The Dictators
Encyclopedia
The Dictators are an American punk rock
band formed in New York City
in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
, in Cleveland
, Ohio
. Steven Van Zandt
called them "The connective tissue between the eras of The MC5
, Stooges
, NY Dolls
, and the punk explosion of the mid to late 1970s".
line-up consisted of bassist
/vocalist Andy "Adny" Shernoff
, lead guitar
ist Ross "The Boss" Friedman (aka Ross Funicello), rhythm guitar
ist Scott "Top Ten" Kempner
, and drummer
Stu Boy King (who was, in fact, the band's fourth drummer since forming in 1973). It was this line-up - along with roadie/occasional vocalist and "Secret Weapon" Handsome Dick Manitoba - which recorded the band's 1975 debut album, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! for Epic Records
, produced by Sandy Pearlman
and Murray Krugman (best known for their work with Blue Öyster Cult
). The album sold poorly at the time.
Frustrated by the lack of sales, the band broke up for a few months in late 1975, but reconvened in early 1976, with bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza
replacing Shernoff. After a few months Shernoff was persuaded to return to the group as the group's keyboardist
. This line-up soon secured a contract with Asylum Records
(at least partly due to the notoriety the group had developed following a well-publicized brawl between Manitoba and Wayne County
) and released their second album, Manifest Destiny, in 1977. The album was produced by Pearlman and Krugman.
During this period the band was christened with their nickname, "The 'Taters". This culminated in an incident during a tour with Uriah Heep
and Foreigner
in which Foreigner's roadies strung a net filled with potatoes above the stage and released it during the Dictators' set.
By 1978 Mendoza had left the band (he soon joined Twisted Sister
), and Shernoff had returned to his original position on bass guitar. It was this line-up of Manitoba, Shernoff, Friedman, Kempner, and Rich Teeter which recorded Bloodbrothers (yet again produced by Pearlman and Krugman). It was the first album to feature Manitoba as the group's vocalist on all the songs, though Bruce Springsteen
- a big fan
of the group to this day - can be heard counting "1-2-1-2-3-4" during the album's opening track, "Faster and Louder." The album's "Baby, Let's Twist" was a minor hit on a number of east-coast radio station
s, but the lack of mainstream success caused the band to split the following year. Shortly before the split, drummer Mel Anderson had left Twisted Sister and joined The Dictators, replacing Teeter.
band Shakin' Street
, then becoming a founding member of Manowar
in 1982 (with whom he recorded the band's first six albums, leaving the band after the 1988 album Kings of Metal
.), and producing the first demo for Anthrax
.
Although Friedman had spoken to the press with some bitterness about The Dictators during the early Manowar period, he and the other members of the band began reuniting occasionally in 1981, and later that year, ROIR
released the cassette-only Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take a Joke, which featured numbers from all three of the group's studio albums, covers of the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On" and Mott the Hoople
's "Moon Upstairs," and two new Shernoff numbers: "Loyola" and "New York New York".
Other than occasional reunion shows, little was heard from The Dictators during the next five years. However, in late 1986 Shernoff and Manitoba (along with guitarist Daniel Rey
) formed Wild Kingdom, releasing a version of "New York New York" on the 1988 soundtrack to Mondo New York
.
debut, ...And You? (by which time they were now billed as Manitoba's Wild Kingdom), Rey had left the group and had been replaced by Friedman, making it - for all practical purposes - the fourth Dictators album (the group was rounded out by drummer J.P. Patterson). ...And You? - a brief 25 minutes in length - received excellent reviews, with Rolling Stone calling it "the first great punk rock album of the '90s." Following a club tour that year, Kempner (who had been previously occupied by his work with the Del Lords
during much of the 1980s) joined the group and the Manitoba's Wild Kingdom name was replaced by The Dictators.
The ...And You? album cover was a source of some controversy, since it was lifted from a World War II
Nazi
recruiting poster. It was not the first time members of the band (most of whom, ironically, were Jewish) had been associated with charges of this sort since Go Girl Crazy had featured the songs "Master Race Rock" and "Back to Africa."
By the 1990s, much about the lives of the band's members had changed markedly.
Shernoff recorded and toured with The Fleshtones
, in 1989 and 1990, became a wine expert, and wrote with Joey Ramone
.
Manitoba opened a successful East-Village
bar called Manitoba's in 1999.
Kempner had developed a certain degree of respect from roots-rock audiences due to his 1980s work with The Del-Lords. In 1992 he released his highly acclaimed solo album Tenement Angels and joined The Brandos
in 1993.
Friedman's work with Manowar and Brain Surgeons had given him a certain cachet with heavy metal audiences.
However, the group - first with Frank Funaro
on drums, then again with Patterson - began recording a new Dictators album in the late 1990s, which was eventually released as D.F.F.D. in 2001. The album was well-received; however, Shernoff has remarked that it will probably be the group's final studio album of new material since he finds writing rock songs to be more difficult as time goes on.
, and is a Sirius XM Satellite Radio DJ on Little Steven's Underground Garage
channel. Following Kempner's move to California in 2002 and his departure from the group, The Dictators continue to perform to a devoted audience, and released a new live album, VIVA Dictators (with Kempner on rhythm guitar) in 2005. The Dictators compiled an album of demos, rarities, and unreleased songs recorded at various times over their thirty-plus year career, released by Norton Records in 2007 as Every Day Is Saturday.
In November 2007, Manitoba, along with author Amy Wallace, put out The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists on BackBeat Books, a small book company owned by Hal Leonard Publishing.
Manitoba's Wild Kingdom reunited in May 2008 to play at the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, with a lineup featuring Manitoba, Shernoff, Friedman & Patterson.
In July 2008, Kempner released his well-received 2nd solo album Saving Grace . He is in the process of assembling a band for some summer dates. In October 2008, The Dictators reunited for a series of four concerts in Spain.
Ross The Boss released his debut solo album, New Metal Leader, in August 2008. He and his band are putting the finishing touches on their 2nd album, due for release later in 2010.
Patterson released his 2nd album, entitled The LP Is Dead, in November 2009 via No Fun Records.
Kempner and the rest of The Del-Lords re-united in early 2010 for a successful tour of Spain. They are currently working on an album of all new material. Kempner's first solo album, Tenement Angels, was released on March 1, 2011 on GB Music. The release is on CD (remastered with a bonus track) and on vinyl. The LP is a limited edition on 500, and comes with a digital download and a hand signed poster by Kempner.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band formed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1973. Critic John Dougan said that they were "one of the finest and most influential proto-punk bands to walk the earth." The Dictators are represented in the "Punk Wing" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
, in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...
called them "The connective tissue between the eras of The MC5
MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, Stooges
The Stooges
The Stooges are an American rock band from Ann Arbor, Michigan first active from 1967 to 1974, and later reformed in 2003...
, NY 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...
, and the punk explosion of the mid to late 1970s".
Origins
The original postbox recordingSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
line-up consisted of bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
/vocalist Andy "Adny" Shernoff
Andy Shernoff
Andy Shernoff is a musician, songwriter, record producer and oenophile.He is a founding member of The Dictators, one of the original New York punk bands, in which he wrote nearly all of the songs, played bass guitar and keyboards, and sang backing vocals and occasional leads...
, lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Ross "The Boss" Friedman (aka Ross Funicello), rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist Scott "Top Ten" Kempner
Scott Kempner
Scott "Top Ten" Kempner is the rhythm guitarist with The Dictators since they formed in 1974. He is also a founding member of The Del-Lords....
, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Stu Boy King (who was, in fact, the band's fourth drummer since forming in 1973). It was this line-up - along with roadie/occasional vocalist and "Secret Weapon" Handsome Dick Manitoba - which recorded the band's 1975 debut album, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! for Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, produced by Sandy Pearlman
Sandy Pearlman
Sandy Pearlman is an American music producer, artist manager, professor, poet, songwriter, and once was a record company executive...
and Murray Krugman (best known for their work with Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult
Blue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
). The album sold poorly at the time.
Frustrated by the lack of sales, the band broke up for a few months in late 1975, but reconvened in early 1976, with bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza
Mark Mendoza
Mark "The Animal" Mendoza is the bassist of the American heavy metal band, Twisted Sister. He joined the band on October 31, 1978, after he left The Dictators. He also briefly played in Blackfoot in early 1990s.Mendoza played the bass guitar on all of Twisted Sister's major label releases...
replacing Shernoff. After a few months Shernoff was persuaded to return to the group as the group's keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
. This line-up soon secured a contract with Asylum Records
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
(at least partly due to the notoriety the group had developed following a well-publicized brawl between Manitoba and Wayne County
Jayne County
Jayne County , formerly known as Wayne County, is an American male-to-female transsexual performer, musician and actress whose career has spanned several decades. County would go on to be known as rock's first transsexual singer...
) and released their second album, Manifest Destiny, in 1977. The album was produced by Pearlman and Krugman.
During this period the band was christened with their nickname, "The 'Taters". This culminated in an incident during a tour with Uriah Heep
Uriah Heep (band)
Uriah Heep are an English rock band formed in London in 1969 and regarded as a seminal classic hard rock act of the 1970s. Uriah Heep's progressive/art rock/heavy metal fusion's distinctive features have always been massive keyboards sound, strong vocal harmonies and David Byron's operatic vocals...
and Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
in which Foreigner's roadies strung a net filled with potatoes above the stage and released it during the Dictators' set.
By 1978 Mendoza had left the band (he soon joined Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
), and Shernoff had returned to his original position on bass guitar. It was this line-up of Manitoba, Shernoff, Friedman, Kempner, and Rich Teeter which recorded Bloodbrothers (yet again produced by Pearlman and Krugman). It was the first album to feature Manitoba as the group's vocalist on all the songs, though Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
- a big fan
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
of the group to this day - can be heard counting "1-2-1-2-3-4" during the album's opening track, "Faster and Louder." The album's "Baby, Let's Twist" was a minor hit on a number of east-coast radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s, but the lack of mainstream success caused the band to split the following year. Shortly before the split, drummer Mel Anderson had left Twisted Sister and joined The Dictators, replacing Teeter.
1980s
After the break-up, Manitoba drove a taxi cab, Shernoff worked as a producer, and Friedman became a guitarist-for-hire; working first with the French hard-rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Shakin' Street
Shakin' Street
Shakin' Street may refer to:*"Shakin' Street", a song by MC5 from their 1970 album Back in the USA*Shakin' Street, a French rock band founded by Eric Lévi and Fabienne Shine...
, then becoming a founding member of Manowar
Manowar (band)
Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980 the group is known for its lyrics based on fantasy and mythological topics along with their "loud and bombastic" sound...
in 1982 (with whom he recorded the band's first six albums, leaving the band after the 1988 album Kings of Metal
Kings of Metal
Kings of Metal is the sixth album by heavy metal band Manowar. Released in 1988 by Atlantic Records, it is thought by many to be among their very best releases....
.), and producing the first demo for Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
.
Although Friedman had spoken to the press with some bitterness about The Dictators during the early Manowar period, he and the other members of the band began reuniting occasionally in 1981, and later that year, ROIR
ROIR
ROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format...
released the cassette-only Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take a Joke, which featured numbers from all three of the group's studio albums, covers of the Velvet Underground's "What Goes On" and Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
's "Moon Upstairs," and two new Shernoff numbers: "Loyola" and "New York New York".
Other than occasional reunion shows, little was heard from The Dictators during the next five years. However, in late 1986 Shernoff and Manitoba (along with guitarist Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey
Daniel Rey is an American musician, music producer and songwriter from New York City best known for his work with the Ramones....
) formed Wild Kingdom, releasing a version of "New York New York" on the 1988 soundtrack to Mondo New York
Mondo New York
Mondo New York is a 1988 Mondo film directed by Harvey Nikolai Keith.-Overview:Mondo New York examines the lives and activities of Manhattan performance artists, and features Joey Arias and Rick Aviles. A number of New York City denizens appear in various sketches, each linked by a young woman's...
.
1990s
By the time of Wild Kingdom's 1990 MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
debut, ...And You? (by which time they were now billed as Manitoba's Wild Kingdom), Rey had left the group and had been replaced by Friedman, making it - for all practical purposes - the fourth Dictators album (the group was rounded out by drummer J.P. Patterson). ...And You? - a brief 25 minutes in length - received excellent reviews, with Rolling Stone calling it "the first great punk rock album of the '90s." Following a club tour that year, Kempner (who had been previously occupied by his work with the Del Lords
Del Lords
The Del-Lords are an American rock'n'roll band that formed in New York City in 1982, founded by The Dictators' guitarist Scott Kempner. The band combined elements of '60s garage rock with country, blues, and folk influences to become one of the initial progenitors of urban-roots-rock...
during much of the 1980s) joined the group and the Manitoba's Wild Kingdom name was replaced by The Dictators.
The ...And You? album cover was a source of some controversy, since it was lifted from a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
recruiting poster. It was not the first time members of the band (most of whom, ironically, were Jewish) had been associated with charges of this sort since Go Girl Crazy had featured the songs "Master Race Rock" and "Back to Africa."
By the 1990s, much about the lives of the band's members had changed markedly.
Shernoff recorded and toured with The Fleshtones
The Fleshtones
The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York formed in 1976.- 1976-1979 :The Fleshtones were formed in 1976 in Whitestone, New York by Keith Streng and Marek Pakulski The Fleshtones are an American garage rock band from Queens, New York formed in 1976.- 1976-1979 :The...
, in 1989 and 1990, became a wine expert, and wrote with Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone
Joey Ramone was an American vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist in the punk rock band the Ramones. Joey Ramone's image, voice and tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.-Early life:Joey Ramone was born Jeffry Hyman to parents Noel and Charlotte Hyman...
.
Manitoba opened a successful East-Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
bar called Manitoba's in 1999.
Kempner had developed a certain degree of respect from roots-rock audiences due to his 1980s work with The Del-Lords. In 1992 he released his highly acclaimed solo album Tenement Angels and joined The Brandos
The Brandos
The Brandos is an American rock band formed in New York in 1985. The core members are vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Dave Kincaid and bassist and vocalist Ernie Mendillo....
in 1993.
Friedman's work with Manowar and Brain Surgeons had given him a certain cachet with heavy metal audiences.
However, the group - first with Frank Funaro
Frank Funaro
Frank Funaro is an American drummer who has played with Del Lords, The Brandos, Camper Van Beethoven, Joey Ramone, The Dictators, and Cracker....
on drums, then again with Patterson - began recording a new Dictators album in the late 1990s, which was eventually released as D.F.F.D. in 2001. The album was well-received; however, Shernoff has remarked that it will probably be the group's final studio album of new material since he finds writing rock songs to be more difficult as time goes on.
2000s
Manitoba currently sings lead vocals with the surviving members of the MC5MC5
The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan and originally active from 1964 to 1972. The original band line-up consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson...
, and is a Sirius XM Satellite Radio DJ on Little Steven's Underground Garage
Underground Garage
Underground Garage is the name shared by two related but different radio outlets, a syndicated show and a satellite radio station, both created and supervised by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt to present rock 'n' roll and garage rock on radio...
channel. Following Kempner's move to California in 2002 and his departure from the group, The Dictators continue to perform to a devoted audience, and released a new live album, VIVA Dictators (with Kempner on rhythm guitar) in 2005. The Dictators compiled an album of demos, rarities, and unreleased songs recorded at various times over their thirty-plus year career, released by Norton Records in 2007 as Every Day Is Saturday.
In November 2007, Manitoba, along with author Amy Wallace, put out The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists on BackBeat Books, a small book company owned by Hal Leonard Publishing.
Manitoba's Wild Kingdom reunited in May 2008 to play at the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza, with a lineup featuring Manitoba, Shernoff, Friedman & Patterson.
In July 2008, Kempner released his well-received 2nd solo album Saving Grace . He is in the process of assembling a band for some summer dates. In October 2008, The Dictators reunited for a series of four concerts in Spain.
Ross The Boss released his debut solo album, New Metal Leader, in August 2008. He and his band are putting the finishing touches on their 2nd album, due for release later in 2010.
Patterson released his 2nd album, entitled The LP Is Dead, in November 2009 via No Fun Records.
Kempner and the rest of The Del-Lords re-united in early 2010 for a successful tour of Spain. They are currently working on an album of all new material. Kempner's first solo album, Tenement Angels, was released on March 1, 2011 on GB Music. The release is on CD (remastered with a bonus track) and on vinyl. The LP is a limited edition on 500, and comes with a digital download and a hand signed poster by Kempner.
Discography
- The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!Go Girl Crazy! was the 1975 debut album of the New York City-based punk rock band The Dictators. Trouser Press lauded the band's first release as a "wickedly funny, brilliantly played and hopelessly naïve masterpiece of self-indulgent smartass rock'n'roll"...
(1975) - Manifest Destiny (1977)
- BloodbrothersBloodbrothers (album)Bloodbrothers is the third album by The Dictators and their second after switching to the Asylum label. AllMusic, which was critical of the band's previous album, released a favorable review of Bloodbrothers, stating that it "stands as a good example of what the band sounded like on a good night,"...
(1978) - Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take a Joke (ROIRROIRROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format...
, 1981) - The Dictators Live, New York, New York (ROIRROIRROIR , or Reach Out International Records, is a New York City-based record label founded in 1979 by Neil Cooper.ROIR was founded the same year that the Sony Walkman launched, and initially, the label exclusively distributed its releases in cassette format...
, 1998) - D.F.F.D. (2001)
- Viva Dictators (2005)
- Every Day Is Saturday (2007)