One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This

It's right there in the album title - Even This. The two surviving N.Y. Dolls, singer David Johansen and guitarist SylvainSylvain, know it's been 32 years since the last N.Y. Dolls release and that attributing this collectionto their old namesake is a delicate balancing act. It immediately attracts attention a 'Johansen-Sylvain Band' would not. And it simply cannot live up to the time and place majesty of the two definitive proto-punk albums the full-five lineup delivered in the early 70s. That said, there is nothing to be ashamedof here. No one attempts to mimic Johnny Thunders' deliriously sloppy guitar leads or Jerry Nolan's trainwreck drum patterns. If anything, producer Jack Douglas gives the survivors a tighter, aggressive sound; what it lacks in inspired imprecision, it makes up for in marshaled energy."We're All In Love" starts things with the genuine item, a swinging rock number that Johansen delivers with all the gusto and preening showmanship of his halcyon days. The Dolls always referenced rock's earliest days and there's plenty of playful backing 'ooh-oohs' ("Dance Like A Monkey") and '50s R&B influences to show an enduring love for tradition, while blasting forth with a new chapter of their own.