It was around 1971, the New York Dolls were formed in New York City. The band was influenced by vintage rhythm and blues, the early Rolling Stones, classic American girl group songs, and anarchic post-psychedelic bands such as the MC5 and the Stooges, as well as then-current glam rockers such as Marc Bolan. It was hard rock with a self-conscious wit, a celebration of camp and kitsch that retains a menacing, malevolent edge.
Then Glam Rock in the US/UK hit big with bands like T. Rex, Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie), Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, Mud, Queen, Mott the Hoople, Gary Glitter Band, Brian Eno and Suzi Quatro. Then a bunch of Hard Rock bands like Aerosmith, KISS, Starz, Angel, Cheap Trick, Humble Pie, Nazareth, AC/DC were making wavesin the United States known for the harder riffs and big arena rock stage shows.
By 1974-75 kids in America were getting tired of Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Yes, Jethro Tull, and Pink Floyd, and being influenced by their late 60's Garage Rock records (ie. The Standells, The Sonics, The Seeds, The Music Machine, etc.), proto punk bands like MC5, The Stooges, The Flamin' Groovies, The Pink Fairies, and Velvet Underground. The Ramones and The Dictators were one of the first American bands that were leading the Punk flag in the States. Overseas The 101ers, The Clash, Sex Pstols, The Damned, The Buzzcocks, and Generation X were startins a commotion in London clubs. By 1980, Punk filtered into New Wave and started becoming mainstream and was being played on the radio with bands like Blondie, The Pretenders, Adam & the Ants, and Siouxsie & the Banshees.
In 1980-84, a band called Hanoi Rocks came out of Finland, to change the whole world of Rock, and turn it's bloated multi-platinum AOR radio friendly music on it's head. By that time over exposed bands like Foreigner, Loverboy, Journey, Rush, and The Police were ruining US Rock radio with it's safe formula rock. Hanoi Rocks came out at a time when the only exciting musical forms were Hardcore Punk and New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Hanoi Rocks combined the bad boy swagger of the Rolling Stones, the Trashy glam look from New York Dolls and Iggy & The Stooges, the melody and pop hooks from Cheap Trick and Power Pop, and the sneer and aggressive playing style from '77 Punk. They played through out the UK and Europe, and recorded five studio albums, and one live one, until Razzle (their drummer) died in a car crash (by the hands of negligent Vince Neil of Motley Crue) in 1984. Hanoi rocks carried on with Topper Headon (of The Clash) for a year later, but disbanded shortly after.
Other bands that were similar to Hanoi Rocks came out at the same time were UK band Girl (feat. Phil Lewis who went on to LA Guns and Phil Collen of Def Leppard), and Baltimore's KIX. Both bands were very important to TRASH ROCK N' ROLL (of the 80's) and SLEAZE ROCK scenes of now.
