In the short history of ’70s-era punk rock, and the longer, larger arc of rock music in general, the New York Dolls were the crucial link between the Rolling Stones, the MC5 and the Stooges and the Ramones, Sex Pistols and all that came after. Fusing a raw, unschooled approach to bare-bones rock & roll with flamboyant style (makeup and ladies clothing and accessories weren’t exactly de rigeur in 1972, and true glam rock came later), outsider lyrical themes and imagery and a musical penchant for earlier rock forms (’50s R&B, girl groups, etc.), the Dolls’ artistic influence far outreached their commercial success.

Originally released in 1981 on a cassette-only (!) release courtesy of ROIR – aka, Reach Out International Records, purveyors of fine punk and new wave and more for about 30 years now – and available on CD for almost 10 years now, Lipstick Killers: Mercer Street Sessions, 1972 captured the original New York Dolls at almost the very beginning of their storied and historic career, four months in. It’s also one of the few (the only) recordings with original drummer Billy Murcia, who died tragically (accidental drowning at the hands of two groupies trying to revive the passed-out drummer by pouring coffee down his throat while in a bathtub) a few months later on their first tour of England, where they opened for Rod Stewart and The Faces before 13,000 at Wembley Stadium, never having played to an audience of more than a couple hundred people before that, and just shy of signing to Mercury Records. (more…)