New York Dolls – Rock ‘n Roll (Mercury)

The Dolls are a band best digested in morsels. Dave Johnansen’s whiny flamboyant shtick (spawn of Aerosmith’s Stephen Tyler and so many other silk-scarfed clones) was meant to grate and bait; the glam personas of Mick Jagger, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop decked out in nylons & cabaret top hat, and soaked in a heavy solution of snotty irreverence. The sloppy rockabilly riffs of Johnny Thunders and Syl Sylvian delivered a jittery, jangly counterpart to Johnsanen’s manic antics at the mic. Androgyny and aggression shot up with stiff doses of coke and smack and tossed in the faces of any audience willing to pay a cover. They were a joke at first, much like their progeny the Sex Pistols, which gradually gained cult credence and a record contract. This compilation gathers material from their only two label-financed albums along with a small clutch of outtakes. At nearly 77-minutes of music, it’s probably all a casual listener will ever need. The song craft is fairly mediocre throughout, largely interchangeable proto-punk riffs played under lascivious lyrics with lots of parodic attitude. But in small doses, it’s a hoot and there are regular flashes of brilliance amidst the caked-on trash and raunch. “Lonely Planet Boy” channels Bowie, trading up electric guitars for strumming acoustics and distant stereo-bifurcated sax. “Who Are the Mystery Girls” brings stomping Detroit garage rock to the Bowery replete with a cadre of female back up singers while the schizophrenic “Stranded in the Jungle” gives Screamin’ Jay Hawkins a run for the money in terms of genre demolition absurdity. From Johansen’s mealy blues harmonica on the honky tonk “Lone Star Queen” to the power chord superhero anthem “Jet Boy” the Dolls prove that their enduring reputation as punk pioneers was well earned.