Imperial Dogs: 'Precursors To The Punk Explosion'

"Spreading the gospel of the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, '60s garage bands, the best '60s British groups (the Kinks, the Yardbirds) and the spirit of real rock 'n' roll -- hard, mean, with attitude to spare and a sense of humor to boot -- the Imperial Dogs had their own very original sound, wrote great songs, and were excellent musicians," says James "The Hound" Marshall, writing here at his always astonishing thehoundblog, a must-bookmark site for any true fan of rock when it still rolled.

After viewing the Imperial Dogs' Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974) DVD, Marshall -- a longtime (former) WFMU DJ, journalist, world-class record collector, and veteran NYC rock scenester -- ranks the Imperial Dogs alongside the Droogs, Rocket From The Tombs, and rock journo Nick Kent as those who helped lay the groundwork for punk-rock as we now know it, adding, "Had the Imperial Dogs stayed together for another year or two, they might've changed the course of L.A. punk for the better."