Richard Hell and the Voidoids
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1976-80) - Marc Bell (aka Marky Ramone) -- drums, percussion - Richard Hell (aka Richard Meyers)-- vocals, bass - Ivan Julian -- guitar, backing vocals - Robert Quine (RIP 2004) -- lead guitar, backing vocals
line up 2 (1980-82) - Richard Hell (aka Richard Meyers)-- vocals, bass NEW - Fred Maher -- drums, percussion (replaced Marc Bell) NEW - Naux (aka Juan Maciel) (RIP 2009 -- guitar (replaced Ivan Julian) - Robert Quine (RIP 2004) -- lead guitar, backing vocals
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- Dim Stars (Richard Hell) - Dust (Marc Bell) - Heartbreakers (Richard Hell) - Neon Boys (Richard Hell) - Robert Quine (solo efforts) - The Ramones (Marc Bell) - Television (Richard Hell) |
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Genre: punk Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Blank Generation Company: Sire Catalog: SR
6037 Country/State: Lexington, Kentucky Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 287 Price: $30.00
Best time to play: after a bad day at work, or when you're stuck in traffic
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As a teenager I always thought Richard Hell and the Voidoids were an interesting outfit. Front man Hell certainly had the musical credentials having been in an early version of Television and one of the founding members of The Hearthbreakers. He also had the punk attitude and style down pat and with former Dust drummer Marc Bell, rhythm guitarist Ivan Julian, and lead guitarist Robert Quine (who looked more like an unemployed accountant than a rock star), he had one of New York's most accomplished mid-'70s bands.
Having become friends with New York City store owner Terry Ork, Hell and company were signed to Ork's small Ork label, making their debut with a three track 1977 EP - the cleverly titled "Richard Hell" (Ork catalog 81976). In addition to '(I Belong To The) Blank Generation', the EP included '(I Could Live With You) (In) Another World' and 'You Gotta Lose'.
Signed by Sire, 1977's "Blank Generation" was one of the first punk LPs I ever bought. The cover photo didn't do a great deal for me, nor did the title track (which is what attracted most of the attention from critics and the handful of buyers), but the band's cover of CCR's 'Walk On the Water' was simply dumbfounding - a punk outfit willing to take on a rock giant .... So how to describe Hall and company ? Certainly punk-ish, but with a surprising amount of talent and an understanding of basic musical concepts such as melody and rhythm ... Hell wasn't much a singer, but his jittery death strangle voice wasn't a major drawback given the quality of the songs (even though he never made it out of high school, Hell was amazingly well read), and the strength of his backing band (especially the late Robert Quine). Nothing here was going to make it on to mid-'70s top-40 station, but that didn't mean it wasn't catchy and quite commercial in its own way. In fact, what once sounded somewhat edgy and ominous, today almost sounds quaint in places.
"Blank
Generation" track listing: 1.) Love Comes In Spurts (Richard Hell) - 1:59 rating: **** stars Judging by the title, it was clear Hell and company were hopeless romantics ... Musically this was a pretty standard slice of mid-'70s punk with Robert Quine's spastic guitar solo providing the song highlight. I can remember hearing it when it first came out and finding it's jumpy energy kind of threatening. Today it sounds almost tame. I'll admit that the live version's attraction is largely lost on my middle class ears, but for anyone interested, YouTube has a clip of the band performing the song at New York's famr CBGB's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofhmTOBhS7Y 2.) Liars Beware (Richard Hell - Ivan Julian) - 2:46 rating: **** stars Hum, it might have helped to try tuning the lead-off guitar, but when Hell's hey-I-can-do-The-Ramones vocals kicked in it ultimately it probably didn't make that much difference. While Hell's performance was entertaining, once again Quine's guitar pyrotechnics once again stole the show. YouTube has a clip of the band performing the song from Ulli Lommel's 1980 movie "Blank Generation": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnaOKmtr_6Q 3.) New Pleasure (Richard Hell) - 1:55 rating: *** stars Again, with the passage of time, today 'New Pleasure' almost sounds like a pop tune. Come to think of it, the song probably sounded pretty commercial back in 1977 .... 4.) Betrayal Takes Two (Richard Hell - Ivan Julian) - 3:33 rating: *** stars Hum, co-written by Hell and Julian, 'Betrayal Takes Two' always struck me as an example of Hell trying to sound like an English punk band. The other big surprises was the song's commercial melody. Punks weren't suppose to write stuff like this. 5.) Down At the Rock & Roll Club (Richard Hell) - 3:37 rating: **** stars So anyone who didn't think punk had a fun edge should check out the giddy 'Down At the Rock & Roll Club'. I'm guessing this was fairly autobiographical ... perhaps a reflection of their CBGB's experiences. Quine's spastic guitar was hysterical, as were the band's attempts at backing harmony vocals. 6.) Who Says? (Richard Hell) - 2:03 rating: **** stars Hum, Hell and company trying to get funky? Not sure how else to describe 'Who Says?' And for a bunch of pale, New York City-based punks, I guess this was pretty funky.
(side
2) Hell's standout song ? Originally written and recorded while still with Johnny Thunder and the Heartbreakers, 'Blank Generation' was a class slice of punk angst and social commentary - plus the backing vocals were a hoot. I seem to remember reading somewhere that Hell's musical inspiration came from Ray Charles version of 'Hit The Road Jack'. The album version also differed from the version on the previous EP. 2.) Walking On the Water (John Foigerty - Tom Fogerty) - 2:11 rating: **** stars As mentioned, the song that convinced me to buy this album - their cover of CCR's 'Walk On the Water' was pretty impressive. Nah, it won't make you forget the CCR original, but c'mon how many punk bands would have the courage to take on a John and Tom Fogerty song ? For that matter, how many bands of any genre would take on this classic tune ? 3.) The Plan (Richard Hell) - 3:53 rating: **** stars An almost giddy tune coupled with some of Hell's darkest and most enigmatic lyrics, 'The Plan' was a great tune !!! 4.) Another World (Richard Hell) - 8:03 rating: **** stars Geez, so why not close it out with a punk song that stretched on over eight minutes? And that's exactly what Hell and company did with the funk-has-a-nervous-breakdown epic. 'Another World'. With Hell turning in some of his most demonic vocals, The Talking Heads would have approved of this one.
Funny, but some some three and a half decades after I bought the LP, I still enjoy it; maybe even more than when I initially bought it.
Who know why, but the 1990 reissue featured different cover art, as well as a different version of 'Down at the Rock & Roll Club' and a pair of bonus tracks ('All the Way' and 'I'm Your Man').
Hell's still actibve ona number of fronts, seeming focusing on writing these days. He has an interesting website at: http://www.richardhell.com/
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Genre: punk Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Destiny Street Company: Red Star Catalog: RED
801 Country/State: Lexington, Kentucky Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: original pressing Available: 1 Catalog ID: 2704 Price: $30.00
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To make my credentials clear, about the closest I got to the punk lifestyle were John Fogerty styled flannel shirts, desert boots, and buying a couple of Nick Lowe albums. That said, holding a copy of 1982's "Destiny Street" in my hands, I couldn't wonder how far into the punk lifestyle Richard Hell had bought. He seemingly dressed with far too much style that a true punk advocate; he looked shiny and bright, and the guy (and his backing band), certainly seemed way too proficient on their instruments ...
Produced by Alan Betrock, 1982's "Destiny Street" marked Hell's first studio album in five years. The collection was motivated more by the need for cash than any artistic calling. A nasty heroin addiction had left Hell's personal and professional life in tatters, but given an offer to make some money cutting another album, Hell called up guitarist Robert Quine and recruited drummer Fred Maher and guitarist Naux (aka Jaun Maciel) for a new Voidoids line-up. The sessions were challenging with Hell walking out on the project, before reluctantly agreeing to finish the sessions. His absence left Quine and the band to play around filling in the gaps (leaving Hell to eventually re-record many of the tunes on the 2008 self-released "Destiny Street- Repaired"). Musically the set wasn't all that different from the debut collection, though you couldn't help wondering if Hell couldn't have done a little better with all that time on his hands. The opener 'The Kid with the Replaceable Head' had previously seen daylight as a 1979 single in the UK. 'Staring In Her Eyes' and the glorious 'Time' also dated back to 1978-79, and the fact it was co-written by former guitarist Ivan Julian seemed to indicate 'Ignore the Door' was also a carryover from earlier sessions. Add to that the fact there were three cover songs and could see his addiction had taken over his life. With his rock and roll lifestyle having caught up with him, these tracks were a lot darker, inner focused, and cynical. Song-for-song the album wasn't nearly as good as the debut, but once you adjusted your expectations and gave the set a chance, there were quite a few keepers. 'Downtown at Dawn', 'Time', and 'Staring in Her Eyes' were all first-rate. Moreover, given his other problems, the fact Hell was actually capable of focusing enough energy to complete the album spoke volumes about his inner strength.
Trivia Pursuit factoid, the young lady on the cover wasn't Patty Smyth (of Scandal fame), rather Anne Militello (who went on the enjoy a successful career as a lighting designer and artist).
"Destiny
Street" track listing: 1.) The Kid with the Replaceable Head (Richard Hell) - 2:24 rating: *** stars 'The Kid with the Replaceable Head' opened the album up with a track that had previously been released as a 1979 UK single. The album version was different, but I have no idea it it predates the single, or was a re-recording. Musically it was a decent garage rocker with Hell's distinctive, sneering vocals giving it a slightly raw edge. Robert Quine's unique guitar stylings were easy to pick out. Easy to see why it was tapped as a single.
- 1979's 'The Kid with the Replaceable Head' b/w 'I'm Your Man' (Radar catalog number ADA 30) YouTube has a 1981 live performance of the song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPWIVl8yMYw 2.) You Gotta Move (Ray Davies) - 2:36 rating: *** stars Always surprised to hear how good this old Kinks tune sounds in a pseudo-new wave environment. Guess most of the credit needs to go to Quine. 3.) Going Going Gone (Bob Dylan) - 2:34 rating: *** stars So kudos to Hell for having the courage to take on a Dylan cover. Not only that, but the slowed down, punked-up version wasn't half bad. Yeah, Hell's voice was almost as raw and ragged as Dylan's. 4.) Lowest Common Denominator (Richard Hell) - 2:23 rating: *** stars Bouncy punk tune that's saved from oblivion by the group chanted refrain and Quine's brittle, but biting solo. 5.) Downtown at Dawn (Richard Hell) - 5:59 rating: **** stars I'm gathering 'Downtown at Dawn' was an autobiographical number taken out of Hell's rock-n-roll lifestyle adventures ... Courtesy of Quine's skitterish guitar and Hell's hyperactive bass pattern it sported the album's best rock melody.
(side 2) 1.) Time (Richard Hell) - 3:33 rating: **** stars Complete with glorious Quine jangle guitar and some sweet Hell lyrics, 'Time' was easily the album's prettiest composition. In fact it would have made a nice single. (For those of you who are musically curious, with a sweet Welsh lilt in her voice, Cate Le Bon does a stunning cover of the song.) 2.) I Can Only Give You Everything (Phil Coulter - Tommy Scott) - 3:57 rating: **** stars As much as I enjoyed this cover, there's simply no way Hell could beat the 1967 Van Morrison and Them version. Still, Hell came in with a nice silver medal. 3.) Ignore that Door (Richard Hell - Ivan Julian - Robert Quine) - 3:13 rating: ** stars It may have been the album's most punk--flavored song, but dragged along by Hell's howling vocals, 'Ignore that door' simply didn't do anything for me. 4.) Staring In Her Eyes (Richard Hell) - 4:20 rating: **** stars Another earlier song re-recorded and given what sounded like a Fred Schneider and the B-52s flavor. Hell's deadpan delivery was interesting and made for one of the album's hidden gems. 5.) Destiny Street (Richard Hell) - 4:40 rating: **** stars Quite different from the rest of the album, the title track was a spoken word piece with Hell riffing about getting older. The track featured a niftyTalking Heads-styled funk tune.
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