NEW YORK DOLLS Night Of The Living Dolls (Mercury)

If you think Motley Crue are “outrageous,” you should’ve see the New York Dolls make their national TV debut on Midnight Special in 1974. What’s more, it now seems evident in retrospect that, unlike the Crue, the Dolls were probably one of the 10 greatest real rock ’n’ roll bands in the history of the world. 'Course, only time I saw them live, half the audience walked out, which again goes to show how the best often ain’t appreciated in their own time. The band’s two LPs are currently out-of-print in the U.S., but this anthology presents nine tracks, plus an unreleased cover of “Give Her(Him) A Great Big Kiss,” which pales beside the Shangri-Las’ original (but what wouldn’t?). My only complaint is the exclusion of some favorite tracks like “Bad Girl,” “Don’t Start Me Talkin’” and “Frankenstein.” It probably wouldn’t hurt to re-release both LPs. Great, great, great stuff —and proof positive that the ’70s weren’t a total waste.