The Dictators - Bloodbrothers

I recently stumbled across this delightful little number and I've enjoyed giving it a good listen to. Don't worry, it's not a coalition of Pinochet and that ilk, but rather a punk band from New York who recorded this little gem in the year I was born, 1978.

I was taken by the cover to start with, I like the romanticism of going round with flick knives and chains in your leather jacket and tight jeans, getting Italian lasses up the duff and having disregard for your body odour. Brilliant.

In all fairness it's punk by numbers, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. As we all know, if you want to be a punk band, you need to have at least one song containing the name "Johnny" or "Jimmy", and The Dictators don't disappoint with "Borneo Jimmy", a song with a lead guitar a little too polished for punk but a vocal as lazy as Joe Strummer.

When I listen to this album I sometimes wonder if the image I'm getting of them is right or not. I'd like to think that they have fights with The Warriors and the Baseball Furies on their way back from a gig, but a part of me thinks that lead vocalist Handsome Dick Mantoba might be shouting to lead guitarist Ross The Boss, "Hey man, I ain't jumping the subway, the inspectors might get on".

One for the fact fans, Bruce Springsteen (the real Boss, OK Ross?) counts the band in on "Faster and Louder", now that's a bit alright isn't it? My favourite number is "Baby Let's Twist". It starts off with a basic enough chord progression that made me think I'd got hold of a Boston or Rainbow album, but the song more than redeems itself with its sing-along snarly chorus. Definitely the most commercial and radio friendly song on the album.

However, the song "Slow Death" features backing vocals that remind me of car journeys in my Dad's old Nissan Bluebird, feeling car sick and listening to '70's soft rock. Quite an aptly named song.

Anyhow, enough of the cynicism, the album is worth a go. The band are clearly tight as fuck and I bet they would've been decent live. When this album came out, I would imagine it was ace, but in hindsight, I've heard it all before. At times it could be The Clash, at times it could be The Ramones, whilst it tips its hat to late '70's American rock such as Aerosmith.

In fact, speaking of which, compare the garb from the cover art with aforementioned Aerosmith in their 1982 hit "Lightening Strikes".

Four years on from '78 and it's still cool to wear leather jackets, slick your hair back and knife some fucker.



And I'll post a bit about early '80's Aerosmith another time.

So get your leathers on, watch The Warriors and The Wanderers, equip yourself with either a bat, a piece of pipe, a chain, or a flick knife. Get yourself some tight jeans and a black leather jacket and your sorted.

I've struggled to be honest, my DVD of The Warriors has gone missing, my VHS of The Wanderers has snapped. I've got to either use a branch off a tree for my bat, the inner working of a kitchen roll for my pipe, my dogs lead wrapped round my fist for a chain, or a rather menacing looking butter knife for my flick knife. None of my jeans are tight, so I'm wearing my mam's leggings and a black bin bag for my jacket.

Not sure if I look like a nonce or a Great North Run contestant as I leave the house with a rollie in my mouth.

That's me done for now, I'm off to Newcastle in my colours, then I'm going to try and bop my way back to Shields on the Metro, don't worry, I've got my chain.

You can view more at the Official Dictators Website