Stairway2Drew's Full Review: Too Much Too Soon by New York Dolls
Screw Poison. The New York Dolls wore women's clothing long before Brett Michaels even came close to his first tube of eyeliner. But, instead of slagging them down for inspiring a generation of generic hair-metallers to douse themselves silly with hairspray--- and, incidentally, help to create a humongous hole in the ozone layer--- let us focus on what the Dolls did best: raw, if theatrical, rock n' roll.
A punk aesthetic, buzzsaw guitars, and a motley crew of debauched longhaireds? No, they're not the Ramones, but they helped amalgamate punk and glam-rock in a way nobody's ever done. Of course, it didn't hurt that they wore a distinct Rolling Stones influence on their collective sleeve, and that they creatively dabbled in 50's-style doo-wop.
Yeah, the Dolls were a strange bunch, and their best album probably remains their self-titled debut. However, Too Much Too Soon is still an inspired affair, chock-full of fun, bluesy punk-rock... intermixed, of course, with a handful of novelty covers. Fronted by flamboyant David Johansen--- obviously worshipping at the Church of Jagger--- and sloppy, perpetually wasted guitarist Johnny Thunders, the Dolls left an indelible, if overlooked, imprint on rock n' roll.
Strewn amidst the raw rockers are covers--- one of which, Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Start Me Talkin'," succeeds in being a perfectly enjoyable blues stomper. Most of them, however, fall flat--- "Stranded in the Jungle" is divided into two parts, a more tribal-sounding section and a doo-wop sort of section, that the song goes back and forth between... unfortunately, while the doo-wop portions are rather catchy, the tribal part is dull and ugly. "Bad Detective" and the exceptionally awful "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown" are campy and silly.
The Dolls' own compositions are hit-or-miss, as well. As good as they were, the New York Dolls DID pen a bad tune on occasion. "Who Are the Mystery Girls?" is silly--- not that one would expect the Dolls to take themselves seriously, but to these ears, it's far too cheesy to enjoy--- and "Puss N' Boots" is generic, indistinguishable fare.
Buried in the spirited, but oftentimes annoying, proceedings are some wonderful tunes, though. "It's Too Late" and particularly Thunders' "Chatterbox" are wonderful blues-rockers, ones that proudly bear the "Stonesy" moniker. And the opening "Babylon," benefitting from some fun female backing vocals, is amongst the highest-quality tunes on Too Much Too Soon.
And while the album dabbles in mediocrity--- and even the trite and silly--- it redeems itself with the tour de force closer, "Human Being." Piano, saxophone, backing vocals--- it's one of the Dolls' more multi-faceted tracks, while being a simple, rebellious anthem: "If I'm acting like a king, that's 'cause I'm a human being/ and if I want too many things, well that's 'cause I'm a human being/ and if I got to dream, don't you know it's 'cause I'm a human being/ and if it gets a bit obscene, that's just 'cause I'm a human being." It's this marvelous rumination on human nature that makes it the best track on Too Much Too Soon, and the finest song in the New York Dolls' catalogue.
Punk-rock--- not to mention glam-rock--- pioneers the New York Dolls are a group whose recordings are crucial to rock fans. They're worth digging up, and while Too Much Too Soon is a fun affair, you may be well off starting with the band's best-of, Rock N' Roll.
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