New York Dolls - 'Morrissey Presents...' (Attack)
4/5
By: Toby L
The New York Dolls; some of modern rock music's earliest innovators, and the coveted glam punk male starlets that virtually coined the term 'drug abuse'. More tragically deceased band-members than Spinal Tap, palpably harder-rocking than many of even today's lurid attempters and as bedraggled as charity-shop owners. They rule.
Their 2004 return was one of the few honourable ones, the sell-out shows at the Royal Festival Hall already in legend. Here's the document: 'Morrissey Presents The Return Of The New York Dolls Live From Royal Festival Hall 2004'. Deep breath. Fourteen songs; tragically omitted = their cover of Joplin's 'Piece Of My Heart'; of primal, sex-bolstered schlock 'n' roll, the tempestuous, horny and incensed likes of you shan't find elsewhere.
Well, not this decade at least. Everything about this show is retrogressive, but we don't give one spine-tingling, nostalgic f**k - we can listen to the Dolls in '04, complete with a Libertine on drums, and pretend we dirtied our perms in CBGBs with the best of 'em. Even though we didn't. And now never would, because the place has become a tourist-trap with bad bands.
But, still - in the likes of 'Trash', 'Jet Boy', and 'Subway Train', we have some of the few decent punk gems ever, performed unrestrained and ably by a bunch of crinkly oldies that still know how to wind up a crowd - whether via the camp theatrical interplay between David Johansen and guitar-god Syl Sylvain, or general, all-out, grotty snottiness that the whole thing proposes. Let alone the solos. And there's a f**k-load of those here for you in store. Elate, people. The originals are back. And still standing and rollicking with many of their vital organs still (semi-)intact.
Artists in this article: New York Dolls
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment