AWmusic

Dead Boys at their finest

Dead Boys formed in Cleveland, Ohio and stormed New York in the summer of 1976. They remained a top punk act in the East Coast (U.S.), until their breakup in 1979. During this time, they only released two studio albums, with Young Loud and Snotty being the first (Sire, 1977; CD released by Sire in 1992). However, since their breakup, a slew of “official” and unofficial audio and video recordings have been released. Regardless, if you had to pick only one album to represent this genre during this unholy time, get Young Loud and Snotty. You won’t regret it. Even if you do regret it, it’s not like you’re going to be out much, anyway.

Dead Boys put on quite an outrageous, energetic and even violent performance, making them exciting to watch. Have a look around for some of their earlier footage, if you’re into the visuals. This is an album review, and my copy of the CD has two pictures and some credits. Not very visually stimulating. We’ll stick with the audio. You get 10 different tracks on the CD (one of which is live from CBGBs), and an eleventh track, which is a medley of the fourth and fifth tracks (Not Anymore and Ain’t Nothin’ To Do).

If you think that you may have heard Dead Boys before, but aren’t quite sure, you may recognize the opening track Sonic Reducer. It’s a song about a time machine, of all things. Very catchy. Very cool. It has been covered to death (even Pearl Jam had a go), and likely appears on the track list of every “punk collection/compilation” from that era. Done to death, or not, I still love the tune. If you want to check Dead Boys out live, you may be able to catch a modern incarnation of the band somewhere or other, or you can learn to summon the dead. The lead singer, Stiv Bators , was relieved of his mortality in 1990, by a laundry truck (Rest in Peace). The remaining band members are fine, as far as I know, but it just ain’t the same without Stiv. I suggest that you search online for some videos and footage of the band in their prime, if you really must see them to be convinced.

Not all the songs are about time machines. There’s sex and violence to be had, as well. Even boredom and poverty are addressed on the album. You can head over to a Myspace page dedicated to the music of the band. Don’t get your hopes up for any serious entertainment on this page, it’s more of an insult to the legacy of the band than a tribute. However, you can hear Sonic Reducer, I Need Lunch, Down in Flames and What Love Is, which are all worth a listen.

For your listening pleasure, I feel you should check out these two tracks: All This And More and High Tension Wire. If you like what you hear, be sure to listen to the album on vinyl or CD, because frankly, the MP3s don’t really do the tunes justice. These two songs are about as punk-ballady as it gets. All This And More is a filthy little love song, and High Tension Wire is the perfect theme song for excessive living…
All This And More by Dead Boys
High Tension Wire by Dead Boys

Although this is a punk album, and Dead Boys are quite loud and “in yer face”, they are quite competent musicians, as opposed to “loud and lousy” bands of the time. Just don’t expect to be intellectually stimulated by the lyrics (actually, if you listen to Hip Hop, the lyrics are actually quite sophisticated). Overall, this has to be one of my absolute favourite albums after three decades of album collecting.

If you’re looking for something new to listen to, but not necessarily contemporary, watch this space, as I’ll likely be reviewing a bunch of the oldies and undergrounds who helped lay the foundation for new generations of artists.