BEST OF/20TH CENTURY

New York Dolls: David Johansen (vocals, harmonica, gong); Sylvain Sylvain (guitar, piano, background vocals); Johnny Thunders (guitar, background vocals); Arthur Harold Kane (bass); Jerry Nolan (drums, percussion). Producers: Todd Rundgren, Shadow Morton, Paul Nelson. Compilation producer: Bill Levenson. Includes liner notes by Dave Thompson. This is part of Universal's "20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection" series. Personnel: Sylvain Sylvain (vocals, guitar, piano); Johnny Thunders (vocals, guitar); David Johansen (vocals, harmonica, gong); Jerry Nolan (drums, percussion). Audio Mixer: Joseph M. Palmaccio. Recording information: A&R Studios, New York, NY (04/1973-02/1974); Record Plant Studios, NY (04/1973-02/1974). Photographer: Bob Gruen. Arranger: New York Dolls. This volume of the 20th Century Masters series attempts to be a good, low-priced introduction to the New York Dolls. The collection culls five songs from each of the Dolls' two studio albums and adds the non-LP track "Lone Star Queen." The selections are solid: From the first album, "Personality Crisis," "Looking for a Kiss," "Trash," "Pills," and "Jet Boy" were chosen. One could argue that it would have been nice to include "Lonely Planet Boy," one of the great punk ballads, to show off the bruised romantic heart of the band, but it isn't a criminal omission. The picks from Too Much Too Soon are "Babylon," "Stranded in the Jungle," "Puss 'N' Boots," "Don't Start Me Talkin'," and "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown" -- great songs, one and all. The inclusion of "Lone Star Queen" is questionable; it isn't a very good song and the compilers were probably throwing in a "rarity" just for rarity's sake. It would have been better to include another song from the albums. Heck, you should probably just spend the money and buy the two albums instead of this sampler. Once you hear the New York Dolls' raucous brand of rock, you'll want all you can get. ~ Tim Sendra