The New York Dolls - Manhattan Mayhem: A History Of The New York Dolls (DCD 2003)

The New York Dolls were seminal Rock 'N' Roll pioneers who for most rock fans need no introduction. Born in 1972 appearing as a camp homage to the Stones and MC5, their trash-glam, R&B/Punk style became a template for generations to come…

The influence spread to both the punk movement and the rock glam-metal faction – e.g. they've been covered by Guns & Roses; the Sex Pistols wrote a song about them. A direct lineage to big hair rock came when their management also took on Aerosmith, and instructed them to ape the Dolls. A direct connection to the punk movement germinated when Malcolm McLaren took them on in 1975, in what became a rehearsal for the Sex Pistols. After two albums, "New York Dolls" and the prophetic "Too Much Too Soon" they split exhausted by excess.

Although few recordings exist, this double compilation attempts to present a history, with New York Dolls recordings from 1972, 1973 & 1974. Uniquely included are pre-Dolls recordings of "Actress" from 1971 with early versions of what became Dolls and Thunders songs. And post-Dolls solo recordings from each of four band-members - Sylvain Sylvain, Jerry Nolan, Arthur Kane and Johnny Thunders - with interesting, rare and relevant Dolls-related songs, complete the picture of: "The Dolls, before the Dolls, beyond the Dolls".

For a band who were together a bit less than six years and only recorded two albums, the New York Dolls cast a very long shadow, and it's all but impossible to imagine the punk revolution of the late '70s occurring without the guiding influence of their sloppy swagger and street wise smirk. One of the consequences of the band's lasting importance (aided and abetted by their unlikely resurrection in 2004) is seemingly every bit of music the group committed to tape (either with or without their knowledge) has found semi-authorized release somewhere, and Manhattan Mayhem: A History of the New York Dolls is a two-disc set which pulls together relevant material from before, during, and after the Dolls' brief reign as Kings of New York. Disc one beings with seven demos, recorded prior to their first album, which previously surfaced on the album New York Tapes: 1972-1973. The 1972 material makes it clear original drummer Billy Murcia lacked Jerry Nolan's skills behind the kit, and these demos sound thin and lackadaisical, as if you're listening to a less-than-enthusiastic rehearsal tape. Next up are seven tracks from various former Dolls recorded after the band's collapse; Syl Sylvain's two tunes fare the best, sounding lively and full of spirit (his cover of "Trash" is far better than you'd expect) and Jerry Nolan's material shows he was a better frontman than most drummers, while Johnny Thunders' contributions have been widely heard elsewhere and poor Arthur Kane sounds simply hapless on "Mental Moron" from his short-lived band the Corpse Grinders. Disc one concludes with two songs from a 1971 rehearsal by Actress, which featured Thunders, Kane and Murcia before the band evolved into the New York Dolls; the vibe and the promise is there, but the spark David Johansen brought to the band is sorely missed. Disc two features a 1974 concert from Paris that has already been released under several titles (most recently as From Paris With L-U-V by Sympathy for the Record Industry). It's easily the best stuff here, and one of the best extant recordings of the band on-stage, but it's still second-string Dolls material – the sound quality is not especially good (it sounds like a better-than-average audience tape), and while the band is in rollicking good form (and Johansen is having a great time), they're also typically sloppy, threatening to fall apart at any given moment, and whoever gave Syl Sylvain a vocal mic that evening should have told him not to try singing harmonies. Still, the live disc at least offers a clear glimpse of what made the New York Dolls one of the greatest rock bands of their day, something you can't quite say of the rest of this archeological project.

~ Mark Deming, all media guide

Tracklist:

Disc 1:
01. New York Dolls – Personality Crisis (1973 Demo)
02. New York Dolls – Bad Girl (1973 Demo)
03. New York Dolls – Pills (1973 Demo)
04. New York Dolls – Looking For A Kiss (1972 Demo)
05. New York Dolls – Don't Start Me Talking (1972 Demo)
06. New York Dolls – Don't Mess With Cupid (1972 Demo)
07. New York Dolls – Human Being (1972 Demo)
08. Sylvain Sylvain – Trash
09. Sylvain Sylvain – The Kids Are Back
10. Jerry Nolan – Countdown Love
11. Jerry Nolan – Take A Chance
12. Corpse Grinders – Mental Moron
13. Johnny Thunders – Endless Party
14. The Heartbreakers – Pirate Love
15. Actress (1971 Pre-Dolls) – That's Poison
16. Actress (1971 Pre-Dolls) – I Am Confronted



Disc 2:
01. Personality Crisis [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
02. Bad Girl [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
03. Looking For A Kiss [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
04. (Give Me A) Great Big Kiss [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
05. Stranded In The Jungle [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
06. Pills [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
07. Vietnamese Baby [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
08. Trash [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
09. Chatterbox [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
10. Puss 'N' Boots [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
11. Hoochie Coochie Man [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']
12. Jet Boy [Live 1974 'Paris Burning']


All credits and an additional info read inside the booklet.

Release Date: November 10, 2003
Label: Jungle Records, U.K.
Catalog No.: FREUD CD 075

also:
New York Dolls & Too Much ...h albums from 1973 & 1974)
Private World: The Complete Early Studio Demos 1972-73 (DCD 2006)