Classic & Current Contemporary Non-Schlock-Rock Metropolitan Music

Young, Loud, & Snotty (Oct. 1977) - Dead Boys

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Great sloppy punk under the leadership of the late Stiv Bators with Cheetah Chrome tearing it up on lead guitar. "Third Generation Nation" was an inspiration for the name of my WKZL new music show, "New Generation." I suppose "Sonic Reducer," which I consider something of a punk anthem, is one of the Dead Boys' best known songs.

The Dead Boys released a second album called We Have Come for Your Children in 1978. I'll take a photo of the cover and write about that another time.

After the Dead Boys broke up in 1979, Bators teamed up with The Damned's Brian James, Dave Tregunna from Sham 69, and Nicky Turner to form Lords of the New Church. They put out a killer debut album and a few other pieces of vinyl.

At one point in the 80s the Dead Boys got back together for a brief period of time and played some gigs, including Cats Cradle in Chapel Hill. Stupid me passed up this opportunity because I was afraid it would look like a bunch of old guys trying to live out their glory days. I heard from friends the show kicked ass. My great loss. Stiv died shortly after that. He was in Paris and got hit by a car. The story I heard was that he got up and thought he was ok, so he didn't go to the hospital or anything, but ended up dying shortly after that. Sad.

I remember being in New York in the 80s and seeing where Cheetah Chrome was still around playing gigs. One day I was walking around towards the East Village and I noticed Cheetah and a couple of guys walking in front of me. I wish now I had said hello or something, but at the time I felt like doing so would make me look more like a groupie than and admirer of his music.

It's only been recently that Cheetah has finally decided to leave the road. He had been playing in the ressurrected version of pre-Dead Boys band Rocket from the Tomb, which featured Television guitarist Richard Lloyd for a while. He also was/is working with Syl Sylvain of the New York Dolls on a musical project called The Batusis.

But being on the road can lose its lustre. Chrome hasn't given up rock and roll, but I think most of his touring days are over for awhile. There's something to be said about being home with your family "though the glamour of long van rides, half-filled rooms, grouchy musicians, malfunctioning equipment, and washing my socks in hotel sinks is going be hard to give up," as he posted on his Facebook page. You can get a better scoop on Cheetah from this January 2012 article about Cheetah Chrome in the Village Voice.

Dead Boys - Young, Loud, & Snotty Original Album Tracks

Sonic Reducer All This and More What Love Is Not Anymore Ain't Nothin' to Do Caught With the Meat in Your Mouth Hey Little Girl I Need Lunch High Tension Wire Down in Flames Not Anymore/Ain't Nothin' to Do [medley]

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