I began listening to the New York Dolls in late October 2021.
New York Dolls (1973): A
Too Much Too Soon (1974): B+
New York Dolls (1973):
When the Dolls released this soon-to-be proto-punk classic, Robert Christgau called the New York Dolls the best rock'n'roll band since the Rolling Stones. Though I'm not inclined to agree, I'm not inclined to disagree. There's no doubt that the "automatic guitars"--a nickname for the cheap guitars the band could barely afford--of Johnny Thunders and Sylvain Sylvain lead one tight and exhilarating group of misfits. Although vocalist David Johansen took me a bit of warming up to, he too proves to be a sharp lyricist who offers a perfect amount of the untamed energy and lust on "Personality Crisis," "Looking for a Kiss," "Trash," and "Subway Train." Not bad for an album produced by a disinterested Todd Rundgren. A
Too Much Too Soon (1974):
For this, my lack of enthusiasm was at first hard to pinpoint. The addition of female vocalists, strings, and horns sounds fine so I wondered: what gives? Worse songwriting. But in addition to fewer killer hooks and riffs, Johansen's eccentricities, which appeared in a perfect amount on their debut, produce several dubious lyrics and vocals that are too ludicrous for me. I still quite enjoy "Stranded in the Jungle" anyway and the guitar playing of Thunders and Sylvain continues to excite and impressed but the band has disappointingly dropped off. B+
