Search - New York Dolls :: The Best of the New York Dolls: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

Meanwhile, back in the States...

Clark Paull | Murder City | 04/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Growing up, my old man (God rest his soul) ruled our house like a dictator, using a hair-trigger temper and a military approach to discipline as intimidation factors, dancing a fine line between tough love and raising two trained seals. After The Beatles popped up on "The Ed Sullivan Show" one Sunday night in 1964, his attention was temporarily diverted from my sister and I (well, uh, mainly me) to long-haired guys from England, as he sputtered, fumed, and worked himself up into a fine lather, gracing us with a surreal stream-of-consciousness rant punctuated with many bad words and the occasional mad chuckle thrown in for texture. About 10 years later, after riding my bike up to Dearborn Music in my suburban Detroit hometown and returning with the New York Dolls' first album, having read about the band in "Creem" and "Rock Scene" and stayed up late to catch them on "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert," I figured the big guy's attitude toward rock and roll had if not reached the point of acceptance, then at least relaxed somewhat. Feh... After he saw the cover photo of Arthur Kane, Syl Sylvain, David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, and Jerry Nolan in all of their platformed, spandexed, and roller-skated splendour, he not only questioned their sanity and sexuality, but mine as well. Thirty years and three kids later, the state of my mental being is open for debate but one thing's for sure - the Dolls have been alternately iconized, lionized, and blamed for everything from punk rock to Hanoi Rocks, having displayed a hip sense of heroin chic and total indifference to the mechanics of the music business in the process.Up to this point, other entries in the voluminous "20th Century Masters" series have anthologized everyone from Rare Earth to Hank Williams to Rainbow, with a few odd ducks like The Tubes and Oingo Boingo thrown in for good measure, all solid, workmanlike compendiums targeted at the casual fan who's only going to get one disc by a particular artist. Taken at face value, this collection does a fair job of accomplishing what it sets out to do - show what the big fuss was all about in the span of 11 songs and 30-some-odd minutes. Although the band's first album understandably led some to believe they were not of this world, "Too Much Too Soon" may be more representative of their trainwreck approach to record making, Johansen braying over the din of Thunders' Chuck Berry-in-a-padded-cell leads and the unheralded but perfect drumming of Nolan, unafraid to to tip their hats to their R&B roots in covers of "Stranded In The Jungle," "Don't Start Me Talkin'," and "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown." Track selection is evenly divided between each of the two albums and while part of me wants to grouse about what songs should have been included (I'd swap Thunders' sneering "Chatterbox" for strutting, no-big-deal "Lone Star Queen"), it's somehow oddly encouraging to see the boys getting shelf space somewhere between Madonna and Outkast. Besides, in addition to getting the tawdry piano that drives "Personality "Crisis" and Thunders' tortured backing vocals in "Trash" (perhaps their finest moment), the inclusion of their cover of Bo Diddley's "Pills," showcasing Johansen's honking harp work, the rest of the band chugging along behind him and sounding as if it could all fall apart at any moment, is worth celebrating. A few years back, I had an epiphany, coming to the grudging conclusion that most of what the old man told me was basically true, but he couldn't have been further off the mark when it came to the New York Dolls. At this juncture, showering them with praise has almost become a cottage industry, but whether looking for a kiss or lookin' fine on television, their twisted, tattered genius appears to be a given."

This was America's best glam band

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 12/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"They may have only made two proper albums, but anyone who heard them fell in love with the New York Dolls. They came to conquer with power chords and panty hose. They played a hyperventilating trashy mutant blues and flaunted their unsophisticated style like the substance soaked louts that they were.



But this compilation serves them grandly. Taking five songs from each record and one rarity, it gives you a fine 11 song overview of the Dolls at their madcap and raunchy best. You can hear the Girl Group/50's rock roots in "Showdown," the blues in "Trash," plus their own ahead of the times originality on their best song, "Personality Crisis." Lead singer David Johansen had the swagger of Jagger and the campiness of too many nights in Manhattan Bars, best shown in the Dolls' cover of "Stranded In The Jungle." Johnny Thunders and Syl Sylvain made twin guitar thunder and the late Arthur Kane played his bass like a mad bomber, while Jerry Nolan was probably one of the best drummers of the NYC Scene.



But the Dolls were ultimately more than the sum of their parts, which is why the booze/heroin laden implosion stopped them all cold (save Johansen). I may not be the biggest fan of the Millennium Series, but in the case of The New York Dolls, this one of the good ones."

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO CUM

Michael G. Stephens | Prescott, AZ | 09/29/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember walking into the local record store and seeing the 1ST LP jump out of the shelves at me; I mean you just couldn't ignore a cover like that! With that in mind, I immediately picked it up and left. Short of the first MC5 LP, the Stooges, and discovering beer, I can't think of anything more important in my musical education. Combining Chuck Berry 50's riffage, early 60's girl group arrangements, and yes, good ol' RnR, the Dolls helped pave the way to the Punk world along with the Stooges and the MC5. Thunders guitar inspired 1000's of new guitarist in the punk world, out to set the world on fire. I mean, how many guitarist attitude actually comes through their playing on vinyl? Not many. And Jerry Nolan; man what a drummer's drumer. The dude was all over the place; a controlled Keith Moon at the least. Even though this LP was the first album, the next one, "TOO MUCH, TOO SOON" was even better for me; Shadow Morton's slightly creepy polished to the bone production makes it a keeper for the ages. The band never got their dues when they were starting; it seems this stuff took years to perk. All hail rock n'roll...and the NEW YORK DOLLS"