“A lot of the mess people are listening to gets blamed on the Dolls, but we’ve always been just a stupid R&B based rock n’ roll band,” affirms vocalist David Johansen.

A rock n’ roll band with incredible attitude that was indeed the inspiration for countless others who followed. Kiss, Aerosmith, The Ramones, Blondie, The Sex Pistols, The Damned, Motley Crue, Guns n’ Roses, Hanoi Rocks, The Strokes, Jet and just about any group of strutting rockers who are convinced that their band could take your band and possibly your whole town in a pretty for pretty, ugly for ugly throwdown. The Dolls, and their disciples win, not just with brawn, but with what guitarist Sylvain Sylvain calls “plenty of intellect and plenty of sex.”

The New York Dolls are, simply, the Beatles of attitude. Thirty five years into their existence (thirtyone since they disbanded down in Florida in a haze of smack withdrawl and managerial anarchy), with three men down, they can still take your band, pretty for pretty, ugly for ugly, onstage, and now with the long awaited follow up to 1974’s ground breaking Too Much Too Soon.

Over the years, many have tried to bring the band together but it was never to be, until that is, former New York Dolls fan club president and legendary rocker, Morrissey, made the request that reunited his boyhood idols for 2004’s Meltdown Festival. He was curating the event at the Royal Festival Hall in London and the one-off date then turned into a full-fledged tour, “We were having so much fun, we decided to continue past the summer, and naturally, started writing some new songs,” says the band. Today’s version of the New York Dolls consists of original members David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, with guitarist Steve Conte, bass player Sami Yaffa, keyboard player Brian Koonin, and drummer Brian Delaney filling in for departed legends, Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan and the veritable, Arthur “Killer” Kane.

Purists may scoff that it’s not the Dolls without Johnny, Jerry and Arthur, but both Johansen and Sylvain insist that this new lineup are indeed true New York Dolls. “This is phase two,” Johansen says. “A whole new thing.” And only to reinforce the fact that this is truly a new band, Sylvain adds, “We didn’t set out to replace anyone. We’re talking about the deceased here, not the dismissed, after all. Sami, Steve, Brian Koonan and Brian Delaney are great guys and they’re part of every aspect of everything. That’s what being in a band is all about.”

Radio never really ‘got’ the Dolls the first time around, but their first two records are in every hip kids collection today and so too should their new release. Recorded mostly live, with producer Jack Douglas (who was an engineer on their self titled debut, and has produced classic albums for Aerosmith. Cheap Trick and John Lennon), One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This is a cleaner sounding Dolls. “You can never be amateurish again,” Johansen explains. “Those two Dolls albums are like folk art. We were so young and new at playing... and as you go through life and get more skilled at your craft, you can never go back.”

So can the Dolls hit it again with age and even skill working against them? “I don’t care if this record is a hit,” Sylvain assures, “Just as long as every man, woman and child buys it.”