The seventies birthed a new level of insanity in the world of music and pop culture. One band, however, can safely stake their claim in outlining the blueprints for two bold new fronts; Glam Rock and Punk. They blitzed the stage with their chaos concentrate and defied convention (something that required extreme measures as it was, given the time period) by obliterating their instruments with smart, simple, blazing guitar lines while decked in woman's drag and a hearty variety of Revlon product. Even David Bowie, the Rock & Roll chameleon, was spotted at their shows with pen and paper, taking notes. Morrissey and members of R.E.M. are also cited as major devotees. They aren't as widely recognized but the New York Dolls made an unmistakable footprint in the direction of our great musical monument, fashioning the simplicity and ferocity of a new age and giving form to a musical style that would become a staple in the minds of fiery restless youth.
Yet, as is true with most influential groups, their reign of terror was short lived. They disbanded in 1975 and the spoils of their legacy have been riddled with an element of tragedy in the decades to follow. Soon after Johnny Thunders split, he ignited a mightily successful solo career in the Punk Rock arena. Being a dope fiend however, his trashy lifestyle soon caught up with him and a little over a decade after he found his limelight he was found dead in his hotel room under very suspicious circumstances. It remains a favorite topic among musical conspiracy theorists but we won't dive into that mess. Jerry Nolan lived no longer than a few months after Thunders, succumbing to bacterial meningitis and bacterial pneumonia. What's worse, Arthur "Killer" Kane passed away in 2004 by accelerated Leukemia, just 22 days after the first New York Dolls reunion concert.
So with their legendary status aside and only two of the original band members still intact, how might a rebirthed comeback fare in today's music world? We've seen a fair amount of classic rockers come crawling out of retirement and a good deal of them have been less than satisfying. Just think of a hunched and decrepit Robert Plant doing his best to croak and wail for tens of thousands of fans completely aside from the fact that his once-thunderous, God-like voice has long since left him and you'll grasp the idea. A healthy artist's music is progressive, never static. Just as musical taste evolves and builds upon itself, so does an artist's inspiration and outlet. On that basis, I'm not convinced that thirty to forty years down the road, these legendary Classic Rockers are in the same old place they started. Sure, give the people what they want, but do it with some grace and dignity! Certain anomalies exist, of course. AC/DC's charm is that they will always and forever stick to their raunchy formula and the world loves them for it. They're as certain as death and taxes.
So, in this year of 2009, a time riddled with Indie folk bands that don't really speak much to folk at all, worldwide economic turmoil and just three and a half years away from the Mayan prophesied apocalypse we're given 'Cause I Sez So,' a brand new album from the New York Dolls. How on earth do we handle this? I made a grave error in my approach. First thing I did was listen to their debut album to refresh myself. I got all hyped up and giddy about it, then dived headlong into this thing and oh, how it hurt. Thirty-four years in hibernation and they're trying to pick up right where they left off and it doesn't work at all. On a Rock & Roll scale, it's nearly first class in concept when juxtaposed to most retro-rockers today. The instruments are crunchy and alive, Johansen's got a nice raspy howl but my problem was in their approach. The first track is a cringer, it says it all in the title 'Cause I Sez So.' They're pulling this attitude that seems utterly forced and pretty hilarious, chucking hokey slang all over us and mucking up the songs. If not for the lyrical tripe these songs would have some great potential as album openers, but ultimately, after quite a few plays it's still just painful to sit through.
The album continues like this four songs in, but with the first few jangly acoustic notes of 'My World' my ears perked up. None of the songs before seemed nearly as engaging. This second wave of songs are injected with cherry red blood and played with a stranglehold, it’s like the ship changes direction entirely. 'This is Ridiculous' could claim to be Screamin' Jay Hawkin's illegitimate baby child in a generation gone wrong with the punchy guitar and Johansen's bluesy snarl. He taps into his licit anger for us (the misplaced attitude now pulled off very well) and bridges a connection with this fractious lyrical frankness that the Blues Gods of the golden age were renowned for. Further down the line the ladies flirt with Spanish guitar and some fine whistling in a lamenting 'Temptation to Exist,' followed by a straight up Country Rock tune that, to my surprise, works beautifully with the ingredients on hand. They've tapped into their seasoned potential at last. 'Making Rain' and 'Temptation To Exist' are sung with more conviction and sincerity than anything precedent since they’re embracing themes more pertinent today. All the same, they give us a re-working of 'Trash' from their debut with a slick Reggae groove, reminding us that they are still ultimately the masters of their domain. And onward the album twists and turns with some generous surprises that make it worthwhile in the end. Perhaps the biggest surprise of all is the closer, ‘Exorcism of Despair,’ which comes and goes quicker than any other track but with that it taps into the fury of great Punk Rock and leaves us hungering for more.
None of this is necessarily groundbreaking musical excavation by any means, but it's a worthy showcasing of artistic growth (two-thirds of it anyway). For me it begs the question, what was their intent with this album? I don't think they were looking to bring the New York Dolls back in the name of evening drag shows. They're all talented, ambitious musicians in their own right with fantastic chemistry and I think this album's a vehicle for bigger and better things to come. Their old punchy sound is well behind them as is made evident in the beginning of the album and they're clearly interested in exploring. A good deal of that weight is on us as fans of music; progressive music. The New York Dolls are a thing of the past no matter which way we look at it, what we're given instead is a name full of interesting frontiers. Let them explore. And in that respect, I recommend the same to anyone who thinks they know just how far they've strayed on this release. Take some time to listen to their original influences; the old timey Rhythm and Blues, American Girl Groups of the 50's and 60's, Tyrannosaurus Rex, early Rolling Stones. See just how far of a jump these guys were to begin with and you can start to appreciate their need to progress today.
