Go Girl Crazy

Completely surprised by this. Based of the cover and a few descriptions I was expecting a campy Ramones. This is better than every Ramones album I’ve heard. Genius lyricism with lines such as ‘ We don't judge you by your face, First we check to see what you eat, Then we bend down and smell your feet’. Some killer guitar, memorable front man. Even a surprisingly solid cover of I Got You Babe. Just a weird as hell album cover. But that’s part of it I guess

One of the unsung heroes of punk in America, The Dictators blended the rock and roll sensibilities of KISS with a raucous and rude sense of street humor that proved to be massively influential. Go Girl Crazy beat The Ramones and The Sex Pistols to record store shelves by over a year, but unfortunately there was no music industry infrastructure for punk music. Radio didn't know what to do with their acerbic, fast-talking New York style, their label didn't know how to promote them, and before punk could even reach a crescendo The Dictators were gone. As is the case with most trailblazing bands, their legacy lives on in the music of others (specifically The Ramones who credit The Dictators as a major driving force).

The perfect example of how punk can be both smart and stupid at the same time. Ashamed of myself for not knowing about this gem. I’m not the only one I’m sure. Good to finally see where the Ramones stole their ideas from! Glad to have heard this and now I can finally see why critics claim a straight line from V.U. -> The Stooges -> New York Dolls -> Ramones and how that is how punk rock happened. They all forgot to input this before the Ramones. And it’s all New York art rock really anyway, like rap many years later, a lot of regional scenes erupted. Was NYC ground zero for this shit? Maybe, maybe… I might be starting to come around. This bit from the Wikipedia article says what I think far better than I could write it: “ funny, brilliantly played and hopelessly naïve masterpiece of self-indulgent smartass rock'n'roll".[10] Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Go Girl Crazy's junk-generation culture and smart-aleck sensibility did provide an essential blueprint for '70s punk. With its TV references and homely vocals, this ground-breaking and long-unavailable album continues to inspire underground groups everywhere."[7]”

Stupidily fun (proto) punk rock. And compared to slightly later peers (e.g. the Ramones) the musicianship of these guys was pretty awesome...

With a band name as ridiculous as The Dictators and a cover featuring Handsome Dick Manitoba dressed like a professional wrestler, 𝘎𝘰 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭 𝘊𝘳𝘢𝘻𝘺! practically dares me to take it seriously. I didn’t, and I suspect that's exactly the point. Musically, it’s a rowdy mixture of garage rock and hard rock, full of simple riffs, deliberately stupid humour, and the bad manners that would soon become part of punk. The band sounds like they’re having a great time, and there's something charming about how little they seem to care about musical sophistication. Unfortunately, the songs themselves don’t always make as much of an impression as the attitude. An entertaining piece of proto-punk history, even if the music doesn’t quite live up to the glorious absurdity of its presentation. I enjoyed the racket, but I suspect I’ll remember the cover long after I’ve forgotten most of the songs.

Surprisingly funny

I find it strange how US and UK Punk differ especially in the early days pre mass media hysteria. This is a great example of the US scene which is a more gentle morph from rock n roll to punk

3.75 I do not care what anyone says, this is the first punk album. This came out a year before the Ramones first LP. This is punk. It’s not “proto-punk”. It’s more punk than anything by the Stooges or New York Dolls.

This album has the most amusing cover of "I Got You Babe" that I've ever heard. It's sounds later than 1975, but according to the Wikipedia article, it was a precursor to the era it sounds like to me.

Nope

the beach songs at the end were funny/odd

Perhaps this is better than I'm giving it credit for, but it really caught me in the opposite sort of mood. Halfway through the first song, I just REALLY didn't want to listen anymore. So, the rules are the rules.

Another one that obviously belongs on the list. I’m a medium amount of U2 fan. Although overall I like achtung baby more, this is probably their best. Especially since it has Trip Through Your Wires, one of their best songs and definitely the most underrated.

Not for me, thanks. 2

Two Tub Man (I Live For) Cars and Girls

This is actually the first time I’ve properly listened to this, though I’ve known about it for years. Honestly, I’m surprised to see it on the list. The band is mentioned and interviewed, though never fully explored, in Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain (one of the BEST books ever written about rock, not just punk!). Yet plenty of other bands from that book and this era aren’t on here. Where are the Dead Boys? Richard Hell and the Voidoids? Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers? Why only one Ramones album? And why, for God’s sake, THREE Velvet Underground albums? So what are the Dictators doing here? Probably because they were a true crossover band in every way. To those saying this sounds like Kiss: THAT’S THE POINT! The songs are tongue-in-cheek tributes to, and parodies of, the cock rock of the time. And even though he barely sings on this record (he’s credited only as the band’s “Secret Weapon”), Handsome Dick Manitoba, pictured on the cover, was the perfect mascot for charlatans, losers and loudmouths everywhere. Finally, someone Gene Simmons allegedly called “a fat Fonzie” (when they were on tour together) could get on stage and be a rock star. You didn’t need to be a millionaire, or have huge sets and tons of makeup, to do it. (FYI, in Please Kill Me, Handsome Dick was quoted as saying, "Gene Simmons might be the single biggest asshole I have met in my fifteen years of rock and roll." Make of that what you will.) So, what do we have here? Something fun, dumb and loud, no doubt. I find it funny, the playing is often kickass (especially the guitar solos), and those covers of “I Got You Babe” and “California Sun” make me smile like a total idiot. But it mostly covers ground the New York Dolls had already done better, the Stooges had done with more raw animal power, and the Ramones would do months later with more innocent charm. It’s really more of a blueprint that other bands would later improve on. It’s nice to have, but like Ian Dury, it’s a footnote to the great stuff to come. I suppose Manitoba would disagree, like all egomaniacs. So, whatever. 3.5 stars from me. Glad I finally got to listen, I guess.

Very enjoyable, proper 70s glam, with a solid level throughout

Not bad, not great Angsty alright music, I got you babe cover was crap

Equal parts Punk, Glam, and Novelty. It was better than I expected, but my expectations were pretty low.

This is okay

I love a lot of punk and can definitely see the influence this had on future bands, but this one just wasn't working for me

We quite liked this one. Was decent, but not overly strong feelings. ⭐⭐⭐🟡🟡

meh

I guess this was an album of covers?? I’m not 100% certain about the other songs being covered, but I know I Got You Babe is a Sonny and Cher classic. Not a fan of this group though. The vocals leave a lot to be desired.

Already knew from the album cover this was music for hot aesthetic girls, and was proven right one second into the first track. I'm too shook to play any more.

I’m not wowed by this by any means, especially with the vocals. The instrumentation and back track is slightly keeping me alive and that’s what’s saving this from being a 1

Awesome

sucks mad balls

01) The Next Big Thing - 6,0 02) I Got You Babe - 6,5 03) Back to Africa - 6,5 04) Master Race Rock - 6,0 05) Teengenerate - 6,5 06) California Sun - 6,5 07) Two Tub Man - 5,5 08) Weekend - 6,0 09) (I Live For) Cars and Girls - 5,5 TOTAL: 6,11 (61/100)

Dictators are usually spectacularly unfun, so kudos to The Dictators for bucking the trend and giving us an unspectacularly fun album!

You can hear glimmers of New York Dolls here but more humorous. Kind of eh and forgettable but the second half makes a huge redemption.

??? ----------------------------------------- Damn this is fantastic! Doesn't take itself too seriously (album cover definitely gives that vibe) and lays down some surprisingly technically proficient tunes. The guitar and drum work at times is really compelling. Apparently this is protopunk - I really like what is going on here apart from a couple of sketchy - it was alright in the 70s isms. It's got "we've got Kiss at home" vibes - and you can see how this might have had a big impression on the glam/punk/rock acts that followed. WAIT?? THAT's ROSS THE BOSS??? Ah man, MANOWAR is this vibe turned up to 11 so that fits. 4*

Another one of those punk albums, but wait. It's got something about it, it's fun and catchy, and it doesn't just fall into the formula. Lyrics have dated though so ignore the words!

This is pretty energetic lively and keeps you engaged throughout. Some of these lyric though man, they just suck. I mean, it's a decent enough listen, but it feels a little corny at points and not in the funny kind of way. I think it's it's so short. It doesn't really warrant any sort of strong feelings towards it. I'm not really gonna remember this. To be honest, I mean, like there's nothing particularly wrong with it. It's just not that interesting as a project on its own. Fav Track: Teengenerate

Fun punk

Not really a fan of punk or as some people are calling it Proto Punk. Yes it’s silly and at times fun but overall I just found it a bit bland, juvenile and boring. It may well have paved a path but it’s a road that I don’t particularly enjoy going down.

Not good

teengenerate temazo

I wanted to like this album, but couldn't quite get there

fun album

It's very standard, not bad at all but also nothing that special. I don't think I'll think about it very much in two weeks, but that's not on them cause apparently they were here first. Just yeah, not mind bending or a must listen.

Nascent punk from the time when it was all being created. Interesting but probably wouldn’t listen to it again. 3

Bajo

Hmmmm for punk I would rather go other places

This sounds like a fun but not especially memorable bar band. I will go up one point for being an early kind of punk, but there is nothing too memorable here for me.

This reminded me of the early Beastie Boys in that it’s a bunch of kids from New York just doing whatever. It’s also not great. I can appreciate that it was a forebearer for punk, but I wouldn’t necessarily want to listen to this again. Their I Got You Babe cover was cool.

One thing that I've learned from this challenge is that I don't wnjoy punk, but some exceptions to the rule have been suggestwd...and this is one of them. I didn't know I knew some of the songs, there is the classic I've got you babe that I knew from Cher and itbis surprisingly in this album. The music is fun and the lyrics did make me laugh at times with the sarcasm and irony. I honestly didn't have any idea of this band but, well, quite fun punk. 3.5/5 3/5 for the project.

I like a band with a sense of humor. This album isn’t amazing but it’s not terrible. I also like that they said goodbye at the end of the album, I thought that was nice.

Quite annoying

American proto-punk from New York. I'm a bit surprised that I've never heard this band before to be honest. It bombed at the time, unsurprisingly, but it's full of raw energy and oblique humour. A bit too much lead guitar for what would later become punk rock.

Top 1000??

as letras disto beiram um pouco a ofensa ou só brainrot ahahah algumas melodias safam-se

I thought this was actually kind of funny. I don’t know who this guy thinks he is, suing Manitoba, singing ironic songs about the master race, etc, but you know, boomers.

Pretty basic and straight down the line, but I’m a basic bitch when it comes down to it so this is right in my wheelhouse. Not certain about the cover, but otherwise this was easy to listen to and did what it set out to do. Obviously influential and better stuff followed it, but it’s half decent in itself.

Dumb Fun Listen once, then move on with your right & dont look back

Nope

Enjoyed small bits of this (2.5)

Rather fun protopunk, but not quite on the same level as MC5. The lyrics are cheeky, the mixing is raw, and the feeling reminded me of DEVO if they weren't so electronic.

Really fun party slop proto punk rock

Somehow this is more listenable but also worse than more abrasive punk albums.

Seems a little juvenile to me

Kinda average punk music. I get that it's on this list because it's a very early example of punk, but it's still rather boring to me. I will say it's better than British punk from the early era.

I don't mind this genre but some of the songs just straight up suck. could see how they were fun in the 70s but def didn't age well

Sounds like an album made by irreverent 20-somethings in the 70s. Oh, it's exactly that? Neat. A fun album even if some of the themes haven't aged well.

yeah it was fun

Fun, clean and music

A proto-punk album that is mostly significant for having elements of punk before it was considered a distinct genre. The Dictators, along with the New York Dolls, were early CBGB acts who would ultimately influence the many of the biggest bands in music that came through CBGB’s doors afterward. Unlike the New York Dolls, the Dictators influence was lost to most, including myself. Like a lot of punk, Go Girl Crazy is loud and intentionally obnoxious. It is a genre that works best when it isn’t taking itself seriously and this record takes that captures that attitude in spades. Does that attitude result in good music? Sometimes. Songs like “Two Tub Man” and “Teengenerate” are great early punk tunes. Some of the lyrics, while somewhat sophomoric, are kind of funny. However, the best part of these songs is the guitar work from Ross the Boss (founding Manowar member) who seriously shreds. After giving the album several listens, I’ve concluded that reason the New York Dolls and other contemporaries like The Stooges are better known today that the Dictators is that they created better, more interesting and creative music. Despite not loving this album, I’m glad I got to check it out and learn about its importance in music history. I will likely not be revisiting the music in the future.

The homoerotic “I Got You, Babe” cover was cool but the rest was pretty stupid

Listened before? No Familiar with the artist? No Thoughts: - What is this? Why is it on this list? Why are they covering Sonny & Cher? - It's not terrible, but it's definitely not for me. Some of the songs are kind of funny I guess.

I'm quite fond of The Stooges, MC5 and even The Velvet Underground when it comes to American proto-punk,as they call it, but something about this just doesn't grab me the same way. Perhaps it's the childish humour that rubs me the wrong way. Well, it's fine anyway.

Not bad. 3.5/5

Love me some 70s punk

Shocked the list had something this fun. Is it the best? No, but certainly no skips for me.

A total blind spot that I feel I should have been aware of. Maybe not as influential as the Wikipedia makes them out to be

Good melodies and instrumentals but repetitive and cheesy

poopoo fucking album

Not a fan

this was something lol, very high school. I didn’t mind it tho, I was worried when I saw punk rock but tbh this just sounded like rock music to my unrefined ears. I didn’t mind this tho, the lyrics were a bit juvenile but I enjoyed the instrumentals and I liked the guys voice. It sounded like they had a great time making this record. I think I would listen one more time but I don’t think I would get much out of it. 2.93/5

If this has a place in history as the first punk album then fine. but its not very good. Low level 70's rock with a flavour of anarchy, but the wiki said this was hilarious and i did not find that.

bordering on parody. or at least i have to assume the race stuff is satire. it’s a funny album that does not take itself seriously and does not display a great deal of musical or lyrical talent. but it did make me laugh and the songs were often catchy. it’s a 2.5 but unsure which way to round.

Go Girl Crazy - The Dictators (1975) Is it criminal if I tell you that I liked their I Got You Babe better than the original? (Phew! No annoyous oboe on this one. And I've got nothing against oboe, not even against harpsichord for that matter, I love these instruments.) Otherwise, I think some of the lyrics in this album are not very 2026-compatible. Well, it was certainly meant to be scandalous even back in the days anyway, but... Nevermind. Still, a true Master Race Rock album. And a better band than Kiss anyday. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 7.5/10 [This album has been listened to and rated on October the 1st, 2026.]

One of the earliest, and therefore, inspirational punk albums. Influential, inspiring, and game changing at the time, but still not listenable. Pitchfork: n/a Rolling Stone: Not on any lists, but infamously received a 0 star rating from famous rock critic Dave Marsh

Unc Punc pretty cool to hear the grandaddy of punk pre-ramones, and getting to a separate genre through taking elements of 50s surf rock, zeppelin and other hard rock idfk with bold and in your face belts. what fun! And even cooler, they're all Jews.

Pretty good, not fast or hard enough. Sometimes kind of remind me of someone else. Maybe Jim Carrol, but I'm not sure. Subject matter is very different, though.

Not really a fan of this kind of early nebular state of punk. Its a lot of bad humor, cock-rock masculinity, and bad riffs. 2.5

Громкий, но в то же время не лишенный мелодичности панк. Весьма недурно

This was a decent punk album! Never heard them before but I dug it!

It’s a fun listen with a few cracking tracks but as an overall album it’s not one that’s gonna knock your socks off. Top Track - California Sun

funnnnn

Não conhecia, me surpreendeu. E nem gosto desse tipo de som

2.5

Protopunk

3/5. My thoughts on this album were constantly swapping between good and bad but in the end I think I’m leaning a bit more positive on it. It’s a record that spends a lot of its time taking the piss out of rock and roll machismo, though sometimes it commits to the bit so hard that it just kinda becomes the thing it making fun of. The part of the album that ended up winning me over though was the guitar and bass playing on this thing, which are genuinely pretty great throughout. But the songs themselves are a mixed bag for me, some good, some very much not good.

69

2.5/5

A solid punk rock album, who paved the way for The Ramones to walk down. 'Back to Africa' resonated with me, and I didn't realise that 'I Got You Babe' was their song! A cool album, albeit a little samey (a lot of 70's punk kind of is)

It’s a decent listen, but while it predated punk, it sounds like a contrived parody; kind of how SNL might have represented the growing New York punk scene had they chosen to (did I dream it or have I actually seen that on YouTube?) The NYC punk scene may not have been made up of actual street kids, some were far from it, but when they made great art, it was generally authentic to who they were. Remember it wasn’t a scene full of bands like the Ramones. It’s easy to look back at this and wonder why they are not spoken in the same breath as other acts (Patti, The Dolls, Jonathan etc) who were punk before punk was actually a thing. “Oh wow The Dictators were doing this in ‘75” Yes, but listen closely, it’s Kiss-lite or Cheap Trick with an imitation of a Bronx loudmouth superimposed. It’s another “enjoy it for what it is” album for me, not “enjoy it for what people say it is”. Probably doesn’t need to be in the 1001.

I enjoyed this one.

Like Kiss, only shitter. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★☆☆☆(3/10) Total reviewed : 421 Already owned : 93 Purchased : 21 To buy : 5 Nope : 302

Mommy can we listen to KISS? No honey, we have KISS at home...