Lipstick Powder & Paint / Various

The previous volumes in the Heard Them Here First series focused on Elvis Presley, the Ramones and Cliff Richard. Now it's the turn of the New York Dolls. In their original incarnation, the band enjoyed only a brief butterfly lifespan, yet their impact upon popular culture proved enormous. What an entrance they made: an insolent, street-smart rush of cross-dressing glitter boys in towering stack-heeled boots, fuelled by a diet of booze, drugs, 50's doo wop, 60's girl groups, vintage rock n roll, Chicago blues, R&B, Brill Building pop, The Stones and The Stooges. From their earliest days, through to the re-formed band's recent albums, via the solo careers of David Johansen and Johnny Thunders, the Dolls' music buffs all paid homage to their influences by peppering their repertoire with impeccably chosen songs from the past. We mark the 40th anniversary of their first album with this collection of 24 vintage originals that inspired the band to record their own renditions. Who knows, the New York Dolls may well have another album in the pipeline. If they do, who'd bet against it containing at least one great old song. One thing's for certain, they sure know how to pick them.