 | edt4 (99)
11/13/2007 |  Next to the Stooges and early Black Sabbath, they were one of my favorite bands during my teenage years, and remain so to this day, although they were never as prolific as I would have liked in terms of their recorded output. The first album, produced by Todd Rundgren, was an absolute classic (although Rundgren's production has been criticized by some), and "Trash", in my opinion, is one of the all-time great rock anthems, ranking right up there with "Kick Out The Jams" and "Search and Destroy". The 2nd album was uneven, containing some classic songs (I especially love Johnny Thunders singing "Chatterbox" in his inimitable NY whine) as well as some misfires...but even the misfires were worth more than one listen. Unfortunately, the Dolls were relentlessly and aggressively self-destructive, and it's an unanswerable question at this point in time as to whether they could have been commercially successful had they been a healthier and better disciplined band (maybe they needed a Johnny Ramone to keep things together). I tend to think not, considering that the era of disco and REO Speedwagon and Bon Jovi and Foreigner was fast descending upon us. The Dolls were ground-breakers, and pioneers, and the good news is that their best work...and their best work was magnificent...will exist forever on CD. To coin a phrase, they burned briefly, but they burned brightly. I still remember the first time I saw their album in the sale bin at McCrory's drugstore-- this wasn't the antiseptic androgyny of a Bowie; these guys looked like miserably hung-over transvestite junkies, the sort of misfits you might see hanging around on 14th Street, trembling with junk sickness on a dreary winter afternoon. That first time was the start of a love affair for me that's lasted my whole life. As Fitman mentions, there were a million horrible hair bands during the 80's and early 90's who appropriated their look, their attire, but not a fraction of their talent or vision or majesty. R.I.P., Billy, Johnny, Jerry, Art.
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