Dead Boys

There's a brand new Sire Records boxed set that documents that major label's impressive, trend-setting history. And the Dead Boys track "Sonic Reducer" sticks out like a sore thumb on the collection. Butting heads with other nasty-asses like the Saints and the Ramones, the Boys make the case that perhaps no other band skirted chart action with as blistering a punk-rock sound as these Cleveland sons.

So suppress the groans that accompany the increasing amount of new-wave-era reunions, and go give the surviving four Boys a deserved slap on the back. CBGB's recently did as much by making the Dead Boys a two-night centerpiece in its month of benefit events last August. Some bottle-throwing and bitching at the sound guy proved that this bunch has yet to settle down into rocking-chair reminiscing -- they're appreciative, yes, but they still aim to create unease.

Guitarist Cheetah Chrome shoots down speculation about special-guest singers (original mouth Stiv Bators died in 1991) at the band's upcoming show at the Beachland. "No, [it'll be] the usual gang of idiots," he says. "We refuse to break the 'No one replaces Stiv' rule."

This gig is the 30th anniversary of the very first show by Frankenstein (the Dead Boys' first incarnation) at the old Piccadilly Inn. "While new recordings or more shows aren't out of the question, we're just doing things on a whim," Chrome explains. Or as guitarist Jimmy Zero offers, "Cheetah says we should rename ourselves 'Dead Horse.'"