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New Release: New York Dolls “Trashed in Paris 73″
Good news Vinyl-heads! On July 3rd, Cleopatra is releasing the New York Dolls’ live concert from Paris.
The New York Dolls, in case you do not know, were formed in 1971 in . . . you’ve guessed it! . . . New York City. Pioneers of both punk and glam rock, the New York Dolls influenced several generations of musicians, their music and fashion. One can certainly see the drag queen-esque style of their ripped clothing, enormous hair, and heavy use of make-up in the glam-metal bands of the 1980′s.
A caveat: this reviewer has not heard the Cleopatra edition of the Paris ’73 concert. However, she has heard the Paris ’73 concert and can only summarize that the vinyl album will be true that recording, albeit in a different instantiation. My comments, then, must be considered to be a review of the recording of the live performance itself and not this particular version of it.
For those of you familiar with the Dolls, you’ll certainly recognize the tracks on this album. “Personality Crisis” is probably the most famous of the featured songs by dint of the fact that it was prominently covered in the ridiculous Todd Haynes’ film “Velvet Goldmine.” Here you’ll find the song played in it’s natural habitat, the psychotic and chaotic stage of Radio Luxembourg in Paris. David Johansen’s howling, the ill-timed back-up vocals (or perhaps perfectly timed?) of who I assume to be Johnny Thunder, and all this preceded by Johansen’s excreable French-accent as he thanks the emcee, mark this recording as a truly memorable one. You get the feel of what it might have been like to actually see the New York Dolls in their hey-dey. Having been born too late in the 20th century, I feel it has been my tragic destiny to miss most of the great live performances by a decade or more. So I do enjoy a live recording that makes it feel as if I’m there.
The New York Dolls play from the Kingsman’s “Louie Louie” school of rock n’ roll. You know what I mean by that, don’t you? There’s a we’ve-been-drinking-quite-heavily-and-have-forgotten-the-tempo quality to the whole performance that’s utterly charming. In fact, I can hardly imagine the songs played in any other way. The sloppy, shaky sound fits so perfectly with the New York Dolls personas that you don’t really mind all that much that the backing vocals seem to be louder than the guitars or the lead vocal. The live recording reflects this messy and messed-up mode of music better than any of their studio albums. We hear the Dolls as God (or Radio Luxembourg) intended them to be heard: in motion.
So what I’m telling you, dear readers, is not to expect anything but good ol’ fashioned rock music. What the New York Dolls’ were best at, what made them influential, isn’t the brilliance of their chord progressions or the profundity of their lyrics. It was the base and dirty, the enthusiastic fundamentals of the blues flying faster than a speeding bullet. It’s the sort of music that makes you want to jump up and down and screech with sheer excitement for no good reason at all.
So here’s my suggestion: if you are the sort of person who needs to have all your music on vinyl the way a fish needs water, then this is probably the album you want to make an investment in. If you’ve never really listened to the New York Dolls’ before, then perhaps you should investigate their sound before making the move into vinyl.