Ok, So..... I`ve decided to see how everyone feels about the 2004 on wards NY Dolls? I was at the meltdown festival on the 18th June 2004 ( unaware of the gig two nights before, which is not the one that was released on cd/dvd, and which I`ll be posting soon ), and it was amazing! It was more than amazing,, it was spiritual! Syl, Dave & Arthur showing London how its done! It was, for me a pure life changing moment! After that any idea of pursing philosophical endeavours vanished, when the raw act of living converged with a really crazy concoction of life sweeteners and a whole serendipitous maze of chance meetings and random events that crescendo`d when I met Chrissie Hynde and told her that she had the greatest arse in the history of Rock N Roll! In all fairness, that`s probably how a New York Dolls gig should pan out!
So, on that note I`m going to say it, .....My favourite album after the live meltdown fest gig, is "Dancing backward in high heels". For me, its like the dolls close the chapter with a homage to the bands that made them! Spectoresque production values, Shangri La backing vocals and a whole raft of well crafted songs! I know that there are those amongst us who will feel very differently than I do, so lets hear what you think on the high or low points of the Dolls reformation!! LUV it!!
That's the single greatest thing about music - there's something for everybody. What moves one person may meet indifference with others. I've never been the type to argue about music... who's to say that Justin Bieber or Ed Sheeran can't mean as much to somebody as Iggy or Jerry Lee Lewis means to me? There's more than enough music out there for everybody to discover, and to embrace whatever they happen to respond to on their own personal level. That being said... I approached the reunited Dolls with a desire to like them, but the three albums left me feeling like they shat squarely upon their own legacy. I simply wasn't able to connect with the material on any meaningful level. And I don't just mean in comparison with their albums from 1973 and 1974. But, yeah, cap doffed and jar raised to them for trying.
ReplyDeleteHi Cow, Thanks for the comment! You're definitely not alone in what you think about the three last dolls albums, and I`d pretty much agree with you about the 1st two of the three, but I`ve a soft spot for the last one. That said, I can totally understand why it doesn't go down well with a lot of people. It sounds more like what I`d expect a solo Johansen album to sound. Consider me raising my jar along with you!
ReplyDeleteYour comment leaves me thinking that my mind might have already been made up by the time the third album came out... I definitely seem to remember giving that one less of a chance than I gave its two predecessors. Giving an open-minded second chance to the final album is now on my "To Do" list for the week. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNice one! That`s the way to go. Thinking about the 3rd album, it may actually sound a bit more like a solo Sylvain album than a Johansen one, but with DJ singing on it. I`ve only played Cuz I Sez so 2 or 3 times, so I`m not adverse to making my mind up on these things quickly too. Let me know how you fare with the re-listen. Cheers!
DeleteIf nothing else, twenty-something years of being married has taught me nothing if not the power of saying "You were right." You, Mr. Jones, were right. Funnily enough, a quick trawl through my iTunes library showed that I'd deleted the first two reunion albums, but kept the third. So I gave it another few listens yesterday and, like I said above, you were right. Maybe not quite wall-to-wall solid-senders, but nothing to be ashamed of, and mostly actually quite good. "Fool For You Baby" and "Streetcake" are brilliant -- in part, maybe, because neither sounds like the Dolls trying to re-create the old Dolls. In other words, they don't come across as a cartoon version of the band.
ReplyDeleteSo... many thanks for pushing me to turn a corner on at least one-third of their reunited output. Really enjoying it, which must be the reason I didn't delete it at the time.
I guess I should also say, in all fairness, that a good friend of mine was in the reunited lineup, which was a big hurdle in the way of me recognising the band as the New York Dolls, if you know what I mean.
Hey Cow. I`m glad the re listen worked out well. Fool for you baby and streetcake are really solid tracks. And like you say, theyre not trying to re-create the old dolls. There`s the odd track that is a bit weaker on the album, but that aside it has it high points. I know what you mean about a friend being in the band being a hurdle. I`d be the same in that situation too! Cheers for getting back!!
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