Customer Reviews

New York Dolls - All Dolled Up

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was going to give this DVD four stars; then I reevaluated it in the context of what it represents technologically and sociologically, and I had to give it five.

It's 1973-74. You have a band playing '50s rock and '60s girl-group music, sloppily and more distorted, but with obvious reverence; a band that wanted to put good times and visual appeal back into rock 'n' roll. You have a good photographer who happens to be in the right place at the right time (as good photographers often are), but now he's armed with space-age technology in the form of a portable videotape recorder.

Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya obviously had a knack for videography. Their earliest concert footage serves mainly as a historical document (and certainly not "art"), but as the DVD progresses (chronologically), they begin to explore the capabilities of the new video medium as the camera follows the band backstage, onto an airplane, into a restaurant, inside Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco (!), etc. One startling backstage sequence features the doll seen poking out of Jerry Nolan's kick drum on the cover of Too Much Too Soon. Here, the sinister doll rests on Johnny Thunders' knee in the extreme foreground of the frame as Johnny and Sable Starr chat at what due to foreshortening appears to be a distance of ten feet away. There are numerous other "photographer's tricks" employed to keep the all-black-and-white footage interesting. Since much of the "action" is fairly tame offstage hijinx and chatter, one would assume Gruen has done us a big favor by editing the 40 hours down to 95 minutes for the "documentary" segment.

The song performances -- presented whole on the "extras" portion of the disc -- are charmingly ramshackle, as one would expect. The mono audio is surprisingly good (by 1973 standards). It's great to see a band with modest talent and a huge visual "gimmick" confidently exploiting what they know to be their greatest asset: well-written basic rock songs. One comes away from this DVD entirely convinced that the Dolls all fell in love with rock 'n' roll at early ages, and were dedicated students, amateur rock historians, and big fans as much as they were performers. Sylvain's completely unpretentious audio commentary drives this point further home, even including references to specific guitars and how they were obtained. JoHansen comes off as more jaded in his commentary track; it's worth noting that he's conspicuously silent when viewing footage of himself being particularly annoying.

A brief interview with Gruen conducted by Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators covers the same ground as Gruen's liner notes to the 16-page color booklet included, then delves deeper into the subject of drug abuse and the general decline of Thunders, Nolan and Kane (without becoming maudlin). Billy Murcia is mentioned only in passing; his own passing predates Gruen's acquisition of the video camera.

Finally, Gruen narrates a slideshow of what must be nearly 100 excellent Dolls photos, some familiar, many not, including a barely-swimwear-clad JoHansen relaxing poolside in Los Angeles (with Lisa Robinson's toes visible in the foreground) and another "welcome to L.A." shot of the Dolls crammed onto a hotel bed with Iggy Pop, Kim Fowley, a very young Shaun Cassidy (!), and various hangers-on.

Some of Gruen's b/w video footage had found its way onto bootleg VHS years ago, but the poor quality of the boot made it almost frustrating to view. Here all is put right, and at the price you can't go wrong. This isn't just a New York Dolls video; it, like Dogtown & Z-Boys, captures the essence of the '70s the way I prefer to remember them, and brings that spirit into the new millennium with no loss of fidelity. It is as "1974" as Ashley Whippet catching a Frisbee in center field, yet as fresh as an egg cream from Gem Spa. (It's still there, and they still sell 'em.)

Not ever having seen live footage of the New York Dolls in their prime before, this documentary comes as a complete revelation to me. Gruen and Beck's footage is rough, but, hey, so was the band. Given amazing access (we are there at the photo shoot that produced the cover for the 1985 compilation "Night of the Living Dolls" and "The Real Don Steele Show" performance of "Personality Crisis" that resulted in the cover for "Too Much Too Soon"), this film shows the Dolls as not only a professional, rowdy rock n' roll group, but as a charismatic bunch of young men. Not only that, they are much more savvy and intelligent than they are usually portrayed in textual accounts of the group. There is some footage from the Malcolm McLaren/Lipstick Killers era, which has Johnny Thunders more in the limelight than during 1972 and 1973, but this is not really the focus of the film. The bonus material is good, but not great: there is a curious interview of Bob Gruen by Handsome Dick Manitoba from the Dictators, and two commentary tracks (one by David JoHansen and another by Sylvain Sylvain). This is must for any New York Dolls fan, and an excellent video intro to the group.

I was there. My best buddy and I caught the Dolls on their 1973 promotional tour in Pittsburgh. What a knock out! I was a senior in high school and heavy into the developing Glam Rock genre-having already seen Bowie, Mott, Queen, Iggy and Bolan I was itching to see if the Dolls show would live up to the power of their debut LP. After seeing them live I realized how much Todd Rundgren had homogenized them when producing their LP. These guys rocked like the Stones used to. This DVD captures that time. It's gritty and raw and has the appearance of a bootleg-not that this is a bad thing. It's honest for sure. Watching this labor of love makes me miss those days when anything could and often did happen. I followed Johnny Thunders to the end and getting to see him at his fiercest (in these live tracks) and getting to see him in his unguarded moments was worth the price of the DVD. The commentary tracks by Syl and David are much more than informative-so much background on this time and place. Instead of buying those overdone compilations or collections of demos and sub-par audio bootleg tracks, drop a dime here and you'll be mighty glad you did. Sorry for those who missed those heady days of the early 70's. First glam then REAL punk. To bad that you can't put your arms around a memory.

A true revelation for any New York Dolls fan; especially since many of us never got an opportunity to see the band live (let alone view any decent quality, non-bootleg quality live footage). This dvd is extremely well produced with a coherent and logical flow. This is high quality stuff and not (I repeat not) bootleg quality like so many other videos of the same era. The video is outstanding considering the technology at the time (the footage was shot with a first generation black & white video recorder). Although the sound is not "excellent" or "soundboard" quality, it is very good and quite listenable. From Max's Kansas City to the Whiskey in LA, we get clear, crisp live footage of the band. Seeing an energetic Johnny Thunders is worth the price of this dvd alone. I would also like to add watching this dvd confirms my belief Jerry Nolan was/is one of the best rock drummers ever. Unlike today's live videos, where the editing switches camera angles every split second, there is something refreshing and honest about seeing an entire band working a stage in B&W. A band that is "a band", not some corporate, Disney manufactured product. An interview with Bob Gruen by "Handsome Dick" Manitoba of The Dictators is added as a bonus. Any fan of the Dolls needs to buy this ASAP...debating this purchase is not even an option. I guarantee you will not regret it.

I few years back I tried to make a documentary about the New York Dolls, but things fell apart. luckily everything I wanted to do when talking to Syl about the project have happened - they reunited (thanks to Morrisey) and have toured. One of the cool things when I was putting together elements in the proposal, I was able to see some of Bob Gruen's video and it was amazing. And it's even nicer that Bob has put together to footage for all of us to appreciate (and at a price much cheaper than what it was going to cost me to get the rights from Bob).

I've seen a sneak of what's been put together for this film and if you are a Dolls fanatic, you will be in pure bliss. It's the Dolls at their peak. So dig this band that should have been bigger than Aerosmith and Kiss.

AWESOME!!!!
no better Dolls film! get it NOW. see ny when it was still fun and exciting!!! see 14th street with the Academy of Music and Automat!!! see Jimmy Page's girl ( literally ) Lori Maddox tell David he is her fave!!!! see Johnny Thunders!!!
ps---i loved Eyewitness News' Joel Siegel (sp?) reviewing the dolls mercer shows for nyc television. pretty funny. commentaries are good too and mr. manitoba ( who did a great job singing for the mc5 here last year ) says something quite pithy about the heartbreakers. dig it!!!!!

Documentary done in the style of Dylan's "Don't look back". Hilarious commentary from Sylvain.Great backstage footage.Rare songs performed live.Johnny Thunders plays perfectly and looks healthy,like a young Jack LaLanne.

For those of you who saw the Dolls back in the '70's, this is a time capsule version that brings you back to Max's Kansas City, Kenny's Castaways, Club 82, and more. The Dolls are young, brash, alive, and vital. Seeing Johnny healthy and built, or Jerry Nolan chubby, it's worth the price of admission. All of the Dolls are energetic and engaging. At the time, the world was their oyster and there was no place to go but up. Great sloppy chaotic versions of their greatest non-hits. A nice feature of the DVD is the Performance Only section, as well as the commentary. It does bog down a little in the middle, but picks right back up again as soon as the band hits the stage. Some of the comments are very funny. The black & white photography lends a "historic" feel. It's way better than it should be, given the time & technology advances since then. It ends around with the Red Patent Leather gigs at the Little Hippodrome, but without fan fare or anything maudlin.

this is amazing! the holy grail for any dolls fan.if you like the dolls this is a no brainer...buy it now! professionally done,amazing footage,great bonus material.one of the coolest things i've ever bought or watched.watch history in the making.& what a great band.even though they are lumped in with punk or glam,i always thought they were a true rock & roll band in the purest form.the next step in rock's evolution after the stones,yardbirds,& pretty things.i can't reccomend this enough.

Having never saw the new york dolls live this was quite insightful. I thought this captures the times very well.