Prepared for release by Peter Shillito, Kevin Mueller and Ian McFarlane • Photographs courtesy of Andy Shernoff • Liner notes by Ian McFarlane • Mastered by Warren Barnett at The Raven Lab Design and layout by Black Widow Graphic Design • Raven thanks to Andy Shernoff, David Wycoff, Alexandra Grant, Nick Young, Vivian Andersen, David Laing, Stuart Coupe This compilation © 2014 Raven Records Pty Limited • PO Box 2027 East Ivanhoe VIC 3079 Australia All Rights Reserved. Unauthorised duplication is a criminal offence. yielded what became our most popular tune ‘Who Will Save Rock and Roll?’. 1. The Next Big Thing 14. Stay With Me I can’t think of another band that’s 2. Master Race Rock 15. Slow Death accomplished that on a record recorded 3. California Sun (Roy A. Loney / Cyril Jordan) long after their supposed heyday.” (Morris Levy / Henry Glover) Tracks 11-15 from the Asylum album All Music Guide called the album “a non-stop 4. Two Tub Man Bloodbrothers (6E-147) P 1978 WEA International Inc barrage of spitfire precision rock” and they 5. Weekend toured the world in support of its release. Tracks 7-15 licensed courtesy of Warner Since then there has been the occasional 6. (I Live For) Cars and Girls Music Australia Pty Ltd reformation (sometimes as Dictators NYC Tracks 1-6 from the Epic album Tracks 1-15 produced by Murray minus Shernoff) and the odd archival / demo The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (KE 33348) Krugman and Sandy Pearlman release (Every Day is Saturday). Whatever the P 1975 Sony Music Entertainment Inc 16. Who Will Save Rock and Roll? group’s fortunes may be, for their enormous Licensed courtesy of Sony Music 17. I Am Right! fan base around the world the spirit of The Entertainment Australia Pty Limited ! Dictators lives on – All hail The Dictators! www.bandit.fm/sonymusic 18. Moronic Inferno 19. The Savage Beat Ian McFarlane 7. Exposed 20. Burn Baby Burn “Around 1996 there was renewed 8. Science Gone Too Far , , !! ! (Andrew Shernoff / Ross Friedman) interest in the band so it was either make 9. Young Fast Scientific , , Tracks 16-20 from the DFFD album a new record or become a nostalgia ATHER THAN BEING THE They’ve always embraced the notion of 10. Search and Destroy D.F.F.D. (002) produced by Andy Shernoff act. Everyone knows that when bands “Last Gang in Town”, The gang solidarity. They took the title of third (Iggy Pop / James Williamson) P 2001 Dictators Inc. Licensed courtesy ‘get back together’ the reunion records Dictators must surely be album, Bloodbrothers, from the novel of Dictators Inc. invariably suck, so it was a difficult, Tracks 7-10 thefrom “Only the AsylumGang in album Town”. by Richard Price and upped the ante by creative challenge. We hadn’t made a Manifest DestinyWell, the(7E-1109) only gang that Allplacing tracks the written letters by“DFFD” Andrew underneath Shernoff, the record together in 20 years, so the trick P 1977 WEAmattered. International In an Incon-off career excepttitle on theas notedfront cover. (3, 10, Apparently11, 15, 20) inspired was to retain the outrageous attitude that spans an astonishing 40 years, the Allby thetracks ominous published AFFA by (Angels J. Albert Forever & Son Pty and youthful enthusiasm of the teenage 11. Faster & Louder legendary(Andrew Shernoff New York / Joey band Schaedler) has borne the LtdForever / Shernoff Angels) Music patches administered on Hell’ Angels by House Dictators while still maintaining our of Hassle, except 3 EMI Music Publishing 12. weightBaby of Let thes “us Twist against them” ideal jackets, they’d sought permission from the adult dignity. I also felt the legacy of to come, out ’with heads held high and Australiabiker crew Pty to Ltdcome and up 10 with J. Albert a knockoff. & Son Pty the band required one more record. 13. reputationsThe Minnesota intact. Strip LtdThere / EMI will Music always Publishing be that special Australia bond Pty Ltd I think we broke the comeback jinx between the band members. and I’m particularly proud that D.F.F.D. F THE PRAISE AND ACCOLADES Johnthat found Dougan, nothing All Music at all funnyGuide :about “N.Y.C.’s songs readythat to Bloodbrothers party at the drop took. of Bya hat this and time “IHandsome knocked Dick,‘em dead Ross in the Dallas Boss, but Shernoff I didn’t and pay heaped upon them down the years Dictatorslike ‘Teengenerate”, were one of as the Ira finest Robins and pointed most yearswe before had finally the Beastie developed Boys some proclaimed skills mynew dues drummer / Yeah, J.P. I knocked “Thunderbolt” ‘em dead Patterson in Dallas, could be translated into record sales influentialout in Trouser proto-punk Press (June bands 1978). to walk the “You’veon our got instruments, to fight for whichyour right made to theparty”, theyindulged didn’t their know metal we vices were for Jews” a while – ‘The with Next then they’d be the richest band in the earth. Alternately revelling in and satirizing Therecording Dictators processembodied easier that veryand quicker.”same BigManitoba’s Thing’ Wild Kingdom (a Dictators world. There are fans who believe them theThe wantonstandout excesses cuts ‘Science of a rockGone & Too roll Far!’, lifestyle sentiment. Perhaps the savage satire and reunion in everything but name) but the real The group was on the cusp of success to be the best band in the world and and‘Young, lowbrow Fast, Scientific’ culture (e.g., and wrestling,the brutal TV,cover fast rapier-like wit inherent in Andy Shernoff’s “Myreformation favorite came part ofwith growing the release up is ofwhen the I’m when they broke up at the end of 1978. Over all their albums are significant, so words of food),of Iggy the & the Dictators Stooges played ‘Search loud, and fast Destroy’ rock & lyrics just went over the collective heads of sickD.F.F.D. and album. throwing It was up another/ It’s the fun dues yet you’ve hard- the next few years there were a number of praise flow easily: roll(recorded fuelled live by ata loveCBGBs) of ‘60s were American fast paced garage hard the general record buying public. gothitting to payrecord, for eatingfull of raw,burgers punky every energy day” and – re-formations and tours but no new studio rock,rockers British full of Invasion major chords, pop, and big chorusesthe sonic and ‘Masterun-PC attitude Race Rock’to burn. Rather than focus on recordings for over 20 years. In the interim, Gregg Turner and Gary Sperrazza, BOMP! onslaughtRoss the Boss’s of the patented Who.” lead solos. And make no mistake: The Dictators Go Girl their “party all day” obsessions of yesteryear, Ross the Boss joined French rockers Shakin’ magazine (November 1977): “Show us a rock Crazy! contains some of the funniest lyrics in this time out Shernoff turned his lyric attention T STILL WASN’T A HUGE SUCCESS. Street then power metal titans Manowar; ‘n’ roll fan who doesn’t like Go Girl Crazy and When the band played at Little Steven’s all of 1970s rock, for example: to subjects such as gentrification, alienation With Shernoff back to his traditional Shernoff moved into production work; Kempner we’ll show you someone who only pretends Underground Garage Festival (14 August and miscommunication. to listen to records. The Dictators were 2004),bass the E-Streetrole and guitaristre-energized and arbiterand re- of all formed roots-rockers the Del-Lords. saying ‘have fun’ and believe us, that was a thingsinvigorated cool introduced by their them 1977 as tour “the of missingthe UK profoundHilly Kristal’s revelation CBGBs in (where the Stone Television, Age of the link betweenand Europe, the Newthe band York hit Dolls the andstudio punk: for a earlyRamones, 70’s.” Patti Smith, Blondie had been one ofthird the album.most important They recorded bands all in the basic playing for years) but the scene in general historytracks live-in-the-studio of rock ‘n’ roll – Thefor maximum Dictators!!” impact. remained at arm’s length. Shernoff had Bloodbrothers was another powerhouse decided to stay in the background but was There’salbum, mixing no doubt pummelling the ‘Tators punk-metal put their entireriffage persuaded to rejoin on keyboards. collective(‘Faster & Louder’)heart and with soul mid-tempo, into everything anthemic they did,hard their rock records (‘Stay With just Me’, didn’t ‘The sell Minnesota in significant For second album, Manifest Destiny, they numbersStrip’) to goodin order effect. to put them into the big adopted a look and sound more akin to the league Perhaps their blend of hard rock “Experiencing the intensity of the Blue Öyster Cult than their earlier proto-punk guitar crunch and a street-level proto-punk UK punk scene first hand was a total image. It was a deliberate move to court a aesthetic was too prescient to catch on. game changer in my eyes. Rock and more mainstream, melodic arena rock sound roll had finally become the incredible with mid-tempo pop-rock and power ballads. And while fans were lapping up KISS, life force I always thought it should They’d also started touring the country, Aerosmith and Boston records by the truckload,be. When the I irony returned is that from the England ‘Tators’ supporting the likes of KISS, Uriah Heep, ZZ my songwriting became more Top, Starz etc so that’s where they headed – version of youth gone wild was just as overtlyprecise and andplayfully focused relevant. which They led towere “Playing simplified heavy metal for teenagers the simpler, more organic direction and I mean everybody watched their singer songwriters. The fun element performance... I knew I wanted to play had completely disappeared because music after that. I became hooked on everybody was taking themselves way rock music. I initially went through an too seriously. That left a huge vacuum intense Beach Boys phase, followed by for the high energy, rebellious rock and The band’s story has been well chronicled, the Stones, Kinks and Who. Eventually I roll that we loved and grew up on. suffice to say that by the time they recorded got hooked on the hard stuff; The MC5, the debut album the line-up comprised: Andy The Stooges and Lenny Kaye’s Nuggets “I was inspired by the lyrics of Brian (billed as Adny on the sleeve) Shernoff (bass, compilation, all of which were direct Wilson and Chuck Berry and always lead vocals); Ross “The Boss” Friedman influences on The Dictators. felt they epitomized rock and roll. (FUNichello on the sleeve) (lead guitar, vocals); I wanted to capture the teenage Scott “Top Ten” Kempner (Pacemaker guitar); “I knew we were doing something out experience as they did but from the mean and lean, funny and frivolous Stu Boy King (drums); and the band’s “Secret of the ordinary but there was no way to perspective of a boy growing up in and just downright cool. Weapon” installed as frontman, Handsome predict the consequences. We formed New York City. ‘(I Love) Cars and Girls’ Dick Manitoba (born Richard Blum). in 1973, which was not a particularly is my tribute to Brian Wilson. I have “Murray and Sandy were the first fertile period for rock and roll. It was always felt that The Dictators’ lyrical people to support and encourage us Shernoff explains the band’s origins: full of long-winded approach was our major contribution. even though there was absolutely no “For my generation it all started with musical pomposity Unfortunately satire, sarcasm and rock precedent or blueprint for what we The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, everybody and sensitive and roll didn’t inspire the masses.” were doing. We hooked up with them in 1973, years before CBGB’s, the NDER THE DIRECTION OF BLUE Ramones, or any kind of ‘punk’ scene Öyster Cult producers Murray existed… and except for Ross we were Krugman and Sandy Pearlman, barely competent on our instruments. the first album remains a master Those guys saw something in us and class in hard rock dynamics, for that I am eternally grateful.” sizzling guitar leads and the kind of proto-punk attitude that never goes out The album didn’t sell, Epic Records dropped of style. Everything was in its place, from them and the band broke up at the end of the tunes and the guitars to the iconic front ‘75. By early 1976, they were back together cover image. It ranks with the early classics with Handsome Dick, Ross the Boss, Top by the MC5, the Stooges, New York Dolls and Ten and new rhythm section of drummer the Flamin’ Groovies as a definitive addition Richie Teeter and bassist Mark “The Animal” to the catalogue of manic rockin’ out. It was Mendoza. The band started to get gigs at F THE PRAISE AND ACCOLADES Johnthat found Dougan, nothing All Music at all funnyGuide :about “N.Y.C.’s songs readythat to Bloodbrothers party at the drop took. of Bya hat this and time “IHandsome knocked Dick,‘em dead Ross in the Dallas Boss, but Shernoff I didn’t and pay heaped upon them down the years Dictatorslike ‘Teengenerate”, were one of as the Ira finest Robins and pointed most yearswe before had finally the Beastie developed Boys some proclaimed skills mynew dues drummer / Yeah, J.P. I knocked “Thunderbolt” ‘em dead Patterson in Dallas, could be translated into record sales influentialout in Trouser proto-punk Press (June bands 1978). to walk the “You’veon our got instruments, to fight for whichyour right made to theparty”, theyindulged didn’t their know metal we vices were for Jews” a while – ‘The with Next then they’d be the richest band in the earth. Alternately revelling in and satirizing Therecording Dictators processembodied easier that veryand quicker.”same BigManitoba’s Thing’ Wild Kingdom (a Dictators world. There are fans who believe them theThe wantonstandout excesses cuts ‘Science of a rockGone & Too roll Far!’, lifestyle sentiment. Perhaps the savage satire and reunion in everything but name) but the real The group was on the cusp of success to be the best band in the world and and‘Young, lowbrow Fast, Scientific’ culture (e.g., and wrestling,the brutal TV,cover fast rapier-like wit inherent in Andy Shernoff’s “Myreformation favorite came part ofwith growing the release up is ofwhen the I’m when they broke up at the end of 1978. Over all their albums are significant, so words of food),of Iggy the & the Dictators Stooges played ‘Search loud, and fast Destroy’ rock & lyrics just went over the collective heads of sickD.F.F.D. and album. throwing It was up another/ It’s the fun dues yet you’ve hard- the next few years there were a number of praise flow easily: roll(recorded fuelled live by ata loveCBGBs) of ‘60s were American fast paced garage hard the general record buying public. gothitting to payrecord, for eatingfull of raw,burgers punky every energy day” and – re-formations and tours but no new studio rock,rockers British full of Invasion major chords, pop, and big chorusesthe sonic and ‘Masterun-PC attitude Race Rock’to burn. Rather than focus on recordings for over 20 years. In the interim, Gregg Turner and Gary Sperrazza, BOMP! onslaughtRoss the Boss’s of the patented Who.” lead solos. And make no mistake: The Dictators Go Girl their “party all day” obsessions of yesteryear, Ross the Boss joined French rockers Shakin’ magazine (November 1977): “Show us a rock Crazy! contains some of the funniest lyrics in this time out Shernoff turned his lyric attention T STILL WASN’T A HUGE SUCCESS. Street then power metal titans Manowar; ‘n’ roll fan who doesn’t like Go Girl Crazy and When the band played at Little Steven’s all of 1970s rock, for example: to subjects such as gentrification, alienation With Shernoff back to his traditional Shernoff moved into production work; Kempner we’ll show you someone who only pretends Underground Garage Festival (14 August and miscommunication. to listen to records. The Dictators were 2004),bass the E-Streetrole and guitaristre-energized and arbiterand re- of all formed roots-rockers the Del-Lords. saying ‘have fun’ and believe us, that was a thingsinvigorated cool introduced by their them 1977 as tour “the of missingthe UK profoundHilly Kristal’s revelation CBGBs in (where the Stone Television, Age of the link betweenand Europe, the Newthe band York hit Dolls the andstudio punk: for a earlyRamones, 70’s.” Patti Smith, Blondie had been one ofthird the album.most important They recorded bands all in the basic playing for years) but the scene in general historytracks live-in-the-studio of rock ‘n’ roll – Thefor maximum Dictators!!” impact. remained at arm’s length. Shernoff had Bloodbrothers was another powerhouse decided to stay in the background but was There’salbum, mixing no doubt pummelling the ‘Tators punk-metal put their entireriffage persuaded to rejoin on keyboards. collective(‘Faster & Louder’)heart and with soul mid-tempo, into everything anthemic they did,hard their rock records (‘Stay With just Me’, didn’t ‘The sell Minnesota in significant For second album, Manifest Destiny, they numbersStrip’) to goodin order effect. to put them into the big adopted a look and sound more akin to the league Perhaps their blend of hard rock “Experiencing the intensity of the Blue Öyster Cult than their earlier proto-punk guitar crunch and a street-level proto-punk UK punk scene first hand was a total image. It was a deliberate move to court a aesthetic was too prescient to catch on. game changer in my eyes. Rock and more mainstream, melodic arena rock sound roll had finally become the incredible with mid-tempo pop-rock and power ballads. And while fans were lapping up KISS, life force I always thought it should They’d also started touring the country, Aerosmith and Boston records by the truckload,be. When the I irony returned is that from the England ‘Tators’ supporting the likes of KISS, Uriah Heep, ZZ my songwriting became more Top, Starz etc so that’s where they headed – version of youth gone wild was just as overtlyprecise and andplayfully focused relevant. which They led towere “Playing simplified heavy metal for teenagers the simpler, more organic direction yielded what became our most popular tune ‘Who Will Save Rock and Roll?’. 1. The Next Big Thing 14. Stay With Me I can’t think of another band that’s 2. Master Race Rock 15. Slow Death accomplished that on a record recorded 3. California Sun (Roy A. Loney / Cyril Jordan) long after their supposed heyday.” (Morris Levy / Henry Glover) Tracks 11-15 from the Asylum album All Music Guide called the album “a non-stop 4. Two Tub Man Bloodbrothers (6E-147) P 1978 WEA International Inc barrage of spitfire precision rock” and they 5. Weekend toured the world in support of its release. Tracks 7-15 licensed courtesy of Warner Since then there has been the occasional 6. (I Live For) Cars and Girls Music Australia Pty Ltd reformation (sometimes as Dictators NYC Tracks 1-6 from the Epic album Tracks 1-15 produced by Murray minus Shernoff) and the odd archival / demo The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! (KE 33348) Krugman and Sandy Pearlman release (Every Day is Saturday). Whatever the P 1975 Sony Music Entertainment Inc 16. Who Will Save Rock and Roll? group’s fortunes may be, for their enormous Licensed courtesy of Sony Music 17. I Am Right! fan base around the world the spirit of The Entertainment Australia Pty Limited ! Dictators lives on – All hail The Dictators! www.bandit.fm/sonymusic 18. Moronic Inferno 19. The Savage Beat Ian McFarlane 7. Exposed 20. Burn Baby Burn “Around 1996 there was renewed 8. Science Gone Too Far , , !! ! (Andrew Shernoff / Ross Friedman) interest in the band so it was either make 9. Young Fast Scientific , , Tracks 16-20 from the DFFD album a new record or become a nostalgia ATHER THAN BEING THE They’ve always embraced the notion of 10. Search and Destroy D.F.F.D. (002) produced by Andy Shernoff act. Everyone knows that when bands “Last Gang in Town”, The gang solidarity. They took the title of third (Iggy Pop / James Williamson) P 2001 Dictators Inc. Licensed courtesy ‘get back together’ the reunion records Dictators must surely be album, Bloodbrothers, from the novel of Dictators Inc. invariably suck, so it was a difficult, Tracks 7-10 thefrom “Only the AsylumGang in album Town”. by Richard Price and upped the ante by creative challenge. We hadn’t made a Manifest DestinyWell, the(7E-1109) only gang that Allplacing tracks the written letters by“DFFD” Andrew underneath Shernoff, the record together in 20 years, so the trick P 1977 WEAmattered. International In an Incon-off career excepttitle on theas notedfront cover. (3, 10, Apparently11, 15, 20) inspired was to retain the outrageous attitude that spans an astonishing 40 years, the Allby thetracks ominous published AFFA by (Angels J. Albert Forever & Son Pty and youthful enthusiasm of the teenage 11. Faster & Louder legendary(Andrew Shernoff New York / Joey band Schaedler) has borne the LtdForever / Shernoff Angels) Music patches administered on Hell’ Angels by House Dictators while still maintaining our of Hassle, except 3 EMI Music Publishing 12. weightBaby of Let thes “us Twist against them” ideal jackets, they’d sought permission from the adult dignity. I also felt the legacy of to come, out ’with heads held high and Australiabiker crew Pty to Ltdcome and up 10 with J. Albert a knockoff. & Son Pty the band required one more record. 13. reputationsThe Minnesota intact. Strip LtdThere / EMI will Music always Publishing be that special Australia bond Pty Ltd I think we broke the comeback jinx between the band members. and I’m particularly proud that D.F.F.D. Prepared for release by Peter Shillito, Kevin Mueller and Ian McFarlane • Photographs courtesy of Andy Shernoff • Liner notes by Ian McFarlane • Mastered by Warren Barnett at The Raven Lab Design and layout by Black Widow Graphic Design • Raven thanks to Andy Shernoff, David Wycoff, Alexandra Grant, Nick Young, Vivian Andersen, David Laing, Stuart Coupe This compilation © 2014 Raven Records Pty Limited • PO Box 2027 East Ivanhoe VIC 3079 Australia All Rights Reserved. Unauthorised duplication is a criminal offence.