|
}} ''New York Dolls'' is the debut studio album by American hard rock band the New York Dolls, released on July 27, 1973, by Mercury Records. The band formed in 1971 and developed a following while playing regularly in lower Manhattan. However, they were unappealing to record companies because of their onstage cross-dressing and vulgarity, while most record producers were reluctant to work with them. For shock value, the band was photographed in exaggerated drag on the album cover. After signing a two-record deal with Mercury, the New York Dolls recorded their self-titled first album at The Record Plant in New York City with producer Todd Rundgren, who was known for his sophisticated pop sound and held a lukewarm opinion of the band. They incorporated carefree rock and roll and Brill Building pop influences in the album's hard rock songs, while the lyrics were written mostly by lead singer David Johansen and touched on themes such as urban youth, teen alienation, adolescent romance, and authenticity. ''New York Dolls'' received widespread acclaim from critics when it was first released but sold poorly and had a divisive effect on listeners. The band toured the United States to promote the record, but they were difficult to market and developed a reputation for rock-star excesses. Despite its commercial failure, the album was an influential precursor to the 1970s punk rock movement and has since been named in various publications as one of the greatest debut records in rock music and one of the greatest albums of all time. == Background == In 1971, vocalist David Johansen formed the New York Dolls with guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets, bassist Arthur Kane, and drummer Billy Murcia; Rivets was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain in 1972. According to Sylvain, they were club-going youths who had gone to New York with different career pursuits, and the band was meant to be a temporary project: "We just said 'Hey, maybe this will get us some chicks.' That seemed like a good enough reason." He and Murcia originally planned to work in the clothing business and opened a boutique on Lexington Avenue that was across the street from a toy repair shop called the New York Dolls Hospital, which gave them the idea for their name. The New York Dolls soon began playing regularly in lower Manhattan and earned a cult following within a few months with their reckless style of rock music. Nonetheless, record companies were hesitant to sign them because of their onstage cross-dressing and blatant vulgarity. In October 1972, they garnered the interest of critics when they opened for English rock band the Faces at the Empire Pool in Wembley. However, on the New York Dolls' first tour of England that year, Murcia died after consuming a lethal combination of drugs and alcohol. They enlisted Jerry Nolan as his replacement, while managers Marty Thau, Steve Leber, and David Krebs still struggled to find them a record deal. After returning to New York, the band played to capacity crowds at venues such as Max's Kansas City and the Mercer Arts Center in what Sylvain felt was a determined effort to "fake it until they could make it": "We had to make ourselves ''feel'' famous before we could actually become famous. We acted like we were already rock stars. Arthur even called his bass 'Excalibur' after King Arthur. It was crazy." Their performance at the Mercer Arts Center was attended by journalist and Mercury Records publicity director Bud Scoppa, and Paul Nelson, an A&R executive for the label. Scoppa initially viewed them as an amusing but poor version of the Rolling Stones: "I split after the first set. Paul stuck around for the second set, though, and after show he called me and said, 'You should have stayed. I think they're really special.' Then, after that, I fell in love with them anyway." They ultimately received an offer from Mercury and, on March 20, 1973, signed a two-album deal with a US $25,000 advance.〔; 〕 According to Sylvain, some of the band members' parents had to sign for them because they were not old enough to sign themselves. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「New York Dolls (album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|