Back In the Day, 1975

The Dictators

...Go Girl Crazy!

(Epic)

Some accounts of NYC's 1970s Punk explosion erroneously cite the Ramones' iconic 1976 Sire debut as its earliest platter. But these Bronx-stomping, metallically inclined prototypes beat da brudders to store racks, issuing their own initial wax in 1975. 

Bassist and singer Adny Shernoff's wiseass junk-culture mini-anthems drew on classical Rock'n'Roll elements and remain bracing today. ("Oh, Weekend / Flashing Rock'n'Roll guitars / Cruising in my daddy's car / I do my homework in the bar!") The sadly departed Stratocaster / Les Paul juggernaut of Scott "Top Ten" Kempner and soloist Ross "The Boss" Funicello (né Friedman) imbued tracks with careening crunch. Propulsion came courtesy of Stu Boy King, his skins agility a decisive factor in the material's animation.

Producers Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman were unobtrusive, letting the reckless teen hijinx roar directly.

Posturing as an erstwhile pro grappler with scarlet spangled warm-up jacket, larger-than-life front man Handsome Dick Manitoba tore up club stages and bombarded audiences with inimitable gutter-blast vocals. (A contemporary Creem Magazine report noted the rip-roaring rabble-rouser once flung greasy french-fries onto stunned club goers, who dropped to their knees and stuffed their mouths.)

Though he sang only one song on The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, and shared vocals with Shernoff on several others, "secret weapon" Manitoba assumed more spotlight as time passed. Not surprisingly, given his outrageous presence and massive hairstyle, he became the group's enduring face. 

Unfortunately, the pastiche of power chords and lowbrow humor failed to charm consumers. Sales figures were paltry - the Bronx group was just too niche for mass appetites. (Captain and Tennille's mawkish "Love Will Keep Us Together" topped Billboard's 1975 Hot 100.) Epic dropped the Dictators shortly following their debut's issuance. 

(I interviewed Kempner by phone, upon the issuance of his post-Dictators band Del-Lords' maiden vinyl. When I told him I'd bought The Dictators Go Crazy when it hit shelves, he quipped dryly: "Oh, you're the one.")

The record's dash proved seminal, though, and many bands hip to the chemistry were influenced. Knowledgeable chroniclers hail it as a significant artifact.

Subsequent years saw additional releases by the Dictators, but the brass ring remained beyond grasp. Today, Handsome Dick Manitoba and the band pursue fortunes separately. 

HDM's 2019 Born In the Bronx was reviewed here upon its release. The singer went on to issue 2025's triumphal Back on Broadway, proving Rock'n'Roll had indeed made a man of him; Notable was his clever way with a lyrical pen. The sunglassed brawler still contrived swaggering japes with the finest on offer. (See my May 2025 review.)

Recommended: "The Next Big Thing," "Master Race Rock," "Teengenerate," "Two Tub Man," "Weekend," "(I Live For) Cars and Girls"

Videos: "The Next Big Thing"   "Teengenerate"   "Two Tub Man"   "(I Live for) Cars and Girls)"

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