The Dictators

A band who epitomized punk before punk rock became a musical or cultural phenomenon, the Dictators embraced the joys of junk culture – professional wrestling, greasy hamburgers, late night television, fast cars, and cheap beer – along with big guitars and roaring music that was unapologetically simple and straightforward. What was most surprising was that they were doing this in 1973, before the Ramones could give punk its aural template, and their debut album, 1975's The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!, appeared two months before the first Ramones LP. Initially, their sound had more...