Filed under: Music, Must Haves, Reviews | Tags: Cause I Sez So, David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, Mr Nanny, New York Dolls, Sylvain Sylvain, Trash
The (New) New York Dolls
When the New York Dolls reunited in 2004 I was one of the few people who was genuinely excited. The Dolls have always been one of my favorite bands, but their third album in their 30+ year history, One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This, surprised even me. I wanted it to be great, I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I didn’t have to. It was a great nod to the Dolls swaggering past without sounding forced, dated, or bad.
As excited I was about One Day… I was equally as concerned about the second Dolls V.2.0 album, Cause I Sez So. My theory was this – The problem with 2/5ths of the original line up soldiering on as “The Dolls” is that everything has to be completely up to par with their heyday. Every riff has to be as catastrophic as Johnnny Thunders ever delivered. Every lyric has to be a brash and cocky declaration.
One Day… delivered, but could lighting strike twice for the reincarnated dolls?
One spin through Cause I Sez So and I discovered that my theory was mostly bull shit.
I was too busy thinking about how The Dolls could live up to their past to see that they’re not interested in that. Cause I Sez So is a step forward for the Dolls, an album nothing like its predecessors that finds the boys flexing their musical range, all while maintaining the cocky swagger that made them one of the greatest rock and roll bands of all time.
The (Old) New York Dolls
The closest thing you’ll find to the classic Doll’s sound is the one, two lead off combination of the title track and Muddy Bones. Both songs sound like they just stepped out of the 14th street station around midnight in 1973 Manhattan. They’re sloppy, loud and carry them selves with a strut that has to be heard to be believed. In many ways leading off with these tracks is a dirty trick, but perhaps a necessary consolation to long time Dolls fans who might be left scratching their heads for the next 40 or so minutes. The album quickly shifts gears and listeners are treated to ballads (Making Rain) R&B Shuffle (Nobody got no Business) Southern Fried Blues (This is Ridiculous) and Reggae (The much debated re-working of the Dolls classic “Trash,” originally released 36 years ago).
It’s different, but it all works, and most importantly, it all feels like the Dolls. Nothing feels out of place or forced.
When One Day… was released, it was common for people to say that “somewhere, Johnny, Billy, Jerry and Arthur are smiling.” With Cause I Sez So, the departed Dolls don’t even have to worry about it. David, Syl and company flex their musical muscle and see what they can do without tarnishing the legacy of the Dolls, quite the opposite, Cause I Sez So only serves to enhance the Dolls already impeccable reputation.
I’ll never doubt The New York Dolls again, but if this is their last hurrah, I’m not too worried. If they don’t come back, I’ll just call them on the Ouija Board.
The New York Dolls – Cause I Sez So Live
The New York Dolls – Trash (2009)
