Written By Braddon S. Williams
Dead Boys: Young, Loud And Snotty
I was in high school during the glory years of the original wave of punk rock, so there is a bit of nostalgia involved with my choice of Dead Boys’ wonderfully titled debut, Young Loud And Snotty (1977), but beyond that, the Dead Boys flat out rocked. The first song on the album, Sonic Reducer, remains one of the best punk rock songs of all time, and the rest of the album doesn’t let up from its choke hold on the listener’s neck for a single second.
The band members had awesome stage names: Stiv Bators on lead vocals, Cheetah Chrome on lead guitar, Jimmy Zero on rhythm guitar, Jeff Magnum on bass, and Johnny Blitz on drums.
Young Loud And Snotty was recorded at the legendary Electric Lady Studios in New York, but Dead Boys were from Cleveland, Ohio, which basically made them neighbors to those of us Indiana natives who were into punk early.
Oh yes, there is also a song with the creatively over-the-top title Caught With The Meat In Your Mouth. Even if the record sucked (which it doesn’t), that title would have qualified Dead Boys for my list.
Attitude like theirs demands to be recognized and respected. Now go find a copy of Sonic Reducer and blow up some speakers!
VinylLair.com 
Leave a Reply