Pushed To A Wall The First "Punk" Record.

That is mostly because, perhaps only since I am from New Jersey, that the word "punk" evokes the image of a fat, middle-aged New York area man yelling at a bunch of overgrown teenagers something like "get off my car punk!" The Dictators, straight out of the outer Burroughs (including some of the last whites to live in the Bronx!) certainly were who this man would be yelling at.

Some of the best elements of punk rock are found here including an unbeatable and racy sense of humor in tracks with in-your face titles like "Back to Africa" (catch the Clash's inspiration at the end) and "Master Race Rock." The lyrics end up not carrying the white supremacist message one may assume from the titles. The band carried on some Nazi imagery later in their career with a flair that their UK counterparts could only dream of since many of the members were Jews. Other song topics cover the punk way of life stemming back to the Beach Boys with the classic closer "(I Live For) Cars and Girls" being the prime example along with any street punk theme song "Teengenerate." The band covers much of the same topics of New York artists not typically associate with punk rock like doo-wop, but with a hilarious way of not sugar-coating it best seen in the Friday-night anthem "Weekend." Pop covers are another wonderful element here with "I Got You Babe" being done by two men with enough sense of humor to highlight a true love for the song. Basically, they were coming from the same exact place as the Ramones, but with less image construction, and in my opinion, a bit more sincerity. This record is pure fun.

However, the Dictators cannot be mentioned without "Handsome" Dick Manitoba. The band's mascot and "secret weapon" serves mainly as a background vocalist on this record, but his energy is what propels the band into greatness, as the cover should show you. Think Rob Tyner with the flair of a pro-wrestler. The Dictators can also be connected to metal to a certian degree, not only in the fact that in 1975, this album was surely placed in that catergory. During one of the band's many long hiatuses lead guitarist Ross "The Boss" formed humor-metal band Man-O-War.

Perhaps needless to say the other "Boss" Bruce Springsteen is a huge fan.


The Dictators - The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (1975)