By now, you’ve likely heard the tragic news that legendary guitarist Ross the Boss has been diagnosed with ALS. This would be a heartbreaking thing to happen to anybody, but hits very hard when one considers just how larger than life Ross is. For over half a century, this Bronx boy done good singlehandedly revolutionized metal and punk as we know it, so much so that it’s hard to imagine where this music would be today without him. And while a Manowar Top 10 is simply inevitable, we figured the best way to pay tribute to this trailblazer is by paying homage to the band who started it all for Ross, and arguably the New York punk scene altogether, The Dictators. With their unique blend of irreverent lyricism, hard rock riffage, power pop hooks, and malt shop nostalgia, The Dictators carved their own unique place in rock history: One that still mystifies many to this day. At times they teetered on the edge of self-parody, but did so in a way that if you laughed too hard, you’d end up with a black eye. Thankfully, this list will leave you physically unscathed. Morally speaking, that’s another story. Without further ado, here are our Top 10 Dictators Songs.
10. “Science Has Gone Too Far” (Manifest Destiny, 1977)
Last night, ahead of making this list, I revisited 1977’s Manifest Destiny, which admittedly I hadn’t listened to from front to back in at least a decade. I just remember it lacking the punch and cohesion of Go Girl Crazy! (1975) and Bloodbrothers (1978). A decade later, and this still rings true. Whereas Go Girl Crazy! is a bonafide masterclass in early American punk, Manifest Destiny sees The Dictators toning things down, attempting a more power pop direction, but failing to reach the same creative heights as say Cheap Trick or Big Star. There are, however, some gems, like “Science Has Gone Too Far”, which sounds like Blue Öyster Cult gone punk. Ironically, it was BÖC svengali Sandy Pearlman who was calling the shots at this time, both managing The Dictators and producing this here album.
9. “California Sun” (Go Girl Crazy!, 1975)
As much as I hesitate to put a cover song on a Top 10 celebrating a band’s oeuvre, there are some cases in which a cover is so iconic, memorable, and flat-out great, that it can’t be avoided. The Dictators’ rendition of “California Sun” is one such example. This early ’60s surf rock ode to girls, dancing, and summer encapsulates The Dictators’ entire philosophy in one 3 minute blast of brainless nostalgia. While the song has been covered countless times, even tackled by fellow New York punks Ramones a couple years later, it’s The Dictators’ rendition that truly encapsulates this classic’s youthful, hedonistic spirit, bridging the gap between the garage and surf rock of the ’60s and punk explosion of the ’70s.
8. “Disease” (Manifest Destiny, 1977)
As I said a couple entries ago, Manifest Destiny was not without its highlights, the brightest of the bunch ironically being the darkest song on the album, “Disease”. What can best be described as The Dictators trying their hands at a macabre metal epic in the vein of Alice Cooper, “Disease” gives us a horrifying glimpse into what happens when the band’s carefree ways go too far. Though the lyrics are purely fictitious, wild frontman Handsome Dick Manitoba puts the fear of God (or rather Yahweh) into the listeners, chronicling the tale of a sailor who spent the night with the wrong broad, only to wake up in the morning, you guessed it, “diseased”. The lyrics should speak for themselves at this point, but if you must, click play and make sure no coworkers are in sight.
7. “Slow Death” (Bloodbrothers, 1978)
While Go Girl Crazy! is the most famous Dictators album, it’s 1978’s Bloodbrothers that remains their finest hour. Song for song, there isn’t a dull moment to be found on this sucker, and it’s proof positive that “Third time’s the charm”, especially coming off the heels of a sophomore slump. Ironically, the aptly titled “Slow Death” would close out both the album and the band’s initial run. While “Slow Death” is a ’70s punk rocker in spirit, we hear Ross the Boss’s guitarwork, both riffs and leads, growing more metallic in nature, not just on this cut, but the entire album. It’s no wonder his next two endeavors, Shakin’ Street and Manowar, were purely metallic in nature. Talk about foreshadowing greatness!
6. “Back to Africa” (Go Girl Crazy!, 1975)
Before the days of trolls, ragebait, and the concept of political correctness, The Dictators rocked and rolled with tongues planted firmly in their cheeks. Yes, even in the simpler times of the ’70s, a song titled “Back to Africa” turned many a heads, and while the lyrical content is not as abhorrent as you’d imagine, it isn’t exactly family friendly fare either. It’s a love story, told as only The Dictators could tell it: Dirty Jewish boy goes to Africa, falls in love with native girl, and takes native girl back home to America, only for dirty Jewish boy to want to go “Back to Africa”, as he hasn’t just fallen for the girl, but the very land she came from. Handsome Dick even muses, “Sometimes I wish I were black”. Well Dick, with that ‘fro, you sure could’ve passed as a light-skin!
5. “(I Live For) Cars and Girls” (Go Girl Crazy!, 1975)
Although the age of Woodstock had long since passed, the general mantra amongst the youth of the ’70s was “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” As The Dictators themselves weren’t far from that age, or largely right there, they figured by singing songs with the mentality of a hormonal 16 year old boy, they’d stay young forever. I mean, how much more straightforward can one get than a song titled “(I Live For) Cars and Girls”? When perusing the comment section of this classic, someone branded The Dictators as “the Jewish punk Beach Boys”, and honestly…yeah, that checks out. Only this cheeky rocker eclipses the better part of Brian Wilson’s canon. I said what I said.
4. “Stay with Me” (Bloodbrothers, 1978)
So why is Bloodbrothers the best Dictators album? Simply put, everything is done better on this album than before. The writing is stronger, the musical attack is fiercer, the production is more intense, and even when they do go the power pop route, it’s a hell of a lot more effective than on Manifest Destiny. Take for example “Stay with Me”. Whereas the pop rockers on Manifest Destiny simply fell short, “Stay with Me” goes toe to toe with any cut off the first 4 Cheap Trick albums. It’s an infectiously sugary yet hyper-distorted ball of metallic power pop brilliance: A song that most bands of the era would sell their souls to write, especially within the CBGB’s scene.
3. “Master Race Rock” (Go Girl Crazy!, 1975)
Did you think “Back to Africa” was tasteless and problematic? Think again. If that deranged love story didn’t catch the attention of the record-buying public, then “Master Race Rock” certainly did. Of course, like everything The Dictators ever did, there is an ironic twist to this classic punk bruiser. No, Virginia, The Dictators were NOT the original Nazi punk band, far from it. Here we had a band of out and proud New York Jews, spitting in the face of their oppressors and rebranding themselves as the true master race, style and grace not included. Think of it as the rock n’ roll equivalent of Mel Brooks, comedic genius and WWII veteran, lampooning the very regime whom murdered his people and whom he fought against with his 1967 tour de force, The Producers. Irony, when executed right, is an incredible thing.
2. “Faster and Louder” (Bloodbrothers, 1978)
If Manifest Destiny was slower and quieter than Go Girl Crazy!, then Bloodbrothers had to be “Faster and Louder”, literally! This opening speedster off the band’s ’78 magnum opus is about as close to unadulterated metal as they got, with Ross the Boss unleashing a violent barrage of riffs and drummer Richie Teeter bashing the daylights out of his kit. As I said earlier about “Slow Death”, think of it as a precursor to Ross’s “Metal Daze” come the ’80s. Fun fact: This song features not one, but TWO bosses, as friend and supporter of the band, Bruce Springsteen, makes a cameo to shout, “1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4!” Too bad Mr. “Born in the USA” never rocked as hard as this!
- “The Minnesota Strip” (Bloodbrothers, 1978)
Besides pioneering punk as a scene and fusing humor with kickass rock n’ roll, if there’s one thing The Dictators will forever be remembered for, it’s embodying the old New York at its absolute sleaziest, filthiest, and illicit. And no song in their canon is sleazier, filthier, or more illicit than “The Minnesota Strip”. You thought Aerosmith were dirty? Think again. On “The Minnesota Strip”, Handsome Dick muses over a forbidden part of town, in which young girls (largely midwestern runaways, hence the title) sell their *ahem* goods to eager customers on a Friday night. All this, set to perhaps the greatest riff of Ross the Boss’ career.
Speaking of that riff, if it sounds familiar, you’re not going crazy. Danzig’s “Snakes of Christ” features a nearly identical riff, as does Stone Temple Pilots’ “Sex Type Thing”. Ross acknowledged this in our 2022 interview with him. And when I asked Danzig guitarist John Christ to his face about this, um, coincidence, let’s just say the response was not the friendliest…which leads me to believe Ross is right. I mean, shit, what rock n’ roll band of the past 50 years HASN’T been influenced by The Dictators, whether it be knowingly or not? On that note, we hail Ross the Boss, as he faces his toughest battle yet. We hail “The Minnesota Strip”, the greatest Dictators song ever recorded. And we hail The Dictators: The true poster boys of the master race.
One more reason why ROSS THE BOSS rules!