Rating: - Raw, Rabid Rock
The Dogs were a lethal power trio from the Detroit class of '69 who unfortunately never got their due, though they had a bit of a revival in the late 70s, when most of this performance was recorded.
Loren Molinare's raspy growl and blazing guitarwork and Mary Kay's thundering bass were nicely matched to Ron Wood's drumming (not THE Ron Wood). Any band able to play this well live deserves more props than they got.
They follow a classic rocking format in their stuff that any garage or punk wannabes would do well to check out, though some of the tunes have a very 70s feel to them (but these days, that's no liability). Note: the live tracks are raw, and if you're a stickler for ultraclean production, you might not like it -- personally, I have no complaints about it; the rawness adds to the intensity and power, and doesn't impact the sound; it's just that you can tell it's live.
"Slither" manages a very 70s bump-and-grind with a dandy chugging bassline; "Sleaze City", "Fed Up", "Tuff Enuff", "Slash Your Face" are all very Stoogish/Detroit, relentlessly rocking and driving, boxing your ears into submission; "Black Tea" is a windmill rocker with some wild sound effects thrown in at the lead-in; "Younger Point of View" here is raw and powerful -- quite different from the restrained, quieter version that shows up on the DIY "LA" comp (where I first heard the Dogs). The various covers, like "Shakin' All Over" and "Are You a Boy or Are You a Girl?" are done with pluck and power.
Less fond of the two "John Rock & Roll Sinclair" cuts. Enough, already!
"Slash Your Face" is one of my favorites on the compilation -- searing and over-the-top, with a killer riff and racetrack drive, as is "Years Gone By", which calls to mind early Sabbath, before it builds into a searing, Who-like locomotive ride calling to mind "Melancholia" maybe, but going way beyond that. It makes me think maybe Nirvana listened to the Dogs.
If you like ROCK, you'll like the Dogs. Simple as that. Punks they weren't, but rockers, they most certainly were.
Rating: - Great 70s rock
The Dogs were not really punk (they formed in 1970), and were not really early 70s hard rock either, but kind of a mix of 60s Detroit rock, 70s LA hard rock, and even Real Kids-type garage rock and power pop, if that makes any sense. Most of this CD is taken from a tape of a live show at San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens in January 1977, where The Dogs certainly exhibited some raw power. My favorite is "Younger Point of View," which deals with important or, at least, well known late 60s events from "a younger point of view" in a ferocious and dramatic classic rock fashion. "Sleaze City" is also a good one. Hard rock and garage rock fans can't go wrong by buying this CD.
- Raw, Rabid Rock
- Great 70s rock
