Description
New York Dolls is the debut album by the American hard rock band New York Dolls. It was released on July 27, 1973, by Mercury Records.
After signing a contract with Mercury, the New York Dolls recorded their first album at The Record Plant in New York City with producer Todd Rundgren, who was known for his sophisticated pop tastes and held a lukewarm opinion of the band. Despite stories of conflicts during the recording sessions, lead singer David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain later said Rundgren successfully captured how the band sounded live. Their music on the album incorporated carefree rock and roll, Brill Building pop influences, and campy sensibilities, while Johansen's colloquial and ambiguous lyrics explored themes of urban youth, teen alienation, adolescent romance, and authenticity.
New York Dolls was met with widespread critical acclaim but sold poorly and polarized listeners. The band proved difficult to market outside their native New York and developed a reputation for rock-star excesses while touring the United States in support of the album. Despite its commercial failure, New York Dolls was an influential precursor to the 1970s punk rock movement and has since been named in various publications as one of the best debut records in rock music and one of the greatest albums of all time.
Tracklist
A1 Personality Crisis 3:41
A2 Looking For A Kiss 3:19
A3 Vietnamese Baby 3:38
A4 Lonely Planet Boy 4:09
A5 Frankenstein (Orig.) 6:00
B1 Trash 3:08
B2 Bad Girl 3:04
B3 Subway Train 4:22
B4 Pills 2:48
B5 Private World 3:40
B6 Jet Boy 4:41