The Dictators | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Formed in 1974, N.Y.C.s Dictators were one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth. Alternately reveling in and satirizing the wanton excesses of a rock & roll lifestyle and lowbrow culture (e.g., wrestling, TV, fast food), with their world-view defined by bassist/keyboardist and former fanzine publisher (Teenage Wasteland Gazette) Andy (occasionally Adny) Shernoff and renegade rock critic/theorist Richard Meltzer, the Dictators played loud, fast rock & roll fueled by a love of 60s American garage rock, British Invasion pop, and the sonic onslaught of the Who. Driven by the guitar barrage of Scott "Top Ten" Kempner and Ross "the Boss" Funichello and fronted by indefatigable ex-roadie and wrestler Handsome Dick Manitoba (aka Richard Blum), it seemed that nothing stood in the way of the Dictators and mega-popularity. But thats not what happened. There were complications with record companies (Epic dropped them after their first album, 1975s The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!, and Elektra had little idea of what to do with 1977s Manifest Destiny and 1978s Bloodbrothers), personnel changes (onetime bassist Mark Mendoza left for Twisted Sister; original drummer Stu Boy King was replaced by Richie Teeter), radio hated them, critical response was wildly mixed, and lots of audiences didnt get the jokes; supporters remained loyal and vociferous (especially Meltzer), but it didnt turn into anything tangible. They did manage to release three fine albums, but after 1978s Bloodbrothers, their strongest fusion of hard rock muscle and punky snark, was greeted with public apathy, the groups members began moving in different directions. Kempner put together the fine roots rock band the Del-Lords and the Little Kings, which paired him with New York rock legend Dion, and he recorded as a solo act. Ross the Boss spent a few years in the over the top, macho heavy metal band Manowar and later joined Shernoff and Manitoba in the punk/metal combo Manitobas Wild Kingdom. And Shernoff worked as a producer. However, as Shernoff put it, "The Dictators never broke up. Sure there were occasional gaps of a few years between some shows (we had lives to lead) but deep in our hearts and souls we always knew we were Dictators. We couldnt escape it even when we tried." With this in mind, the bandmembers got together to play a handful of shows in 1980, one of which was recorded for the cassette-only album Fuck Em If They Cant Take a Joke, which was later reissued as New York, New York. The band hit the road again in 1991, and began heading out on a semi-regular basis after that. In 2001, the Dictators made their abandoned retirement official and recorded a new album, D.F.F.D., which ranked with the bands finest work in the studio. More touring followed, and a live album recorded at two shows in support of D.F.F.D., Viva Dictators!, came out in 2005. The Dictators continued to launch occasional tours (most notably in Spain, where theyd gained an especially loyal following), but as Shernoff and Kempner devoted more time to their solo careers, the Dictators splintered, and in 2012, Handsome Dick launched a new band, Manitoba, which featured himself, Ross the Boss, drummer J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson (who played in Manitobas Wild Kingdom and the D.F.F.D.-era Dictators), guitarist Daniel Rey (formerly of Shrapnel, and a writer and producer who worked extensively with the Ramones), and bassist Dean Rispler (ex-Murphys Law and a respected producer). The band initially focused on the Dictators and Manitobas Wild Kingdom songbooks as well as full-bodied cover material, and in 2013 they changed the name to the Dictators NYC and began working on new original material. In late 2015, the Dictators NYC dropped a new single, "Supply & Demand." Meanwhile, before 2015 was out, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! received an expanded and remastered reissue, featuring several unrelesed selections and new remixes of two tunes by Andrew W.K. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 9 Title: Go Girl Crazy Released: 1975 Tracks: 9 Duration: 34:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Next Big Thing (04:22) 2 I Got You Babe (04:03) 3 Back to Africa (03:34) 4 Master Race Rock (04:14) 5 Teengenerate (03:27) 6 California Sun (03:03) 7 Two Tub Man (04:08) 8 Weekend (04:01) 9 (I Live for) Cars and Girls (03:55) |
 | Album: 2 of 9 Title: Manifest Destiny Released: 1977 Tracks: 9 Duration: 37:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Exposed (04:27) 2 Heartache (03:37) 3 Sleepin’ With the TV On (04:16) 4 Disease (06:26) 5 Hey Boys (03:02) 6 Steppin Out (05:47) 7 Science Gone Too Far! (03:27) 8 Young, Fast, Scientific (03:22) 9 Search & Destroy (03:26) |
| Manifest Destiny : Allmusic album Review : So what do you say about a great bands worst album? After the Dictators often-inspired debut album, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!, went over the heads of the record-buying public and landed with a thud (punk not having given its blend of oddball humor and big guitars a context just yet), they were dropped by their record label and, after signing with Elektra, played things a bit "safer" with their follow-up, 1977s Manifest Destiny. Songwriter and idea man Andy Shernoff moved from bass to keyboards, with Mark "The Animal" Mendoza picking up the four string and Handsome Dick Manitoba advancing from "secret weapon" to periodic lead vocalist (though Shernoff was still doing most of the singing). And Shernoff toned down his goofball world view and taste for high-energy riffage on several tunes, most on notably half-baked would-be arena rockers "Stepping Out" and "Exposed," and ill-advised heartbroken pop tunes "Sleepin With the T.V. On" (nowhere near as good as its title) and the ludicrous "Hey Boys." The albums four good songs handily point out just how far wrong the other five went; "Disease" features a hilarious spoken introduction from Manitoba that justifies the albums existence all by its lonesome, and the disc ends with a superb hat trick -- "Science Gone Too Far" and "Young, Fast, Scientific" are stone classic Dictators performances, and the closing cover of the Stooges "Search and Destroy" is inspired. While the 2004 CD reissue of Manifest Destiny doesnt add any bonus material to the album, at least now you can easily program out the filler and get to the four slabs of top-shelf Dictators lurking among the dross, proving there may be a good reason for digital technology after all. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 9 Title: Bloodbrothers Released: 1978 Tracks: 9 Duration: 34:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Faster and Louder (02:48) 2 Baby Let’s Twist (03:52) 3 No Tomorrow (03:17) 4 The Minnesota Strip (04:06) 5 Stay With Me (04:10) 6 I Stand Tall (05:04) 7 Borneo Jimmy (04:04) 8 What It Is (03:00) 9 Slow Death (04:31) |
| Bloodbrothers : Allmusic album Review : This was the Dictators third album, and their second for Elektra/Asylum. The band was energized after returning from a tour of England and being embraced by the emerging punk rock audience over there. As a result, almost 90 percent of this album was recorded live and, as such, stands as a good example of what the band sounded like on a good night. "Faster & Louder," and the kickoff track, feature an unannounced guest appearance from Bruce Springsteen on backing vocals, while "Baby, Lets Twist" features guitar work far more sophisticated than the title would lead you to believe. The band may have still been trying to cast themselves as the next logical extension of the MC5 and the Stooges, but Andy Shernoffs songwriting (especially on tunes like "No Tomorrow," "Stay With Me," and "Borneo Jimmy") shows infinitely more craft than mere Motor City knockoffs. The playing is self-assured and solid, the production is simple, raw, and direct. In many ways, this is the Dictators rockingest and most musical album. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 9 Title: Fuck ’em If They Can’t Take a Joke Released: 1993 Tracks: 12 Duration: 48:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Next Big Thing (04:34) 2 Science Gone Too Far (03:27) 3 Weekend (04:16) 4 R ’n’ R Made a Man Out of Me (03:40) 5 Two‐Tub Man (04:08) 6 Moon Upstairs (05:12) 7 Loyola (02:37) 8 What Goes On (04:21) 9 New York New York (02:44) 10 Search and Destroy (04:34) 11 Borneo Jimmy (03:38) 12 Minnesota Strip (05:12) |
 | Album: 5 of 9 Title: The Dictators Live: New York New York Released: 1998 Tracks: 15 Duration: 59:28 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Next Big Thing (04:34) 2 Science Gone Too Far (03:27) 3 Weekend (04:09) 4 Rock and Roll Made a Man Out of Me (03:13) 5 Two-Tub Man (04:42) 6 Moon Upstairs (05:12) 7 Loyola (02:36) 8 What Goes On (04:22) 9 New York New York (02:44) 10 Search and Destroy (04:34) 11 Borneo Jimmy (03:38) 12 Minnesota Strip (05:12) 13 Master Race Rock (04:31) 14 Baby Lets Twist (03:34) 15 Faster and Louder (02:53) |
| The Dictators Live: New York New York : Allmusic album Review : New York, New York is a CD reissue of the 1981 Dictators live album Live: Fuck Em If They Cant Take a Joke with three bonus tracks, among them the favorite "Master Race Rock." In his new liner notes, bassist/vocalist/songwriter Adny (or Andy) Shernoff takes issue with Richard Meltzers original liner notes, denying that the recording, made on February 11, 1981 (the bonus tracks are from "the early 80s"), represented a reunion show since the Dictators, despite appearances, had not broken up even though "there were occasional gaps of a few years between some shows." In this case, it had been three years since the Dictators had been active, but it only took the opening chords of "Next Big Thing" to establish the bands claim to being a major influence on the Ramones and thus on the entire punk/new wave movement of the second half of the 70s. By 1981, punk had been just about absorbed into mainstream pop/rock, but the Dictators returned to their unique blend of hard rock and humor (the latter an element missing from most punk), at least for one night, adding Velvet Underground and Stooges songs to their repertoire. ROIR issued the result on cassette for a fitting coda to the bands career, and years later the album sounds as raucous as ever and at least a little bit improved sonically, though the sound quality is still nothing to write home about. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 9 Title: D.F.F.D. Released: 2001 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Who Will Save Rock and Roll? (02:58) 2 I Am Right! (03:46) 3 Pussy and Money (03:19) 4 The Moronic Inferno (04:21) 5 It’s Allright (04:20) 6 What’s Up With That? (02:45) 7 The Savage Beat (02:26) 8 In The Presence of a New God (04:11) 9 Avenue A (03:47) 10 Channel Surfing (02:39) 11 Jim Gordon Blues (03:48) 12 Burn, Baby, Burn!! (03:52) |
 | Album: 7 of 9 Title: ¡Viva Dictators! Released: 2005 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:00:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Intro (00:28) 2 New York, New York (03:21) 3 Haircut and Attitude (02:56) 4 Master Race Rock (04:31) 5 Avenue A (03:30) 6 Baby, Let’s Twist (03:51) 7 Weekend (04:06) 8 Pussy and Money (03:15) 9 The Next Big Thing (03:22) 10 Minnesota Strip (04:15) 11 Who Will Save Rock and Roll (04:09) 12 What’s Up With That (02:47) 13 Faster and Louder (02:58) 14 I Am Right (04:03) 15 Stay (04:41) 16 Two Tub Man (04:35) 17 (I Live For) Cars and Girls (04:00) |
| ¡Viva Dictators! : Allmusic album Review : Remember back in 2001 when the Strokes were the flavor of the month and every rock scribe in Christendom was praising the Is This It Kids for "bringing back New York rock & roll"? The grand irony of all the ruckus was that New Yorks greatest extant rock band, the Dictators -- a group whose "You talkin to me?" attitude and muscular blare captures the sound of the five boroughs far better than the Strokes could ever dream -- released their first studio album in 23 years, D.F.F.D., less than a month after Is This It, but hardly anyone seemed to notice. And the shame of that was, as D.F.F.D. proved, the Dictators had not only survived that two-decade lay-off after Bloodbrothers intact, but had the chops, the smarts, and the swagger to make the strongest album of their career. Viva Dictators, recorded during a pair of hometown shows staged in support of the albums release, shows they hadnt lost a bit of their on-stage skills, either; if Viva Dictators lacks a bit of the goofball energy of 1981s New York, New York (aka Fuck Em If They Cant Take a Joke), for sheer rock action, this disc is all but peerless. Handsome Dick Manitoba was always a great frontman, but by the first half-decade of 2000 hes become a good singer to boot, and he leads this band with gloriously smirking aplomb from front to back, while idea man Andy Shernoff handles the trickier songs with straightforward strength while holding down the bottom end on bass. Ross the Boss and Scott "Top Ten" Kempner are one muscular guitar team on these tracks, and J.P. "Thunderbolt" Patterson ranks in the top echelon of drummers whove kept time for the Dictators over the years. And talk about a set list -- the cream of D.F.F.D. sits side by side with genius tunes from The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! and Bloodbrothers (nothing from Manifest Destiny made the cut, but what would you drop to make space for "Young, Fast and Scientific"?), and if you were going to compile a "Dictators Greatest Hits," this track listing would fill the bill just fine. And when these guys roar through "Who Will Save Rock and Roll?," its hard not to think that the Dictators could easily handle the job if someone would just give them half a chance. Which, after Room on Fire, is a lot more than anyone would say for the Strokes. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 9 Title: Every Day Is Saturday Released: 2007 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:17:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Weekend (04:09) 2 Backseat Boogie (03:29) 3 Master Race Rock (04:11) 4 California Sun (03:03) 5 Fireman’s Friend (05:57) 6 Whisky Radio Spot (00:49) 7 America the Beautiful (02:41) 8 Sleepin’ With the TV On (03:50) 9 Eugene Radio Spot (01:04) 10 Faster and Louder (03:01) 11 Minnesota Strip (04:26) 12 Baby Let’s Twist (03:59) 13 What It Is (03:12) 14 Borneo Jimmy (04:13) 15 I Stand Tall (05:07) 16 No Tomorrow (03:28) 17 Stay With Me (04:17) 18 Bloodbrothers Radio Spot (01:01) 19 16 Forever (03:15) 20 Loyola (02:42) 21 Laughing Out Loud (02:24) 22 What’s Up With That #2 (02:52) 23 16 Forever #2 (03:29) 24 Owensboro Radio Spot (01:04) |
| Every Day Is Saturday : Allmusic album Review : Of the bands that emerged from the early New York punk rock scene, the Dictators were on the scene before nearly everyone else (their first album preceded the Ramones debut by a year), and while they dug the fast-loud stuff, their sound was informed by hard rock, 60s garage punk, and the glories of American trash culture as much as anything that was happening at CBGB. Being ahead of the game had one unfortunate consequence for the Dictators -- while they had a valuable ally in Blue Öyster Cult producer Sandy Pearlman, trusting a guy with a taste for smart heavy metal to get this bands intelligently dumbed-down sound on plastic may not have been the best strategy, and though the band made a pair of great albums in the 70s (The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! and Bloodbrothers), it wasnt until 2001s reunion set D.F.F.D. that the Dictators finally hit the right balance of simplicity and force in the studio. The sad irony is that the Dictators had the formula worked out all along if someone had simply trusted them to do it themselves, judging from the evidence presented on Every Day Is Saturday, a collection of rarities and unreleased tracks from the groups archives. The highlights of this disc are a five-song demo recorded prior to the sessions for The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! and eight more demos recorded at the bands rehearsal space featuring all the original tunes from Bloodbrothers, and in both cases the rough tapes beat the official versions for energy, attitude, and sheer rockability (and if the fidelity isnt always as great, fans should be more than willing to make that tradeoff). The Go Girl Crazy! demos also include two songs that didnt make it onto the album, "Backseat Boogie" and "Firemans Friend," and they shake out hard and wild. Every Day Is Saturday also offers up an early and clearly superior recording of "Sleeping with the TV On," two takes of Andy Shernoffs ode to Peter Pan Syndrome "16 Forever," the fine B-side "Loyola," a pair of outtakes from D.F.F.D., and a handful of radio spots (including one in which New Yorks proudest sons play a barbecue festival in Kentucky!). In lieu of the "greatest-hits" album the Dictators deserve, Every Day Is Saturday offers an admirable summary of their career to date, complete with liner notes from Scott Kempner and Handsome Dick Manitoba, and serves up their music like a good steak -- hot, rare, just a little bloody, and without a bunch of garnish getting in the way. Its a real treat for fans, and not a bad introduction for the uninitiated (and if you fall into the latter category, what are you waiting for?). | ||
 | Album: 9 of 9 Title: Manifest Destiny / Bloodbrothers Released: 2011-01-20 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:12:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Exposed (04:27) 2 Heartache (03:37) 3 Sleepin’ With the TV On (04:16) 4 Disease (06:26) 5 Hey Boys (03:02) 6 Steppin Out (05:47) 7 Science Gone Too Far! (03:27) 8 Young, Fast, Scientific (03:22) 9 Search & Destroy (03:26) 10 Faster and Louder (02:48) 11 Baby Let’s Twist (03:52) 12 No Tomorrow (03:17) 13 The Minnesota Strip (04:06) 14 Stay With Me (04:10) 15 I Stand Tall (05:04) 16 Borneo Jimmy (04:04) 17 What It Is (03:00) 18 Slow Death (04:31) |
| Manifest Destiny / Bloodbrothers : Allmusic album Review : When the Dictators debut album, 1975s The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!, landed with a thud in the marketplace, the band was dropped from its contract with Epic Records, and it took two years before the band signed a new deal with Elektra and resumed its campaign for world domination. The Dictators cut two albums for Elektra, 1977s Manifest Destiny and 1978s Bloodbrothers, and both appear in full on this CD. Manifest Destiny is, quite simply, the Dictators weakest album; it dials back the oddball humor and mock-anthemic tone of Girl Crazy in favor of a more conventional sound that was designed to appeal to the arena rock crowd. However, theres enough of the bands trademark sound and style in "Science Gone Too Far" and "Young, Fast and Scientific" to confound the average REO Speedwagon fan, while "Heartache" and "Hey Boys" are too bland to please most serious Dictators followers, and the result is an album that wont truly satisfy either crowd, even if it rallies for a big finish with a fierce cover of Iggy & the Stooges "Search and Destroy." Bloodbrothers, however, was arguably the finest album from the groups original run; tighter, tougher, and enlivened by the rise of punk, Bloodbrothers features some of the Dictators best songs (including "Faster and Louder," "The Minnesota Strip," "What It Is," and "Stay with Me") and the band fires on all cylinders, concluding with an epochal cover of the Flamin Groovies "Slow Death." If it isnt as funny as Girl Crazy, it also rocks harder, and Handsome Dick Manitoba had finally grown into a top-notch rock & roll howler on these sessions. So this disc features one essential album and a flawed album with a few fine tunes; do a little programming with your CD player and you have a copy of Bloodbrothers with some great bonus tracks, and thats something well worth having in your collection. | ||