The New York Dolls' first album expanded their cult from Manhattan to the rest of hardcore, hard-rock America. As a result, Too Much Too Soon is less specifically rooted in Manhattan, though its bluster and swagger are no less urban. Rather than the specifically New York City "Subway Train" of their first LP, there's "Babylon," the town on Long Island, the Philadelphia soul of "There's Gonna Be a Showdown," and the Chinese accents of "Bad Detective," Too Much Too Soon is plainly about moving a lot and not going anywhere. "All dressed up/got nowhere to go," sings lead guitarist Johnny Thunders and he is aching for release.

Just as lead singer David Johansen's taunting "Do you think you could make it with Frankenstein?" encapsulated the first album, Thunder's "C'mon, gimme some lips" becomes the motif of this one. The Dolls have never lacked arrogance, which has earned them often invidious comparisons to the Rolling Stones. But now their self-confidence seems matter of fact. "Frankenstein" defended their eccentricity -- bassist Arthur Kane's chemise, Thunder's feathery hair, and Johansen's New York accents. "I'm a Human Being" isn't a taunt but a statement of complicity: The Dolls have discovered that they really aren't that different.

Onstage the Dolls' dynamism covers their rough edges. But their records work as well. Too Much Too Soon owes much to producer Shadow Morton, who has shown the Dolls how to make those edges stand in relief against the group's natural and undeniable talent.

Consequently, even their nerviest attempts turn out successes. For instance, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff's "There's Gonna Be a Showdown" is of interest not just because it is built on Jerry Nolan's drumming. Nolan is the one Doll who approximates the standard definition of musical competence. Critics usually ignore the issue of competence with groups like the Dolls -- but musical competence simply has a different meaning to the Dolls than it has for most groups. They are searching for effects and it is to their credit that we only hear the best of them.

To that end, Too Much Too Soon makes it clear that the Dolls are not just David Johansen's backing band. Both Nolan and Thunders emerge as powerful forces. Thunder's "Chatterbox," which he wrote and sings, is a classic -- his guitar work is as inventive as the most underrated of all metal guitarists, the MC5's Fred Smith. Meanwhile, Johansen is a talented showman, with an amazing ability to bring characters to life as a lyricist.

Ultimately, the Dolls remind me not of a rock band, but of a baseball team. Like the Mets, they are rising from depreciation to become champs. I think they're the best hard-rock band in America right now. As they say, "I can hold my head so high, 'cause I'm a human, a riff-raff human being."

- Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone, 6/20/74.

Bonus Reviews!

Like so many cocky songwriters, David Johansen overloaded his debut with originals and then found that record promotion wasn't a life activity that inspired new ones. But his stock of golden oldies is so private -- Leiber & Stoller's "Bad Detective" could have been written to order, and he steals "Showdown" from Archie Bell -- that this expresses his innermost self and locates him in history simultaneously. It also avoids such mundane follow-up perils as excess ambition, minimal material, and instant tedium. Follow-up producer Shadow Morton has psyched him into recutting the vocals until his full talents as an impersonator shine through. He's also added gongs, gunshots, and girlie choruses to Johansen's usual slew of sound effects. Greatest sound effect: Johnny Thunder's buzzsaw, destined to vie with heavy-metal fuzz in the hearts of rock and rollers everywhere. Greatest non-Johansen song: Johnny Thunder's mewling "Chatterbox." A+

- Robert Christgau, Christgau's Record Guide, 1981.

Their second (and last) album mixes well-chosen soul/R&B covers with a slew of striking Johnny Thunders-David Johansen originals. It's good enough to make their early demise even more regrettable. * * * * *

- John Floyd, The All-Music Guide to Rock, 1995.

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