Music Review

Go Girl Crazy (1991)

EW's GRADE
A

Details Lead Performance: The Dictators; Genre: Rock

Although the Dictators never became ''The Next Big Thing'' (as they promised on the first track of this 1975 debut), Go Girl Crazy's junk-generation culture and smart-aleck sensibility did provide an essential blueprint for '70s punk. With its TV references and homely vocals, this ground-breaking and long-unavailable album continues to inspire underground groups everywhere. That the ''Teengenerate'' quintet boasted a brilliant pop songwriter (Andy Shernoff) and a world-class hard-rock guitarist (Ross the Boss) only helps make this unserious album a serious milestone, a tune-and laugh-filled revelation. If you want to know who introduced wrestling and White Castle hamburgers to rock & roll, spread the joy of remaking '60s pop classics (''I Got You Babe,'' ''California Sun'') with bratty irreverence, and proved that rock-band rules were made to be broken, the Dictators are your men. A

Originally posted Feb 22, 1991 Published in issue #54 Feb 22, 1991 Order article reprints

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