| Valley of the Dolls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 January 1979 | |||
| Studio | Wessex Sound, London | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 38:16 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Producer | Ian Hunter | |||
| Generation X chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Generation X | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [4] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10 [5] |
Valley of the Dolls is the second studio album by the English punk rock band Generation X. [6] It was produced by Ian Hunter.
Valley of the Dolls was recorded at Wessex Sound Studios in Islington in October 1978. [7] The record's working title was 'Intercourse (Old Meets New)', which was superseded by a name taken from a 1966 novel. [8] Ian Hunter was commissioned as the record's producer at Tony James's request, from having been a fan of his work with Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s.
The record was Generation X's second long-player release, and displayed the band transitioning from its origins in the London punk rock scene of the late-1970s into a more mainstream rock music sound, with the incorporation of musical influences ranging from glam rock, progressive rock, and Bruce Springsteen's mid-1970s work, and was in part aimed at providing the band with a means of entry into the United States market, and gearing up the scale of the band's sound to move from playing in club venues to theatres and arenas. [9]
In pre-release music press interviews for the record Billy Idol presented it as a departure from the punk movement by the band:
"I think with this album we've exorcised the ghost of punk rock, people always saw punk as unmusical, and we aim to show that we've got ideas, and that we're individuals and not just following what everyone else does. Generation X is its own band. This LP is a lot different from our last, which didn't have enough staying power, this new one doesn't wear off so easily and we think it will last longer." [10]
On release in January 1979 the record performed disappointingly in the UK Albums Chart, and contributed substantially to Generation X's demise as a band at the year's end. In a later interview with the New Musical Express , Tony James, the band's bass-player and song-writing lyricist attributed the record's failure commercially and artistically to:
"I was in love with the rock and roll myth. I'd read (Mick Farren's novel) The Tale of Willy's Rats, and thought it was wonderful. I certainly had a romantic vision of rock and roll groups, and I think with the Valley of the Dolls album we reached an all time bottom in that rock and roll romanticism. After the album came out I realised that I'd been talking about things that I didn't really understand, or which even were just not true. Afterwards we realised we had to sing about what we knew about, not what we wished we were." [11]
Concerns from the record's producer Ian Hunter about the technical competence of Generation X's drummer led to the employment for the recording sessions of Clive Bunker as a session musician. [12] Bunker and Laff played together on the tracks, achieving a distinctive double-drum sound.
The album contained the UK singles: "King Rocker", which reached #11 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1979; [13] "Valley of the Dolls", which reached #23 in April, [14] and "Fridays Angels" in June 1979, which failed to enter the top 40. [15]
On release the Valley of the Dolls long-player reached #51 in the UK Albums Chart. [16]
All tracks are written by Billy Idol and Tony James, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Running with the Boss Sound" | Idol, James, Bob Andrews | 5:03 |
| 2. | "Night of the Cadillacs" | 3:20 | |
| 3. | "Paradise West" | 5:28 | |
| 4. | "Fridays Angels" | 3:19 | |
| 5. | "King Rocker" | 2:16 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Valley of the Dolls" | 3:34 |
| 2. | "English Dream" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Love Like Fire" | 3:02 |
| 4. | "The Prime of Kenny Silvers (Part One)" | 3:55 |
| 5. | "The Prime of Kenny Silvers (Part Two)" | 3:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Gimme Some Truth" (B-Side to "King Rocker".) | John Lennon | 2:23 |
| 12. | "Shakin' All Over" (B-Side to "Valley of the Dolls".) | Johnny Kidd, Gus Robinson | 2:45 |
New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial success and their original line-up fell apart quickly, the band's first two albums—New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974)—became among the most popular cult records in rock. The line-up at this time consisted of vocalist David Johansen, guitarist Johnny Thunders, bassist Arthur Kane, guitarist and pianist Sylvain Sylvain, and drummer Jerry Nolan; the latter two had replaced Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia, respectively, in 1972. On stage, they donned an androgynous wardrobe, wearing high heels, eccentric hats, satin, makeup, spandex, and dresses. Nolan described the group in 1974 as "the Dead End Kids of today".
Give 'Em Enough Rope is the second studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash, released on 10 November 1978 through CBS Records. It was their first album released in the United States, preceding the US version of the self-titled studio album. The album was well received by critics and fans, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom Albums Chart, and number 128 in the Billboard 200. The album is tied with Combat Rock (1982) for being the highest-charting album for the Clash in their native United Kingdom.
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Sylvain Mizrahi, known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.
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Generation X were an English punk rock band, formed in London in 1976. They were the musical starting point of the career of their frontman Billy Idol, and issued six singles that made the UK Singles Chart and two albums that reached the UK Albums Chart.
Anthony Eric James is an English musician and record producer, who was the bassist for the 1970s–1980s punk rock bands Generation X, electropunk Sigue Sigue Sputnik and the Sisters of Mercy.
Generation X is the first studio album by English punk rock band Generation X, produced by Martin Rushent, it was released in the United Kingdom on 17 March 1978.
Clive William Bunker is a British drummer. Bunker is best known as the original drummer of the rock band Jethro Tull, playing in the band from 1967 until 1971. Never a self-professed technical drummer, Bunker engaged with the essence of blues and rock and roll, influenced by Ginger Baker and Mitch Mitchell. He was also inspired by Buddy Rich and The Hollies' Bobby Elliott.
Cyberpunk is the fifth studio album by English rock musician Billy Idol, released on 29 June 1993 by Chrysalis Records. A concept album, it was inspired by his personal interest in technology and his first attempts to use computers in the creation of his music. Idol based the album on the cyberdelic subculture of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Heavily experimental in its style, the album was an attempt to take control of the creative process in the production of his albums, while simultaneously introducing Idol's fans and other musicians to the opportunities presented by digital media.
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Mark Laff is an English retired drummer who was a member of several rock bands, including Generation X.
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William Michael Albert Broad, known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English punk singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of the group Generation X. Subsequently, he embarked on a solo career which led to international recognition and made Idol a lead artist during the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" in the US.
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Gary Twinn is an English singer-songwriter, musician, TV host and editorial writer, currently fronting punk rock supergroup The International Swingers, which also features Clem Burke, Glen Matlock and James Stevenson.
