| 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 |   [1] |
| Christgau's Record Guide | C+ [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |  [3] |
| Smash Hits | 5/10 [4] |
Valley of the Dolls is the second studio album by the English punk rock band Generation X. [5] It was produced by Ian Hunter.
Valley of the Dolls was recorded at Wessex Sound Studios in Islington in October 1978. [6] The record's working title was 'Intercourse (Old Meets New)', which was superseded by a name taken from a 1966 novel. [7] 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. [8]
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." [9]
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." [10]
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. [11] 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; [12] "Valley of the Dolls", which reached #23 in April, [13] and "Fridays Angels" in June 1979, which failed to enter the top 40. [14]
On release the Valley of the Dolls long-player reached #51 in the UK Albums Chart. [15]
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".
The Go-Go's were an American all-female rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belinda Carlisle on lead vocals, Gina Schock on drums, Kathy Valentine on bass, and Jane Wiedlin on rhythm guitar. They are widely considered the most successful all-female rock band of all time.
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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.
Sylvain Mizrahi, known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.
Murderdolls was an American rock band formed in Hollywood, California in 2002. Its lineup consisted of core members Wednesday 13 and Joey Jordison while former touring members included Ben Graves, Acey Slade, Eric Griffin and Tripp Eisen.
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 pop musician and record producer, who was the bassist for the 1970s–1980s bands Generation X, 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.
James Stevenson is an English punk/alternative rock guitarist, at one time a member of the Alarm, Gene Loves Jezebel, Gen X, the Cult, Holy Holy, the International Swingers and Chelsea.
Kiss Me Deadly is the third studio album by the English punk rock and new wave band Gen X. Produced by Keith Forsey it was issued in the United Kingdom on 23 January 1981. It was the final album to be released before their disbandment, though they would briefly reunite in 1993.
Radio 1 Sessions is a compilation of studio recordings made for BBC Radio One by the pop punk band Generation X between 1977 and 1979. Three separate John Peel sessions are featured, along with a cover version of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates "Shakin' All Over", recorded for David Jensen's early evening show.
Mark Laff is an English retired drummer who was a member of several rock bands, including Generation X.
"Dancing with Myself" is a song by the punk rock band Gen X, first commercially released in the United Kingdom in October 1980, where it reached number 62 on the UK Singles Chart. It was remixed and re-released by the band's singer/frontman Billy Idol as a solo artist in the United States in 1981, where the song reached number 27 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Nouvelle Vague covered the number in 2006 and released it on their album, Bande à Part.
William Michael Albert Broad, known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English and American singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He first 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. The name "Billy Idol" was inspired by a schoolteacher's description of him as "idle".
Sweet Revenge is the fourth and final studio album of the English 1970's post-punk band Generation X, though it was chronologically their third recorded album.
Robert Ian Andrews is a British rock guitarist, and former member of the bands Generation X, Empire and Westworld.
The International Swingers is an American–British rock supergroup based in Los Angeles Formed in late 2011, the band is composed of Clem Burke (drums), Glen Matlock (bass/vocals), James Stevenson and Gary Twinn.
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.
