The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Go Girl Crazy! is the debut studio album by American punk rock band The Dictators. It was released on March 1975. It is considered one of the first examples of punk rock.[1][2][3]
Response
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[6] |
The album has been well-received critically and is considered a precursor to punk rock. In its retrospective review, Allmusic notes that while the album was confusing to audiences at the time of its release, it became inspirational for dozens of groups to follow.[4] Trouser Press also enthuses that the band deserves "scads of credit" for "blazing a long trail, melding the essentials of junk culture...with loud/hard/fast rock'n'roll and thus creating an archetype".[7] According to a 2001 article in the Village Voice, the album's "blueprint for bad taste, humor, and defiance" has been replicated in the work of such bands as the Ramones and Beastie Boys.[8] Trouser Press lauded the album a "wickedly funny, brilliantly played and hopelessly naïve masterpiece of self-indulgent smartass rock'n'roll".[7] Entertainment Weekly wrote "Go Girl Crazy's junk-generation culture and smart-aleck sensibility did provide an essential blueprint for '70s punk. With its TV references and homely vocals, this ground-breaking and long-unavailable album continues to inspire underground groups everywhere."[6]
Influence
In addition to musicians, the album was also one of two factors influencing the creation of Punk magazine by John Holmstrom and music journalist Legs McNeil. In Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk, McNeil said that the album so resonated with him and his friends that they started the magazine strictly so they could "hang out with the Dictators".[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Andy Shernoff, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Next Big Thing" | 4:20 |
| 2. | "I Got You Babe" (Sonny Bono) | 4:08 |
| 3. | "Back to Africa" | 3:35 |
| 4. | "Master Race Rock" | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Teengenerate" | 3:24 |
| 6. | "California Sun" (Henry Glover, Morris Levy) | 3:04 |
| 7. | "Two Tub Man" | 4:08 |
| 8. | "Weekend" | 4:00 |
| 9. | "(I Live For) Cars and Girls" | 3:56 |
Personnel
- The Dictators
- Handsome Dick Manitoba – lead vocals
- Ross "The Boss" Funicello – guitar, backing vocals
- Scott Kempner – rhythm guitar
- Stu Boy King – percussion, drums
- Andy Shernoff – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Allan Lanier- keyboards (uncredited)
- Production
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- David Gahr – photography
- Tim Geelan – engineering
- Murray Krugman – production
- Sandy Pearlman – production
- Ed Sprigg – mixing
- Lou Waxman – engineering
References
- ^ Nicholas Rombes (2009). A cultural dictionary of punk: 1974-1982. 80 Maiden Lane, New York City, New York 10038: The Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 20.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Steve Waksman (2009). This ain't the summer of love: conflict and crossover in heavy metal and punk. University of California Press. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-520-25310-0.
- ^ Mary Montgomery Wolf (2007). "We accept you, one of us?": Punk rock, community, and individualism in an uncertain era, 1974--1985. ProQuest. p. 317.
- ^ a b Mark Deming. "Go Girl Crazy!". Allmusic. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ Robert Christgau. "The Dictators". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- ^ a b Ira Robbins (22 February 1991). "Go Girl Crazy". Entertainment Weekly (52). Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ a b Ira Robbins. "Dictators". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ Jack Lefelt (9 October 2001). "Manifest Destiny". villagevoice.com. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
- ^ John Holmstrom; Legs McNeil (2006). Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk (10th Anniversary ed.). U.S.: Grove Press. p. 286. ISBN 0-8021-4264-8.
External links
- Go Girl Crazy! at Discogs (list of releases)