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."

Imperial Dogs: 'Loud Guitars, Tongue In Cheek Lyrics & Shocking Visuals Deliver First Glimpse Of Punk Rock'

"A blistering hour-long concert ... with this fantastic live set, a frantic mix of loud guitars, tongue in cheek lyrics, and shocking visuals, the Imperial Dogs delivered the first glimpse of punk rock," says John B. Moore, writing about the Imperial Dogs' Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974) DVD -- and conducting an interview with former I-Dogs frontman Don Waller -- here at Blurt Online.

I-Dogs Guitarist Paul Therrio & Iggy Pop: Surfer's Choice!

After repeated viewings of the Imperial Dogs' Live! In Long Beach (October 30, 1974) DVD -- which he pronounces "a corker" -- Waitakere Walks blogmeister Papa Jon draws parallels between I-Dogs guitarist Paul Therrio ("a life long avid surfer") and Iggy Pop's attributing his 1970s revitalization by immersing himself in Our Mother Ocean, illustrating his point by reproducing the DVD booklet's photo of Iggy checking out the Imperial Dogs when they played Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco for the first time on November 11, 1974.

It's worth noting that the skull 'n' crossbones on Paul's chest was simply the product of I-Dogs frontman Don Waller's handiwork with a marking pen -- and they only did this once.)