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New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. [4]
The New York Dolls were a glam band who, while not at all successful in their day, are considered a major contributor to the development of multiple forms of rock. They helped usher in the glam metal craze with Kiss citing them as an influence.
- Overview
- History
- Artistry
- Discography
The New York Dolls are an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands in the early punk rock scene. The line-up at this time comprised vocalist David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders, bassist Arthur Kane, guitarist and pianistSylvain Sylvain, and drummer Jerry Nolan; the latter two had replaced Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia, respectively, in 1972. According to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music(1995), the New York Dolls predated the punk and glam metal movements, and were "one of the most influential rock bands of the last 20 years".
Although their original line-up fell apart quickly, the band's first two albums—New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974)—became among the most popularcult records in rock and roll. The New York Dolls influenced bands such as the Sex Pistols, Kiss, the Ramones, Guns N' Roses, the Damned, and the Smiths, whose frontman Morrissey organized a reunion show for the band's surviving members in 2004. After reuniting, they recorded and released three more albums—One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006), Cause I Sez So (2009), and Dancing Backward in High Heels (2011).
Formation
Sylvain Sylvain and Billy Murcia, who went to junior high school and high school together, started playing in a band called “the Pox” in 1967. After the frontman quit, Murcia and Sylvain started a clothing business called "Truth and Soul" and Sylvain took a job at "A Different Drummer", a men's boutique that was across the street from the New York Doll Hospital, a doll repair shop. Sylvain claimed that the shop inspired the name for their future band. In 1970 they formed a band again and recruited Johnny Thunders to join on bass, though Sylvain ended up teaching him to play guitar. They called themselves the "Dolls". When Sylvain left the band to spend a few months in London, Thunders and Murcia went their separate ways. Thunders was eventually recruited by Kane and Rick Rivets, who had been playing together in the Bronx. At Thunders' suggestion, Murcia replaced the original drummer. Thunders played lead guitar and sang for the band known as "Actress". An October 1971 rehearsal tape recorded by Rivets was released as Dawn of the Dolls. When Thunders decided that he no longer wanted to be the front man, David Johansen joined the band. Initially, the group was composed of singer David Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets (who was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain after a few months), bass guitarist Arthur "Killer" Kane and drummer Billy Murcia.
Original line-up and record deal: 1971–75
New York Dolls, 1973Main articles: New York Dolls (album) and Too Much Too Soon (album) The original lineup's first performance was on Christmas Eve 1971 at a homeless shelter, the Endicott Hotel. After getting a manager and attracting some music industry interest, the New York Dolls got a break when Rod Stewart invited them to open for him at a London concert. Shortly thereafter, Murcia died of accidental drowning, at age 21, after he passed out from drugs and alcohol. Once back in New York, the Dolls auditioned drummers, including Marc Bell (who would go on to play with Richard Hell, and withThe Ramones under the stage name "Marky Ramone") and Jerry Nolan, a friend of the band. They selected Nolan, and after US Mercury Records' A&R man Paul Nelson signed them, they began sessions for their debut album. was produced by singer-songwriter, musician and solo artist, Todd Rundgren. In an interview in Creem magazine, Rundgren says he barely touched the recording; everybody was debating how to do the mix. Sales were sluggish, especially in middle US, and a Stereo Review magazine reviewer in 1973 compared the Dolls' guitar playing to the sound of lawnmowers. America's mass rock audience's reaction to the Dolls was mixed. In a Creem magazine poll, they were elected both best and worst new group of 1973. The Dolls also toured Europe, and, while appearing on UK television, host Bob Harris of the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test derided the group as "mock rock," comparing them unfavorably to the Rolling Stones. For their next album, Too Much Too Soon, the quintet hired producer George "Shadow" Morton, whose productions for the Shangri-Las and other girl-groups in the mid-1960s had been among the band's favorites. Mercury dropped the Dolls not long after the second album.
Dissolution: 1975–77
In 1975, floundering in drug abuse and interpersonal conflicts, the band split up. During their last weeks together Malcolm McLaren helped with management. He got the band red leather outfits to wear on stage and a communist flag as backdrop. The Dolls did a 5-concert tour of New York's five boroughs, supported by Television, which included Tom Verlaine and Richard Hell. Their last show in New York State was at The Shoram, in Quogue, New York, with Spider on drums. The original New York Dolls were captured in a live set, recorded at the Little Hippodrome and released by Fan Club records in 1982 as Red Patent Leather. It was originally a bootleg album that was later remixed by Sylvain, with former manager Marty Thau credited as executive producer. Due to Kane being unable to play that night, roadie Peter Jordan played bass, though he was credited as having played "second bass". Jordan had played with the Dolls often, when Kane was too inebriated to play. Jordan was the Dolls' bass player after Thunders and Nolan left, until their final dissolution. Thunders and Nolan left in 1975, while on tour in Florida. Blackie Lawless replaced Thunders for the remainder of the Florida tour. The period immediately following this was documented on the album Tokyo Dolls Live(Fan Club/New Rose), from a show in Japan in August 1975, in which Johansen, Sylvain and Jordan were joined by keyboardist Chris Robison and drummer Tony Machine. The material is similar to that on Red Patent Leather, but notable for a radically re-arranged "Frankenstein" and a cover of Big Joe Turner's "Flip Flop Fly." The album is undated and has no production credit, but was issued circa 1986. Soon after their return to New York, the Dolls played at the Beacon Theater, on New Year's Eve, 1975, which met with great critical acclaim. Shortly thereafter, they did a follow-up show at Max's Kansas City. Johansen, Sylvain and company continued on as the New York Dolls for a few years, with the band rounded out by Jordan, Machine and Robison. Robison was then replaced by Bobbie Blaine, on piano and keyboards. The group played its final shows in 1977, after which Johansen began a solo career and Sylvain formed The Criminals, a popular band at CBGB.
Certainly neither great nor punk in any of its variations were words applied to the Dolls when they began performing late in 1971 — awful andugly were more like it. Moreover, at the time, the Dolls were associated with glam-rock and David Bowie in his most flamboyantly gay period, an understandable mistake.
“”— Ken Tucker
According to Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the New York Dolls developed an original style of hard rock that presaged both punk rock and heavy metal music, and drew on elements such as the "dirty rock & roll" of the Rolling Stones, the "anarchic noise" of the Stooges, the glam rock of David Bowie and T. Rex, and girl group pop music. Erlewine credited the band for creating punk rock "before there was a term for it." Ken Tucker, who referred to them as a proto-punkband, wrote that they were strongly influenced by the "New York sensibility" of Lou Reed: "The mean wisecracks and impassioned cynicism that informed the Dolls' songs represented an attitude that Reed's work with the Velvet Underground embodied, as did the Dolls' distinct lack of musicianship."
When they began performing, four of the band's five members wore Spandex and platform boots, while Johansen—the band's lyricist and "conceptmaster"— often preferred high heels and a dress occasionally. Fashion historian Valerie Steele said that, while the majority of the punk scene pursued an understated "street look", the New York Dolls followed an English glam rock "look of androgyny—leather and knee-length boots, chest hair, and bleach". Music journalist Nick Kent argued that the New York Dolls were "quintessential glam rockers" because of their flamboyant fashion, while their technical shortcomings as musicians and Johnny Thunders' "trouble-prone presence" gave them a punk-rock reputation.
Demo albums
•Actress – "Birth of the New York Dolls" (1972) •Endless Party (1973) •Lipstick Killers – The Mercer Street Sessions 1972 (1981) •Seven Day Weekend (1992) •Private World - The Complete Early Studio Demos 1972-1973 (2006)
Studio albums
•New York Dolls (1973) •Too Much Too Soon (1974) •One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006) •Cause I Sez So (2009) •Dancing Backward in High Heels (2011)
Live albums
•Red Patent Leather (1984) •Paris Le Trash (1993) •Live In Concert, Paris 1974 (1998) •From Paris With Love (L.U.V.) (2002) •Morrissey Presents: The Return Of New York Dolls Live From Royal Festival Hall (2004) •Live At the Filmore East (2008) •"Viva Le Trash '74" (2009)
The New York Dolls were an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes.
Glam metal band credited with influencing the look of Kiss and Twisted Sister. Member Johnny Thunders went on to found a group called the Heartbreakers, of no relation to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They had a major influence on punk rock as well as metal. The Smiths, Sex Pistols, Ramones, and Guns N Roses all cite the NYDs as an influence. Glam Metal
The New York Dolls were a glam rock band popular in the seventies. They are considered to have been a major influence on metal and punk and are considered one of the first true punk bands along with The Velvet Underground and The Stooges.
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Sep 27, 2024 · The New York Dolls, American band whose raw brand of glam rock revitalized the New York City underground music scene in the 1970s and foreshadowed punk rock by half a decade. Their hugely influential career included a second act in the 21st century. Learn more about their music and influence.
