Released in October, 1977 this was truly one of the most nihilistic, blunt, sexist, and down right nasty albums released during the 1977 punk explosion in New York City. Produced by Genya Ravan (former singer for such notable acts as The Escorts, Goldie and the Gingerbreads, and Ten Wheel Drive) Which was quite surprising considering her "fame" at the time, and recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios. The studio, built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970 has since become one of the happenin' places to record if you're into that sorta thing.
I had been looking for this record for maybe a year, I bought everything else the Dead Boys put out that I could get my hands on. I was about ready to give up and order it online, when on a whim, I decided to visit the Time Capsule. Thumbing through the records, I got to the Ds and there it was. I picked it up, and held it close to me the rest of the visit. I told the owner, John, that they had a Syndicates of Sound cover on the LP and I think he would really dig it. He played it in the store and we sat around listening to it. 5 bucks and a half hour later, I was jumping around my room singing along with Sonic Reducer.
The Dead Boys, originally known as Frankenstein (but before they got Stiv on Vocals they were Rocket From the Tombs), hailed from Cleveland Ohio where they opened for The Ramones. On the advice of Joey Ramone, the band relocated to New York City to thrive in the growning punk scene. The band soon gained notoriety among their peers from their intense live shows, and manic antics on and off stage. Stiv, an Iggy Pop devotee, would often mutilate himself with whatever was around, including bottles, mic stands, and his band mates instruments. This would ultimately lead to his first official death many years later (that's right, his FIRST death).
Hilly Crystal, owner of CBGBs became the bands manager and they soon signed to Sire Records along side contemporaries The Ramones and Talking Heads. The music of the Dead Boys seemed so much more abrasive than their contemporaries, they were often considered to be too metal, or too violent ("I wanna write on your face with my pretty knife, I want to toy with your precious life, I want you to know what love is") and this made it so much harder for the label to sell them. This lead to the band eventually getting dropped. But I know what you're saying... lets talk about the damn record!
The record starts off with a solid blow to the gut. Sonic Reducer has become an anthem, "Sonic Reducer, I aint no loser." A song about boredom, anxiety, and fustration, this song is as angsty and as raw as it was ever going to get. The "ballad" style song "Not Anymore" which appears on Side A would only seem week if you were made of solid stone. A poor mans lament about falling into a world of homelessness and poverty, quickly turns into a song letting you know how far beyond pain a person can grow. "But I don't care, go and push me away, you can't hurt me anymore, not anymore."Ending Side A, Aint Nothin' To Do, a song that basically wraps up the entire punk attitude in about 2 minutes.
Side B doesn't seem to be as much about boredom as it does with loose women, frail emotions, and frustration. The first song Caught With The Meat In Your Mouth is blatantly sexist, and almost insulting if you don't take it with a grain of salt. Next is an almost off beat cover of the Syndicates of Sound's Little Girl. The song would be out of place if the pop hooks and attitude didn't fit so damn well. The song was recorded live at CBGBs and its very fun to hear the audience right in the middle of this record. The album ends in the chaotic Down in Flames, which truly lives up to the name. Just when you think the band has lost it, they pull it together give you a swift fist full of Rock ' n' Roll. Very Stooges, very angry, and really short. The whole album clocks in at about 35 minutes.
Here's a photo of the band live with Dee Dee Ramone on guitar. Dee and Joey were not only fans, but they also did backing vocals on the next album.The band has stated often their profound hatred for the mix done on the album. I don't think its that bad, the guitars come out clear as day for the most part, the drums are done well. The only real trouble is the drums on Sonic Reducer, they get to sounding a little too digital, and a little too toyed with as the song progresses. Bomp! (surprise, right?) released Younger, Louder, and Snottier in 1997 with the rough mixes that the band found to be much better.
Sonic Reducer:
A Cover? How Curious!
All This And More...
Personal:
- Stiv Bators (Steve Bator) - vocals
- Cheetah Chrome (Gene O'Connor) - lead guitar
- Jimmy Zero (William Wilden) - rhythm guitar
- Jeff Magnum (Jeff Halmagy) - bass
- Johnny Blitz (John Madansky) - drums
- Genya Ravan- Producer
- Hilly Kristal- Band Management
- Dave Wittman - Recording Engineer
- Harvey Goldberg: Mixing Engineer
- Jim Galante- Assistant Engineer
Side A
1. Sonic Reducer
2. All This and More
3. What Love Is
4. Not Anymore
5. Ain't Nothin' To Do
Side B
1. Caught With The Meat In Your Mouth
2. Hey Little Girl
3. I Need Lunch
4. High Tension Wire
5. Down in Flames
Most of the Photos were taken from Punk Turns 30 and most of the info about the band was taken from Please Kill Me, The Bands Wiki Page, or Answers.com.
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