Its fair to say that their best songs came from Rocket In The Tombs - Ain't It Fun, Sonic Reducer, Down In Flames and Caught With The Meat In Your Mouth and purists can argue over that statement. Its also fair to say that one of the Dead Boys key strengths was Stiv Bators vocals - a rasping sneering voice that takes those songs to a new level.

Signing to Sire should have been a launch pad but selling punk in the US, as The Ramones found, was not easy. Two poor selling albums and the band were dropped. The Dead Boys were unlucky and they don't get the credit they deserved in the history of punk.

Sonic Reducer /  Down In Flames (Sire December 1977)

No if's, no buts' no maybe's...a genuine 24 carat punk rock classic. Magical riff at breakneck speed with Stiv's trademark rasping sneering vocals overlaid on top. Sonic Reducer is a swaggering monster of a punk song.

'The song is about adolescent alienation and the desperation that results.' Jimmy Zero 2001 Mojo Yeahh!

 Click to hear clip of 'Sonic Reducer' 

Young Loud & Snotty (Sire October 1977)

"We did it in 3 days it was supposed to be a demo...While we were on tour they remixed the album and said:Too late! Here's your album cover, here's your album!" Stiv  - Search & Destroy 4 1977

"Sounds the way punk should sound, really crude and rough. Cheetah's guitar is right in ur throat from the first note, and Stiv's maniacal Iggy on a bad day vox are perfect for this mess.

All songs on this torch you like an outta control flame thrower. "Sonic Reducer" is the covered-to-death classic, but everything else kills too. The S&M anthem "What Love Is" , the boredom oozing "Ain't Nothing to Do" the drugged out, hungover desperation of "High Tension Wire" or my personal fave, Stiv yelping and screaming his way thru "Down in Flames".

This album is a must have for anyone who claims to dig punk rock." Amazon Review

Why Young Loud & Snotty? A folk singer was querying why Bowie wanted to produce the Stooges whom she described as 'Young Loud & Snotty'. Cheetah liked that description!

Sounds Review 3.9.77
Click to view larger readable image

Cover version of the Rolling Stones Tell Me. Not much more to say I'm afraid.

We Have Come From Your Children (Sire 1978)

Originally to be called Down To Kill and to be produced by Lou Reed. Instead it was produced by Felix Pappalardi of Cream and Mountain fame. He made them play for up to 14 hours a day to get tighter. Having complained about Genya Raven's rough production on their debut, Stiv enthused in Record Mirror (6.5.78) that they now had "....a pop sound that is much cleaner than the material on the debut album." Unfortunately the magic certainly didn't happen and the end result was a weaker watered down Dead Boys with Stiv's vocals buried in the mix. That said there are come decent tracks 'Son of Sam' and I Don't Wanna Be No Catholic Boy and Ain't It Fun.