventually gets a little tiring. maybe im not punk enough? favorite song was the I Got You Babe cover. strong 2

I’m sure my dad enjoyed this as a teen. Me not so much.

ts ass bro 😭😂✌ there's gotta be a better first punk album ever than this bs

no, not my cup of tea

Great guitars, but all marks off for the singing and lyrics

Kinda fun but mostly stupid.

This might be the most generic rock album on the list, and that's saying something. Musically okay, but the vocals annoyed me

I have never heard of this band. I am curious if I might recognize something. I was in 5th grade when this came out and was listening to the radio a lot. Surprised I don't remember hearing of these guys. Thoughts after listening 3 times... Some of this reminds me of Beastie Boys - more the attitude than anything. I can also see their influence on bands like the Ramones. I know why I never heard this before, they really weren't popular and radio never played them. I think of these guys as kind of a novelty act - doing silly/goofy songs for a laugh. It's kind of fun at first but the schtick sorta wears off after a bit. I did end up liking 4 songs ""The Next Big Thing", "I Got You Babe", "California Sun", "(I Live For) Cars and Girls". None of these are "great" songs - but will give me a chuckle when they pop up on my playlists. Liked songs on Spotify: 4/9 Rating: 2/5

I don't think I "got" this at all. Baffling.

Its Punk very Ramones, perhaps a little Motley Crue and even Kiss in places punchy does a thing not that bothererd itll be good live its got attitude not much to dislike but doesnt massiveley speak to me. I can see it having a following and its quite tight at times and all over the place at others the guitars are good and drumming pretty good too vocals I would say he hold key. Nothing amazing middle of the road stuff

Whole lott mid

Pretty typical early punk, maybe the earliest punk? I like it fine and I can appreciate its historical importance but musically it's just fine.

A poor man's New York Dolls. Pretty forgettable.

Not a kiss fan even less so of this

just boring? Weird to call a proto-punk album boring but uhh yeah. It was. Gave up near the end. It is almost on a 1 for me but production was good enough to bring it up to a 2.

fell flat for me. i dont mind edginess but it was shockingly lacking in bite. music was nothing special, considering new york dolls made their break 2 years prior with a more fun and dynamic sound.

sorry I don't have anything nice to say about this album so as Thumper in Bambi says, 'if you don't have anything nice to say..zip it' : ) 2 for effort but this is ICK for me

This was a silly album. I didn't like it but didn't hate it. Two stars

unremarkable

Not really my jam.

Not a fan.

Forgettable, only thing memorable about this is the Manitoba reference on the album cover. Lead singer (I think?) Had the last name Manitoba, that name on the back of his jacket was his nickname. Even though he was born in New York, respect for the shootout. 5/10

Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 😁🪮🤼 Production (40th Anniversary Edition): 🔪🚮💩 Music: 👴🏻🎈🧷 Rating: 🤪🤪/5

didn't really care for it/

Just loud ....

Second 30-minute shitpost album pull in a row? I'd hate it more if they weren't rocking out so hard most of the time, and I admit I did kind of buy into the humour by the end. Standout: Back to Africa

Dumb album that also committed the crime of being boring to me. The song Girls and Cars is absolutely hilarious but they missed me completely with the rest.

Nothing really special to write about this. Cry rub of the mill.

Well, I don't really know what to say about this one. It's decent. The energy is good. Good guitars. Not much for the singing. Some good songs. But it's all a bit dirty, if I'm aloud to say. Maybe a 2.7,8?

I bet this bit was very funny in the 70s

Perhaps they were influential, early pioneers in punk rock… but this was such a sloppy set of mediocre songs, that I feel unable to really appreciate it… I do think the album cover negatively impacted my perception of the music, which is perhaps a bit unfair, but between the timing issues in the drums, the strange scales on the guitar, and the raspy, guttural vocals, I just couldn’t bring myself to like it.

i’d bump it to 2.5 if i could. didn’t hate but didn’t keep my attention

ultimatee crackhead soundtrack

I continue to learn that I'm not a big fan of punk rock. This was fine, but quite annoying at times. It had some strong moments but I wouldn't listen again.

2,7/5

Sure, I guess this album is early punk or something? This album has aged super poorly for me. I bought this album about 25 years ago after reading the book Please Kill Me (that book is a fun history of early punk, highly recommended). Even reading through this album’s track listing gives major ick now, and listening to it ain’t much better. Also, I soured on these guys after one of their singers leaned on the electronic artist Manitoba enough to change their name to Caribou (by the way, I love Caribou’s album Up In Flames, listen to that one instead, I just did for the first time in 10+ years and I still love it (disc 1 absolutely, disc 2 optional). Speaking of not listening to The Dictators, I also highly recommend the band Radio Birdman and their compilation/best-of thing from 2001 if you’re in the mood for rocky/punkish jams from late ‘70s.

okay-ish. 2.5.

Thought I was going to love this. Didn't. Sometimes the things that inspire things you love don't inspire you quite the same.

another example of just guys being dudes in the studio

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.

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

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

Couldn’t tell you what this album is about if batman held a gun to my head

Didn't really stand out for me

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.

Solid guitar licks but poor singing and sound quality (sounds live) - terrible cover of I Got You Babe - would not listen to again

Not bad. The Sonny and Cher song remake was good. Not sure I would listen to this again, though.

Nah, not interested 2/5

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

Short and not very sweet.

One of those albums that was fine to listen to but I’ll probably never revisit and forget about.

2.5/5

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.

Sounds like every other rock band… but racist

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

Is good. Nothing crazy.

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?'

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 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.

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.

Not really my vibe. There are some fun songs but nothing I feel like I need to listen to again.

Don’t like this much

did not like the energy

Too Loud™️

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!

Definitely tongue-in-cheek. Fun listen but not exactly rushing out to buy this album.

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???

I get it’s satirical, but that doesn’t make it fun to listen to.

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.

Eh, its ok. Kinda fun, kinda dumb.

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 didnt hate this, but some of the best songs were the covers.

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.

one of the first Punk Albums ... why Not listen to one of the good ones instead

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"

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.

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.

Meh. It's fine. Old punk sums it up

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

5/10

Not ignoble but certainly not good.

Sub rate Ramones

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.

Not particularly exciting with some really quite dumb lyrics

I wasn’t particularly impressed, though the energy was fun on some songs.

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