New York Dolls is the debut studio album by American rock band the New York Dolls. The album's protopunk sound was hugely influential on punk rock. In 2003, the album was ranked No. 213 on Rolling Stone magazine's list "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". It was produced by ex-Nazz guitarist Todd Rundgren.
In 2006, Mercury Records (Japan) released a limited 24-bit remastered edition of the album and its follow-up, Too Much Too Soon.
Track listing[edit][]
All songs written and composed by David Johansen and Johnny Thunders, except as noted.
| Side one | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Personality Crisis" | 3:43 | ||||||||
| 2. | "Looking for a Kiss" | 3:20 | ||||||||
| 3. | "Vietnamese Baby" | Johansen | 3:39 | |||||||
| 4. | "Lonely Planet Boy" | 4:10 | ||||||||
| 5. | "Frankenstein (Orig.)" | Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain | 6:00 | |||||||
| Side two | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |||||||
| 6. | "Trash" | Johansen and Sylvain | 3:09 | |||||||
| 7. | "Bad Girl" | 3:05 | ||||||||
| 8. | "Subway Train" | 4:22 | ||||||||
| 9. | "Pills" | Bo Diddley | 2:49 | |||||||
| 10. | "Private World" | Johansen and Arthur Kane | 3:40 | |||||||
| 11. | "Jet Boy" | 4:40 | ||||||||
Critical reception[edit][]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | |
| Robert Christgau | (A+) |
| Rolling Stone | (positive) |
Allmusic called it "a noisy, reckless album that rocks and rolls with a vengeance" and cited it as "the definitive proto-punk album, even more than anything the Stooges released. It plunders history while celebrating it, creating a sleazy urban mythology along the way."
In his Decade Personal Best, Robert Christgau said the album was the 15th best album of the 70's.
Legacy[edit][]
The track "Personality Crisis" is ranked No. 271 on the same magazine's list "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In August 2010, Morrissey submitted a list to the online publication The Quietus detailing his favorite albums. In it, he declared New York Dolls as his top favorite.
Personnel[edit][]
- David Johansen – vocals, harmonica, gong
- Arthur "Killer" Kane – bass guitar
- Jerry Nolan – drums
- Sylvain Sylvain – rhythm guitar, piano, vocals
- Johnny Thunders – lead guitar, vocals
- Additional personnel
- Todd Rundgren – piano, keyboards, Moog synthesizer
- Buddy Bowser – saxophone
- Alex Spyropoulos – piano