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Live at the Casbah The Dragons |
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If Rock & Roll music could be measured in alcohol percentage as we so knowingly embrace our preferred stock, The Dragons would be 150 proof! This is what Rock was always meant to be and the traits that'll bring it back to the good graces of the fans who'd long since forgotten-sloppy, dirty, loud, stammering, drunk… did I leave anything out? I already love the band without even having heard anything from this new live thing they're doing. Their reputation evidently precedes them according to the accolades written into the brief but telling cover notes. Don't yet see where The Replacements comparison comes into play here but if it does, we're talking way way back there-nearly bordering on their pre-catchy days anyway! Originality has no place in Rock music or really anything else anymore and with the increasing number of bands copping the look, the style and the attitude of our hallowed forefathers-from the garage to the stage-there are only so many adjectives available to describe this bombardment of new talent… I like The Dragons simply because I like good hard Rock played with a purpose-it's loud, snotty (yes, Dead Boys slant intended) catchy and fun to listen to. "Live at the Casbah" features material from their first three records, "Pain Killer," "Cheers to Me," (brilliant) and "Rock Like Fuck," or presumably "R*L*F." Nineteen tunes in all, the set took place at their home base of San Diego… and I thought San Diego was one of those last few respectable cities-well not no more. Break out the lacquer, they're gonna need a brand new finish after this one! The tunes are pretty straightforward and direct and I do agree with the Rocket From the Crypt comparisons-very bottom heavy and groove-oriented without any real use for big backups or Pop histrionics. "Loaded's" the first real track that jumped out at me here and for my money is one of the best they've done and a can't miss live-hard to tell here, they could've recorded it in an out house for all I'd know the difference, but great tune and something we all could benefit from. And what are these guys, the "Jack & Cokes" band or something? I can see it. Always good for a laugh and a few unexpected tricks as their mixed bag of stage antics adds to their amped audio intensity, The Dragons do what they have to do and have this air of consistency to their music without doing any real standout surefire hit single type to take anything away from the music as a whole. Check out the aforementioned "Loaded," the Ramones-like "My Confession," (and an actual cover of "Sniff Some Glue" later in the set) and covers of Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation," and The New York Dolls' "Puss 'N Boots" to close out a drenched set in a building that'll probably never have them back again! Released by Junk Records Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252
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"Rock N' Roll Kamikaze" The Dragons |
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"Whoa Yeah…" time to floor it and let 'er fly, destination unknown, but damn sure you'll enjoy the ride! Full throttle Rock and Roll with a taste for the kamikaze spirit, which is to say, live hard, play hard, die hard… go underground for eighteen years, come back stronger than ever! Ah it must've been good to be alive
in the seventies… wait a minute, I was actually, but the problem
was when this type stuff, was coming out at the dawn of the decade, I
wasn't quite up to snuff with the new crop of bands that emerged from
the ashes of the late sixties What did bands like The New York
Dolls, Iggy Pop, Starz, and The Ramones have in I don't know, but they were each cool in their own way. The Dragons don't sound much like any of those in particular, but they are cool… their album cover is cool, their fascination with the land of the rising sun is, maybe a little strange, but in a cool color-coordinated sorta way. Even better, now that I know who Radio Birdman was, I could compare these guys to them-and that's a good thing, cuz they might be the best Hard Rock act of the seventies that no one ever heard of! The Dragons got a burning ambition to keep the flag of Rock and Roll flying at full staff for many years to come-even if this disc only lasts ya about a half hour or so… I mean, what happened to this fourteen or fifteen song marathon all these albums were supposed to be? Figures the good ones get reduced
to only ten-so that's the shortcoming if there's one to be found, no lyrics
also, and no self-destructive hidden influences or F-word forwarding that
I'm aware of so looks like The Dragons can be enjoyed by all! The
tunes are pretty basic guidebook three chord stuff, two guitars, bass,
drums and frothy vocals that sound First tune, "Life Is Cheap,"
"Three Steps From The Bar," "Crying…" all
great examples of sweat drenched crash the car, get trashed, trash your
neighbors tunes with attitude that'll make ya groove and give ya the shakes
before they strike ya on yer Motor-head with the last track, the subject
of their obsession and look out now, ain't no safe place to go Released by Junk Records Review by Vinnie Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] P.O. Box 20252 |