Dead Boys

Young Loud and Snotty (1977)

1977, the ultimate year for punk rock. Before the leather jacket, spiky haired uniforms, before "New Wave" became a recognized genre of music…

1977 was the greatest year for any punk on the scene… And, sadly enough, many excellent records by great bands got lost or unrecognized in the bigger flow of things.

The Dead Boys were one such band.

Growing up in the Cleveland area, in Catholic schools, the members of this band were typical punks. Rebellious, disgruntled, and looking for a fight.

Originally named "Frankenstein", the Dead Boys were kicked out of their venue after playing and moved to New York to join in a "scene" which they knew very little about.

Needless to say, the Dead Boys fit right in with the rest of the bands that played at C.B.G.B.'s or Max's Kansas City. Fed up with the wimpy crap that was popular rock at that time, they, with the Ramones and many other bands, got up on stage with a mission to piss off and annoy.

Eventually, they got the recognition they so deserved and thusly, this album was born.

"Young Loud And Snotty" perfectly describes the sound and essence of this record. While Cheeta Chromee (Lead guitar), Jimmy Zero (Rhythm guitar), Jeff Magnum (Bass), and Johnny Blitz (the drummer, who was later shot) are all excellent rock n' roll musicians, their vocalist Stiv Bators is the star of the show. Mixing Iggy Pop type whoops with his own unique style, Stiv was probably one of the greatest live performers in the history of the genre. In fact, Iggy himself said that Stiv was the second best vocalist, next to Jim Morrison.

The songs perfectly describe the average life of a New York punk at that time, being about sex, drugs, and isolation. The music sounds like Iggy and the Stooges, but a little better. You'll have to make your own evaluation of it, for I its hard to make an objective opinion about such matters.

Overall, a great album. One of the overlooked classics of 1977.

If you want to learn more about the band, Stiv, their other album and a whole lot of other stuff, click on the band link.