The Dogs D'amour are still sippin' whiskey at the Dynamite Jet Saloon (without paying of course). Eventhough the band has been buried at the graveyard of empty bottles for quite some time, their spirit still lives among bulletproof poets, drunks and other outcasts of this empty world. The Dogs were the greatest balladeers the world has ever seen or heard. Frontman and songwriter Tyla managed to reproduce his experiences from the gutter with passion and poise. Life do look different through a bottle and no one could swing it as well as the Dogs D'amour.

The Dogs D'amour were a very influential band. Many of today's glam/sleaze/ punk bands grow up listening to Tyla drowning in disillusion. Nick Barolo, one of the more enthusiastic fans, decided to compile a tributealbum to the Dogs. Here we are, more than a year later, with a collection of great covers on Dogs D'amour all wrapped up in a beautiful package.

"BulletProof Poems" contains three Swedish and four Finnish bands. It is remarkable that there are so many Finnish bands on the tribute but Dogs D'amour were very popular in Finland. Maybe it was because that's where they recorded their first album? Maybe it is because sleazy trash rock in general is very strong in Finland? Anyway, tributealbums always make me wonder; what makes up a good coversong? Some say it is all about recreating the original version but I think the opposite. A good cover manages to add a personal dimension, it's an opportunity to show how one interpret the song in particular and rock n roll in general. Most of the bands on "Bulletproof Poems" have been successful from my point of view. The Jackals - "Gold", Jeff Dahl -  "Errol Flynn", Neil Leyton - "Hate Pain", Hundred million Martians-  "How do you fall in love again?" and American Heartbreak - "Empty World"; are the best.

The songs chosen are a bit odd. Many of my favorite Dogs D'amour weren't picked - "Heartbreak Wine", "Drunk like me", "Trail of Tears", "Victim's of Success"... Probably, bands have gone for personal favorites rather than the hits. All in all, this is a very good monument over Dogs D'amour, a fine introduction to the kids from Kensington AND an never-ending cuff in the Dynamite Jet Saloon.

Order "Bulletproof Poems" from Desert Inn Records
send $ 12.00 (Europe) or $ 13.00 (U.S.A)
to: Desert Inn Records, Via Dotti 49, 31100 Treviso, Italy.
It's limited to 1000 copies so you'd better hurry

by Andreas Persson