Dead Boys, The
We Have Come For Your Children

Is American punk better, or is English punk? It's hard to answer this question. As I've always argued, it's not the geographical origin of the band that's important but rather their ability to entertain, to move, and to create a big, contagious, and enjoyable mess. It doesn't matter, therefore, whether a band of primordial punk rock is (or was) from the land of Albion or the country of Uncle Sam, and, if you'll allow me, it's also a futile exercise to try to figure out which of the two nations the genre in question belongs to.

Let's think about the Dead Boys led by the late Stiv Bators: a group of laid-back Yankees, hooligans with ugly and disturbing faces (which good old Lombroso would not have hesitated to label as "criminals"), lovers of wild partying and rock 'n' roll. Did they have anything to envy from their distinguished colleagues across the pond? Nothing. Let's then leave aside the geographical origin of the band and try, finally free from these constraints, to appreciate their sparkling offering.

A gang of disengaged and noisy youngsters, unruly and without "social conscience," as already mentioned, raised on massive doses of Stooges, Detroit sound, blues, and '60s rock 'n' roll. Rowdy kids both in real life and on stage.

Born from the ashes of Rocket From The Tombs, the Dead Boys captured worldwide attention with their debut album: "Young, Loud And Snotty," a work dated 1977. A concentrate of pure and raw R'N'R. An album capable of combining what was barbaric from dirty and underground America, fusing it putridly with the emerging "punk" sounds. Tracks like "Sonic Reducer", "I Need Lunch", and "Not Anymore" are jewels of an era destined not to return. An album, in summary, comparable to the vibrant iconoclastic fervor of masterpieces of the era such as "Nevermind The Bollocks," "The Clash," or "Damned, Damned, Damned".

Is that all? Not a chance! Just one year later comes the second, eagerly awaited release!

"We Have Come For Your Children," released in June 1978, hurled more slippery rage onto the faces of refined art and progressive rockers but, once again, managed to thrill the most uncompromising punk fans in addition to the usual and evergreen lovers of fresh and streetwise rock.

With the help of Joey and Dee Dee Ramone (here present as guests), Bators and his gang created ten new songs. "3rd Generation Nation" is punk in the truest and most aggressive sense of the word, a song that recalls certain things from the Ramones (no coincidence). Beautiful, in this sense, are also "(I Don't Wanna Be No) Catholic Boy" and "Dead And Alive". Slightly different, however, is "Son of Sam". There's even a cover of "Tell Me" by the Stones.

The album, as a whole, flows quite pleasantly without reaching the high creative peaks (or destructive ones) of the first Dead Boys release.

But it's one song, more than others, that makes "We Have Come For Your Children" precious. I'm talking about a poignant and unexpected song. It's actually a bitter and pessimistic ballad, played on slow parts and furious outbursts. A track perhaps placed, by coincidence or perhaps not, at the end of the album. The song is titled "Ain't It Fun" and seems to predict two sad events: the premature breakup of the group and the equally premature death of the Dead Boys' singer, which happened in Paris in the now-distant 1990.

It's good, as already mentioned, not to go overboard with praise: the second chapter of the Dead Boys is not as fresh and heartfelt as their explosive debut! A bit of fatigue is indeed noticeable in the tracks of this album. However, I recommend listening to "We're Come For Your Children" and perhaps reconsidering it in times like ours of banal, plasticized, and media-driven rock.