The Dead Boys Night Of The Living Dead Boys CD Review

The latest installment from Cleopatra Records to the Dead Boys legacy is entitled “Night of The Living Dead Boys”. Not to be confused with the album of the same name that was released from Bomp Records in 1981. I don’t get the need to give it the same title, this might lead some to disregard the album as something they already have in their collection. This would’ve been me had I not been paying attention. Since I’m a die-hard collector of Dead Boys releases, I looked hard at the track listing/time frame etc. I didn’t want to miss out on anything.
 

A great number of you probably already have this performance, some may not. I didn’t have it, which is surprising considering how much I’ve collected through the years. Once again Cleopatra has really outdone themselves offering it in colored vinyl as well as CD format. Getting to the performance, supposedly this was from 1978 where the band did a few New York Dolls covers and featured a few guests, notably on Drums as it was a benefit for drummer Johnny Blitz who was recovering from an injury. Unfortunately, the guest drumming does show, there are few moments of shakiness in some of the songs – “Tell Me”, whoever was behind the kit on that one lost track of where they were in the song, it happens. It’s Punk Rock and it’s The Dead Boys so it’s a bit fitting that some mistakes were caught on tape. Stiv was always a wreck so if you’re a fan it’s just a part of it. It’s said that Jerry Nolan and John Belushi were the ones switching up behind the kit, who knows, it’s still good and aside from the random slip, they hold up well.
 
The Dolls covers heard here are damned fun! The band tears through “Looking for A Kiss”, “Trash”, “Pills” and a killer version of “There’s Gonna Be a Showdown”. These tracks alone are worth picking this album up. The Dolls and the Dead Boys go hand in hand, so this was a fantastic listen! Stiv and company also romp through several Dead Boys classics “All This and More”, “Sonic Reducer” and “Calling on You”. The band also cover the Stones track “It’s All Over Now”! I’m an avid Stones junkie too, so I found the band’s rendition to be a blast. Overall, this is a great performance and an ideal set for any fan of the Dead Boys. Sadly, the sound isn’t the best, it’s not your typical soundboard recording, but it’s still nice enough to enjoy if you have a killer stereo set up, which I do. This album will be released in February, and I urge you to pick this one up on release day! Stiv doing New York Dolls songs, is way more fun than you can imagine.

~Black Angel