Jeff Dahl I Was A Teenage Glam Fag Vol. 2
By
Frank Meyer,
Contributing Editor
Monday, May 20, 2002 @ 3:20 PM
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Longtime punk rawk n’ roll guitar slinger Jeff Dahl has always worn his ‘70s glam influences on his sleeve and his recent I Was A Teenage Glam Fag CD series is a testament to this obsession. On each disc the former Angry Samoans/Powertrip frontman covers a handful of famous, infamous, obscure and REALLY obscure classics by the forefathers and torchbearers of the fluffy-haired genre. And no, we talkin’ Poison or Warrant here, kiddies, this is the real deal, down n’ dirty, gutter glam sound that ruled the decadent ‘70s and influenced so many others on down the line. This is where it all started.
As Dahl says in the liner notes, these aren’t perfect, exact-replica versions, nor is he trying to completely re/deconstruct them either. He just learned ‘em (or already knew ‘em) and nailed ‘em down in one take with his backing band. That’s all. Everything here is live and raw just the way it should be. The guitars are slung low, cigarette smoke fills the air, and somebody is getting’ laid. Roll tape.
On Vol. 1, Dahl attacked classics by Alice Cooper, the Stooges, Suzi Quatro, the New York Dolls, Golden Earring, Hollywood Brats, Mott the Hoople and Silverhead -- all great tunes by great bands given the Dahl makeover in a supreme manner that made for a kick ass platter of ooze-dripping rock n’ roll. On this sophomore offering from the series, we get a taste of Jeff’s take on some fairly well known faves such as David Bowie’s dark noise ballad “Rock N Roll Suicide,” T-Rex’s trippy “Rabbit Fighter,” Slade’s rowdy “Good Time Gals,” and Sweet’s epic bubblegum anthem “Little Willie.” Then we get rarer cuts such as The Runaways post-Cherie Currie track “You’re Too Possessive,” later revamped by Joan Jett in her solo years, and the randy “Foxy Bitch” by Cherry Vanilla. However, for the truly obscure Jeff pulls out “Tropically Hot” by ‘70s L.A. glam punks the Berlin Brats, “The Psychomodo” by Cockney Rebel and “Leather” by Smokey, the LA/NYC guy, not the UK band of the same moniker (a track rumored to originally have featured a very young Randy Rhoads on guitar). There’s also a great rave-up version of Little Richard’s “Keep A Knockin’” and Lou Reed’s brilliant “Vicious,” a tune that suits Dahl perfectly.
Considering that the bands he’s covering are from all over the world and span about 10 years worth of rock history, the album plays pretty consistently. In fact, all the tunes basically sound like they could be off one of Jeff's solo albums, as he stamps everyone with his trademark sneer and Johnny Thunders influenced guitar snarl. The production is certainly lo-fi -- it was recorded in Jeff’s home studio in Cave Creek, Arizona -- but that’s okay for this style, for this kind of record you don’t need Pro-Tools or automation. Just cue up some reel to reel tape, crack open a beer, and let it roll, baby. Let it roll….
Cop this at lastbandit.com
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