The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is expected to announce its Class of 2022 in early May. In the lead-up, this series looks at the cases for and against each nominee. For more profiles, click HERE.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – They’re not the biggest name on this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot. Far from it. But talk to music historians, especially those familiar with the evolution of punk and glam metal, and you’ll find tremendous support for New York Dolls.
That may not be enough to earn the band induction this year, at least not in the “Performers” category. But that doesn’t mean the Dolls aren’t worthy.
The case for...
There’s no denying New York Dolls’ influence on several artists that have already been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, including Ramones, Blondie, Sex Pistols, Guns N’ Roses, Patti Smith, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and Aerosmith.
The Dolls were a hybrid of The Stooges, Rolling Stones and T. Rex, combining elements of gritty proto-punk with the flamboyance of glam rock. It’s pretty hard to imagine punk rock becoming a thing or a band like KISS existing without the Dolls as a blueprint.
New York Dolls can also lay claim to having one of the essential glam rock albums of all time with its 1973 self-titled debut at a time when the Rock Hall seems to be emphasizing the genre. Both Roxy Music and T. Rex were inducted in recent years (Lou Reed was also inducted as a solo artist in 2015). The Dolls would seem to be next in line in terms of glam rock acts, which is why the band is on its third nomination.
The case against...
A close look at the New York Dolls’ catalog reveals a pretty underrated discography. However, while other recent glam-rock inductees like T. Rex and Roxy Music experienced some mainstream success, especially in the UK, New York Dolls did not.
Songs like Roxy’s “Love Is the Drug” and T. Rex’s “Get It On” can still be heard on classic rock stations. Roxy’s biggest song, “Personality Crisis,” feels less substantial.
Mainstream success isn’t the most important criteria for induction, nor should it be. But this is the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and having recognizable songs certainly helps validate any artist.
There’s also the fact that New York Dolls weren’t a great band in a musical sense. The members got by on attitude, style and energy over musicianship. This isn’t completely abnormal for punk artists from the era. But the Dolls’ best albums benefitted from stellar production work, perhaps, more than playing and songwriting.
The recording process for the band’s debut involved Todd Rundgren having to come to terms with the band members’ drug use and antics to produce something he called “anti-musical.” The same goes for New York Dolls’ sophomore album “Too Much Too Soon,” which benefitted from the more sophisticated production work of Shadow Morton during an intense recording process that relied heavily on cover songs.
The New York Dolls wouldn’t be the only band in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that lacked technical prowess. And the fact remains the Dolls created a style and attitude that became an integral part of hard rock music in the proceeding decades. Whether that’s enough to earn induction is up to voters.