Red Patent Leather
Encyclopedia
Red Patent Leather is a 1984 live album
by the earlier disbanded New York Dolls
. It was recorded in New York a decade earlier, in March 1975, just a month before the group broke up while on tour in Florida.
The New York performance was recorded at the "Little Hippodrome" club. The shows were the last performed by the group in New York, and as such they made the small, unusual venue famous. The venue itself closed later that same year.
The entire show was included in the 'From Here To Eternity' boxset, featuring the tracks on disc 3.
Band performances were rare at the "Little Hippodrome", a drag and comedy club which was located at 227 East 56th Street, between Second and Third Avenues. The club was named after the Hippodrome Theatre, a nearby landmark Theatre District
building in Midtown Manhattan
that had been torn down in 1939.
The group dressed in red for the show and decorated the club with a faux communist red theme, and dubbed the event 'Red Patent Leather' in their press release, which explained:
The press release also claimed that the intended backdrop behind the stage would even include "a huge red flag bearing the hammer and sickle"
The Song "Pirate Love" would later be used in Johnny Thunders
's next band The Heartbreakers
.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by the earlier disbanded New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
. It was recorded in New York a decade earlier, in March 1975, just a month before the group broke up while on tour in Florida.
The New York performance was recorded at the "Little Hippodrome" club. The shows were the last performed by the group in New York, and as such they made the small, unusual venue famous. The venue itself closed later that same year.
The entire show was included in the 'From Here To Eternity' boxset, featuring the tracks on disc 3.
Band performances were rare at the "Little Hippodrome", a drag and comedy club which was located at 227 East 56th Street, between Second and Third Avenues. The club was named after the Hippodrome Theatre, a nearby landmark Theatre District
Theatre District, New York
The Theater District is an area in Midtown Manhattan where most Broadway theaters are located, as well as many other theaters, movie theaters, restaurants, hotels and other places of entertainment. It extends from 40th Street to 54th Street, and from west of Sixth Avenue to east of Eighth Avenue,...
building in Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
that had been torn down in 1939.
The group dressed in red for the show and decorated the club with a faux communist red theme, and dubbed the event 'Red Patent Leather' in their press release, which explained:
- "This show is in co-ordination with the Dolls' very special 'entente cordiale' with the People's Republic of China."
The press release also claimed that the intended backdrop behind the stage would even include "a huge red flag bearing the hammer and sickle"
The Song "Pirate Love" would later be used in Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders
Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
's next band The Heartbreakers
The Heartbreakers
Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, also known as The Heartbreakers, were an American rock & roll band formed in New York in May 1975. The band was part of the first wave of punk rock.-History:...
.
Track listing
- "Red Patent Leather" (Johansen, Sylvain) – 3:37
- "On Fire" (Johansen, Sylvain) – 3:29
- "Something Else" (Eddie CochranEddie CochranEddie Cochran , was an American rock and roll pioneer who in his brief career had a small but lasting influence on rock music through his guitar playing. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the...
, Sharon SheeleySharon SheeleySharon Sheeley was an American songwriter, born in California, who wrote songs for Glen Campbell, Ricky Nelson, Brenda Lee, and Sheeley's former fiancé, Eddie Cochran.-Life:...
) – 2:25 - "Daddy Rollin' Stone" (Otis BlackwellOtis BlackwellOtis Blackwell was an American songwriter, singer, and pianist, whose work significantly influenced rock 'n' roll...
) – 3:39 - "Ain't Got No Home/Dizzy Miss Lizzy (Henry, Williams) – 3:57
- "Girls" (Johansen, Sylvain) – 3:45
- "Down, Down Downtown" (Johansen, Thunders) – 4:15
- "Pirate Love" (Thunders) – 4:12
- "Pills" (Bo DiddleyBo DiddleyEllas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
) – 3:13 - "Teenage News" (Sylvain) – 3:49
- "Personality Crisis/Looking for a Kiss" (Johansen, Thunders) – 5:41
- "Stranded in the Jungle" (Johnson, Smith) – 3:48
Personnel
- David JohansenDavid JohansenDavid Roger Johansen is an American rock, protopunk, blues, and pop singer, as well as a songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal protopunk band The New York Dolls and also achieved commercial success under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter.-Early life:Johansen was born in...
- vocals - Johnny ThundersJohnny ThundersJohnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...
- lead guitar - Sylvain SylvainSylvain SylvainSylvain Sylvain is an American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.-Early years:...
- rhythm guitar, piano - Arthur "Killer" Kane - bass
- Peter Jordan - bass
- Jerry NolanJerry NolanJerry Nolan was an American rock drummer, best known for his work with The New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers.-Career:...
- drums