Slaughter and The Dogs - Do It Dog Style (Decca 1978) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

Formed during the initial onslaught of U.K. punk in 1976, Manchester's Slaughter and the Dogs were the first group to release a single (the overlooked classic "Cranked Up Really High") on trailblazing hometown independent label Rabid Records. The group's line-up consisted of vocalist Wayne Barrett, guitarist Mick Rossi, bassist Howard Bates, and drummer Mad Muffet. Gigs at the noted London punk mecca the Roxy Club led to the band's inclusion in filmmaker Don Letts' documentary of that scene, and they eventually received a contract from Decca Records. Further top-notch singles followed in "Where Have All the Boot boys Gone" and "Dame to Blame" and they recorded their debut album, Do It Dog Style, in 1978. However, disagreements with Decca and the departure of vocalist Barrett, a key to the group's sound, combined to sabotage a promising career. Steve Huey, allmusic

Vocalist Wayne Barrett and guitarist Mick Rossi named their band after the two albums they treasured most: David Bowie's Diamond Dogs, and Mick Ronson's Slaughter on 10th Avenue. Both choices summarize this album's light-shade approach. The opening salvo of "Where Have All the Boot Boys Gone?" sounds as hair-raising as ever and rightly remains the band's best-known song, having been credited with inspiring the Oi! punk movement. At heart, though, the Dogs revealed themselves as waggish punk-poppers on "Quick Joey Small" a celebration of criminal bravado, and "You're a Bore," whose outro soars into impossibly pure ear candy. The band proves agreeably diverse on the slower, janglier "Since You Went Away," and a remake of the Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man," which crackles with an impatience befitting its addiction-by-attrition theme. Still other tracks, such as "Victims of the Vampire," display a goonish sensibility better suited to a Ramones album. So does the bonus track "Johnny T," whose 90 seconds of power-pub boogie salute the late, combustive New York Dolls guitarist Johnny Thunders. For all its promise, however, the band ended up among punk's here-and-gone stories. A more consistent song writing approach might have lengthened the Dogs' run, though their lack of airs ensured a winning team for a time. Any band cited by the disparate likes of New Order, the Stone Roses and Smiths front man Morrissey surely deserves another look. Ralph Heibutzki, allmusic.

Track listing:

01. Where Have All The Boot Boys Gone
02. Victims of the Vampire
03. Boston Babies
04. I’m Waiting For The Man
05. I’m Mad
06. Quick Joey Small

07. You’re A Bore
08. Keep On Trying
09. We Don’t Care
10. Since You Went Away
11. Who Are The Mystery Girls
12. Dame To Blame

Bonus Tracks:

13. Johnny T
b-side of ‘Dame To Blame’ Decca F 13743 (1977)
14. Cranked Up Really High
15. The Bitch
Rabid Records TOSH 101 (1977)

Personnel:

Wayne Barrett, vocals
Mike Rossi, guitar
Zip Bates, bass
Mad Muffet, drums
Mick Ronson appears on ‘Quick Joey Small’ and
‘Who Are The Mystery Girls’
1-13 Produced by Nick Tauber
Recorded at Decca Studios.