C O V E R		R E V I E W
		On this reissue from the ROIR vaults, we have the CD version of the original Fuck 'Em If They Can't Take a Joke cassette, which was released in 1981. "Who are the Dictators?" you ask? Perhaps THE NYC band in between the Dolls and the Ramones, who coyly combine subtle smartalec wit with a keen blend of punk and musicianship. Recorded live to two track (and with three bonus live board tapes), the Dictators storm the stage as a means of autocratic control over the hapless masses. Handsome Dick Manitoba has taken full vocal responsibility by 1981 as he belts out "Next Big Thing," "Science Gone Too Far" and "Rock and Roll Made a Man Out of Me" in between some jocose stage banter -- a true frontman in his own element. If the speedy, pre-Manowar guitar leads of Ross the Boss don't singe the hair out of your ear canals, the covers of "Search and Destroy" and Lou Reed's "What Goes On" most certainly will. And while their studio albums are puissant, this live recording of the Dictators is the one true expression of their onerous power -- their unabashed and ultimate rock and roll power. You may need to ask yourself, when was the last time that a group of absolute, onerous rulers gave you the right to rock? All hail the Dictators!
	I N F O
The Dictators New York New York ROIR CD
		Review by Andrew Magilow

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