There are hints of girl group pop and more than a hint of the Rolling Stones, but The New York Dolls doesn't really sound like anything that came before it. It's hard rock with a self-conscious wit, a celebration of camp and kitsch that retains a menacing, malevolent edge. The New York Dolls play as if they can barely keep the music from falling apart and David Johansen sings and screams like a man possessed.
The New York Dolls is a noisy, reckless album that rocks and rolls with a vengeance. The Dolls rework old Chuck Berry and Stones riffs, playing them with a sloppy, violent glee. "Personality Crisis," "Looking for a Kiss," and "Trash" strut with confidence, while "Vietnamese Baby" and "Frankenstein" sound otherworldly, working the same frightening drone over and over again. The New York Dolls is the definitive proto-punk album, even more than anything the Stooges released. It plunders history while celebrating it, creating a sleazy urban mythology along the way.
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks
1. Personality Crisis - 3:43
2. Looking For A Kiss - 3:20
3. Vietnamese Baby (Johansen) - 3:39
4. Lonely Planet Boy - 4:10
5. Frankenstein (Orig.) ( Johansen, Sylvain) - 6:00
6. Trash (Johansen, Sylvain) - 3:09
7. Bad Girl - 3:05
8. Subway Train - 4:22
9. Pills (Bo Diddley) - 2:49
10.Private World (Johansen, Arthur Kane) - 3:40
11.Jet Boy - 4:40
The New York Dolls
*David Johansen - Vocals, Harmonica, Gong
*Arthur "Killer" Kane - Bass Guitar
*Jerry Nolan - Drums
*Sylvain Sylvain - Rhythm Guitar, Piano, Vocals
*Johnny Thunders - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Additional Musicians
*Todd Rundgren - Piano, Keyboards, Moog Synthesizer
*Buddy Bowser - Saxophone
*Alex Spyropoulos - Piano
Free Text
Free Text II