Dead Boys “Night of the Living Dead Boys” 1981, recorded in 1979 at CBGB. Bomp! Records. Today, February 18th, is Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome’s birthday (b. Eugene Richard O’Connor, 1955). Classic, early American punk, this LP features live renditions of Dead Boys songs from their classic debut album Young Loud and Snotty like “All This and More,” “Caught with the Meat in Your Mouth,” “What Love Is,” “Ain’t Nothin’ to Do,” “I Need Lunch” and the punk classic “Sonic Reducer.” From their second – and final – studio album We Have Come for Your Children included on Night of the Living Dead Boys are “3rd Generation Nation,” the cover of Rolling Stones’ “Tell Me,” “Catholic Boy,” “I Won’t Look Back,” “Ain’t it Fun” and “Son of Sam.” Also appearing is one song that does not appear on either of their albums, the lead track “Detention Home.” I don’t generally have high expectations of most live albums, especially ones from the 70′s at crappy punk bars. Night of the Living Dead Boys is surprisingly high quality for its time and venue with Stiv Bators’ dark slinky style easily shimmering through, Cheetah Chrome’s and Jimmy Zero’s guitars appropriately either murky or cutting depending on the song but always loud and the rhythm section of Johnny Blitz on drums and Jeff Magnum on bass driving (also loud!).

Also: anytime I ever write about Dead Boys, I have to post about the time that Cheetah and Johnny went on the Young Loud and Snotty 40th anniversary tour and we got to meet them (and get our album signed) at our favorite local record shop before the concert. Here’s me and the guys in 2017.