The New York Dolls' self-titled debut expanded their audience beyond the clubs of Manhattan, but still left them with a cult status. So they hit the studio in 1974 to record their sophomore effort, entitled Too Much Too Soon. Not satisfied with Todd Rundgren's production on their first album, the group turned to girl-group producer Shadow Morton on this one. To me, the result seems a little workman-like; all the ingredients are evident, from the Stones-ish rockers to the off-beat cover versions to the addition of squawking saxophones, but there seems to be something missing overall. And Morton's use of female backing-vocals on some numbers reduces their proto-punk impact--it's almost like listening to a revue. Nevertheless, Too Much Too Soon ranks just a shade below their stellar debut, which was released a year earlier.

As on the first album, the group mixed original tales out of New Yawk with a number of quality cover versions that reflect their deep affinity for early rock and soul. (And wouldn't you want to sift through the trunk of 45s that these gems were unearthed from!) What the Dolls concentrated on this time around were R&B cover versions, which they nail. They add extra panache to the theatrics of The Cadets "Stranded in the Jungle," bring a rock and roll kick to Sonny Boy Williamson's blues burner "Don't Start Me Talkin'," and incorporate a sense of drama to Gamble and Huff's dance-off "(There's Gonna Be a) Showdown." Only Leiber and Stoller's "Bad Detective," with its outdated Chinese stereotype, could be considered in poor taste, though the Sha Na Na-style arrangement is supposed to be in good fun.

The opening number, "Babylon," and the closing track, "Human Being," are the album's strongest originals, though musically they sound like like "Personality Crisis" and "Subway Train" from their debut. It definitely seemed like guitarist Johnny Thunders, the group's principal songwriter, was recycling riffs this time around. "Human Being," in any case, cuts to the heart of the Dolls' philosophy when lead singer David Johansen hits the chorus:

And if I'm acting like a king
Well that's cause I'm a human being
And if I want too many things
Don't you know that I'm a human being
And if I've got to dream
I said well, I'm a human being
And when it gets a bit obscene (whoah!)
I'm a human being

Rounding out the album are the blues-rock romp "It's Too Late," a tip of the hat to dominatrices in "Who Are the Mystery Girls," and second guitarist Sylvain Sylvain's contribution, the saucy "Puss 'n' Boots." Thunders takes the lead on the phone sex ode "Chatterbox," a song he would update on his solo album, So Alone. All of them display what a tight rhythm section the group had in bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane and drummer Jerry Nolan.

Too Much Too Soon is aptly titled. After this second album by the New York Dolls charted lower than their first, the group was released by Mercury Records and never got back on track. They became a cultural icon during the punk movement. Had they formed during that era, they might be as well known as The Ramones. Still, you could stack their two albums right up there with The Stooges as some of the best American pre-punk rock of the '70s.

Recommended: Yes