Customer Reviews

DEAD BOYS - Live at CBGB's 1977

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Good
Live at CBGB'S 1977
If you want proof that the Dead Boys are snotty punk rockers look no further than their performance of the intense raucous that is "All This and More". Over-the-top frontman Stiv Bators is practically on fire as he delivers his vocals. Not only that, he takes bologna that's attached to his shirt, wipes his runny nose with it, and then eats it. It doesn't get more punk than that. Stiv's on stage antics make add to the raw energy that the rest of the band puts out. "Not Anymore" is a ballad of sorts that climaxes with an onslaught of power chord riffing, and Stiv pouring beer down his pants. Pure genius. Guitarist Cheetah Chrome adds tuneful bluesy riffs to Jimmy Zeros crushing punk riffs. What makes this particular DVD notable is the fact that nothing was edited or dubbed. You get all of the unintentional feedback, and you get footage of when the lighting system malfunctions. "Ain't Nothin' to Do" is an angry, teeth clenching anthem that works the crowd into a frenzy. Stiv caps it all off by convulsing on the floor as the rest of the group tears it up. Chugga-chugga riffing and an infectious riff dominate "High Tension Wire". The Dead Boys end things on a high, energetic note with the sonic riffing of "Search and Destroy".

Extras
There's an interview with the band that appears to have taken place before the show. You'll find out how they guys met when Stiv was moving in on one Cheetah's girls at the time, and how the band thinks how their destructiveness is misunderstood, among other things. The 1977 interview contrasts well with a current interview conducted with Cheetah Chrome. He talks about how back then his life was sleep, drugs, booze, girls, and music. He's looking a lot like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin these days. He goes a little into how the punk scene was back then, how the band's legacy lives on, and why there won't be a Dead Boys reunion (due to the passing of Stiv Bators in 1990). There's a throw away interview with their manger, that will most likely put you to sleep. He lacks any personality. An original seventies promo for the group is included, as well as a brief commentary by the director. There's a promotional clip for a band called the Steel Tips which I believe was the opening act for this performance. The band leader is a crazed lunatic, drenched in blood, that lights off a pack of firecrackers he has tucked in his t-shirt.

The Bad
I didn't like the way the corners of the picture were rounded off in black. It's like looking through a keyhole. The director threw in some really cheesy still motion and color changing shots that weren't really necessary.

The Verdict
The sound and picture are not as spectacular as today's live DVDs, but it is indicative of the technology of the time. As far as the performance goes, you don't know what punk rock is until you've experienced the Dead Boys.

So, Punk is as mainstream as it can be these days, with the MTV approved band-of-the-week sneering through a glossy image in a high-budget music video.

DEAD BOYS - Live at CBGB's 1977 is when Punk was dangerous and considered to be the enemy by mainstream music types. It's the real thing before the MTV got their hands on it and turned it into 'product'. You only think you know what Punk is if you were not around in 1977, especially after the Boys kick into Sonic Reducer after their intro and Stiv Bators attacks the microphone stand.

The footage here looks and sound great considering what we're used to from this era. The set is 29 minutes long and the bonus features are...

1977 interviews with the band
1977 promo (commercial)
New interviews with Cheetah Crome & Billy Kristal
1977 clip of show openers Steel Tips
Altenate angle for one song from behind the drums

Great stuff.

The DVD looks and sounds great, considering that the footage was taken from old video camera equipment. The sound and picture may have suffered a bit in the aging and transfer process, but believe me, it will show you the Dead Boys to full effect, at their most obnoxious! Stiv Bators makes Joey Ramone seem downright cuddly, and Cheetah Chrome looks like a dazed thug with a guitar.

I also liked the interview segment with Cheetah, and I thought it was funny when he said that he didn't have much of a life back then. Hey, wait a minute, you were playing in one of the coolest bands in the world, at one of the coolest venues, in the coolest city, and you're telling me you didn't have much of a life? Go figure.

I also liked his answer to the quesiton about being intimidated by other bands. Of course, he said "---- no," but then he added, "Except for the Ramones. They could go on after us any time." Well spoken, Cheetah.

Unfortunately I was too young to be a part of this when it was hapenning. I had to live through my older friends that went to the clubs in Cleveland and Younstown too see these guys. I am a huge fan of all genres of rock and roll but this in my opinion is the ultimate in what Punk rock is all about. Todays weak (explitive deleted) bands need to take a lesson from Stiv , Cheetah, and the boys. The quality is poor and I don't think that the Dead Boys would have wanted it any other way. I long for the days when you had to dig through your parents clothes going to goodwill and then with a good pair of scissors and a magic marker make your look just right. Not go to a store in the mall and feed money to a bunch of whiney posers that put out a clothing lable to make yourself look like everyother cookie cutter wannabe in the mall. it wasn't aboput how many peircings you had or how green your hair was. it was about being a snotty jerk and not caring what anyone else thought. Not some marketers idea of what is cool this week. Thank Hilly Kristal that the Dead Boys existed, and thank the creator that someone captured this on tape. if you care for rock and roll at all and are not some image concious jerk then buy this and worship it like any other cherished relic in your collection.

This was filmed by CBS for 60 minuetes in 1977. This is a Kool surprise for anyone that is into the New York scene of the 70,s. If nothing else this is great footage of the old pre-spray painted CBGBs. The Dead Boys though are great! They're playing is fast and loud. Stiv may be the ugliest human ever but he does a better Iggy than Iggy. This will make you miss rock n roll.

Before radical anti-artist Rod Swenson put together the Plasmatics around the now legendary Wendy O. Williams he recorded some of the rarest footage of the seminal punk scene in New York. This amazing footage is part of that legacy and rare it is. Shot in 1977 (about 6 months before he started working on the Plasmatics) 3 of the songs are his original edits (All This and More, Sonic Reducer, and Ain't Nothing to Do). The rest of the footage and DVD was edited from his raw footage and interviews (with the exception of a few recent interviews with manager Hilly Krystal and Cheetah Chrome). The same in-your-face video style that became his hallmark with many of the classic Wendy O. Williams and Plasmatics videos (see the new jaw-dropping DVD on them with a lot of this original footage Wendy O. Williams and The Plasmatics: The DVD - Ten Years of Revolutionary Rock and Roll recently released) makes this a special DVD indeed. As he explains in those days equipment in those days was huge and cumbersome but the shots are spectacular. The close camera on Sonic Reducer (one of the best of the set) on the OTT Stive Bators, probably at the peak of his career during this time, must have been about 6 inches from his face. It's like Stiv is alive again (RIP) right in your living room. You can feel the sweat and feel the power of this amazing band which only lasted for a very short time. This is a fitting tribute to the power of these guys on stage and for fans and for people who never knew what it was like back then, this powerful, raw, in-your-face footage is a must.

the quality is lacking but the content more then makes up for it. There is nothing like watching the Dead Boys on stage. Cheetah Chrome tearing it up on guitar, Johnny Blitz with a pounding drum, and then Stiv Bators incredible lyrics. Not to mentions the bands amazing stage domanance. You wont want to look away in feer that you will miss another crazy antic from beating him self with a chain or mike stand to eating bolonga and snot stiv amazes. This DVD is defanatly worth the money

Not a very long video BUT its hard to get video of them. I'd definatly buy it again.