Fang Mail, Pt. 22

Thought we'd share some more "fang mail" from folks who've actually purchased the Imperial Dogs' Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974) DVD.

"Imagine that about two years before the whole punk-rock thing hit the States, there were only the Stooges, the MC5, and maybe a few other bands around the country that refused to buy into the whole corporate rock/disco scene. Don Waller and a few forward-thinking others in the L.A. area foresaw what either was -- or should be -- about to happen: They formed the Imperial Dogs, the total antithesis of what was dominating the airwaves at the time. The band and Don's subsequent involvement in the Back Door Man magazine and record label were an essential part of changing the musical landscape in L.A," writes former Zippers lead guitarist/vocalist Lewis Cammarata.

"The Zippers (whose drummer Bill Willett joined the band after the Imperial Dogs broke up in 1975) grew out of that scene as did much more hard-core bands such as the Germs, the Circle Jerks, the Angry Samoans, etc. But the Imperial Dogs were the absolute first sonic and visual attack of its kind in SoCal. Their spawn are innumerable. The Imperial Dogs' recently unearthed DVD is absolutely legendary stuff. Miss it at your peril."