Red Patent Leather

Recorded live in New York in 1975. Includes liner notes by Sylvain Sylvain. New York Dolls: David Johansen (vocals); Johnny Thunders (guitar); Sylvain Sylvain (guitar, piano); Arthur Kane, Peter Jordan (bass); Jerry Nolan (drums). Recorded live at The Little Hippodrome Club, New York on May 2, 1975 and The Bataclan, Paris, France on December 23, 1973. Includes liner notes by Sylvain Sylvain. The first 11 songs were originally released in Europe as RED PATENT LEATHER in 1984. This concert disc features one of the last live shows by the New York Dolls lineup with Jerry Nolan (drums) and Johnny Thunders (guitar). Less than a month later both would begin a 30-plus year sabbatical. The Dolls were fixtures in the Big Apple's burgeoning punk scene as evidenced by the May 2, 1975 show at the Little Hippodrome located there. Yet, the band's brash and boozy attack perfectly animates a repertoire of precious little from their own back catalog. The opening "Red Patent Leather" and "On Fire" never made it onto a Dolls studio platter, yet the combo charge through them with a notable swagger of familiarity. Commencing the lengthy list of covers is Eddie Cochran's angst and hormone-driven anthem "Something Else" -- which recalls the similar non-conformist assault that the Sex Pistols delivered on the Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1976). Otis Blackwell's "Daddy Rollin' Stone" is clearly a derivative of the Who's early reworking and the unusual coupling of Clarence "Frogman" Henry's "I Ain't Got No Home" and Larry Williams' "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" reveal the Dolls' unquestionable affinity for early rock and R&B. They also provide a correlation between rebellious '50s rock and soul and their '70s long distance "Punk Rock" cousins. David Johansen's (vocals/mouth harp) "Girls" is energetically inspired and reflects the full-throttle version that he brought to his first solo effort. Another cover of note is Bo Diddley's "Pills" -- which is one of the few tracks taken from a Dolls' album -- while other originals worth mentioning are Thunders' "Pirate Love," Sylvain Sylvain's (guitar) "Teenage News" and the compulsory medley of "Personality Crisis" and "Looking for a Kiss." As a bonus, this CD also contains three songs from a 1973 French concert -- "Trash," "Chatterbox," and "Puss in Boots." While there is no denying that the entire package bears horrendous sound quality, the historic nature and passionate performances make them vital entries into the New York Dolls' canon. ~ Lindsay Planer