The Laughing Dogs
Encyclopedia
The Laughing Dogs first became popular in the New York underground music scene at CBGB
's and went on to release two critically acclaimed albums on Columbia Records, The Laughing Dogs and The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers, and several indie CDs. The two Columbia albums were reissued on American Beat Records in 2009 through Collectors Choice. They toured extensively with the Patti Smith
Group, Cheap Trick, and Blondie. Their singles, "Get 'im Outta Town", "Reason for Love", and "Johnny Contender" were in the Billboard picks. The Laughing Dogs evolved from previous bands Mud In Your Eye, The Spencers, Ruben Fox, and Foxtrot. Foxtrot was the band behind Rupert Holmes on the album Rupert Holmes.http://www.xnet2.com/sknoof/html/19990822lafndogs.html Their sound combines rock, power pop, and punk, with emphasis on catchy melodies, harmonies, and humor. "By borrowing from the past, the Dogs created a timeless sound that was as exciting as the explosive punk scene, but was also completely different. This was power pop with a raw edge, yet very commercial. . . . " - Stephen SPAZ Schnee, Allmusic http://www.mp3.com/albums/35263/summary.html
James Leonard (a.k.a. Jimmi Accardi) - guitar, vocals
Carter Cathcart (a.k.a. James Carter Cathcart) - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Paul Reed (a.k.a. Skip Reed) - drums
Moe Potts (a.k.a. Mark Potocsky) - drums
The Laughing Dogs were the band that played behind the voices of Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones of The Monkees
on the group's 1977 Reunion Tour with Coco Dolenz, Micky's sister. Band members for the tour were James Leonard, Ronny Carle, Carter Cathcart and Skip Reed. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/3152/djbh.html&date=2009-10-25+10:59:51 They also played at Boston popular club The Rat http://www.bostongroupienews.com/GigList.htm, The Bottom Line http://www.bottomlinecabaret.com/tline_79.html, My Father's Place, and colleges http://www.rso.cornell.edu/ccc/pastShows.php. For some of their shows, the opening act was satire/comedy band The Kojacks.http://www.bottomlinecabaret.com/tline_79.html. They played at The Village Underground, New York City, June 24, 2008.
This debut LP was produced by Bruce Botnick. The cover art, featuring a familiar stoop in Brooklyn, was originally designed for Wicked Lester
(a precursor to Kiss
).http://www.californiaalbums.com/hm.htm The song "I Need A Million" from this album was later performed by Nick Cave
.http://home.claranet.nl/users/maes/cave/songs/songscov.html
The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=16017&aid=36122#review - This is the second Columbia Records album.
Live at CBGB's: The Home of Underground Rock http://www.discogs.com/release/923502 - The Laughing Dogs have two songs on this famous 1976 compilation, which was later released as a CD on Atlantic Records. Other artists on the record are The Miamis, Tuff Darts
, Mink DeVille
, Robert Gordon
, The Shirts, Manster, Sun, and Stuart's Hammer.
Punky But Chic . . . The American New Wave Scene - Sony. The Laughing Dogs song "Get 'Im Outta Town" is featured on this compilation album along with David Johansen, The Beat, The Bangles, Wire Train, Romeo Void, The Waitresses, The Knack, The Dictators, and The Romantics.
The Long Lost Night - Laughing Bear Records
Great Italian Love Songs of the '50s - Molehill
Hidden Bones - Molehill
When Do We Eat? - Molehill
The Laughing Dogs / The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers - Sony http://www.ccmusic.com/item.cfm?itemID=ABR270212
The Laughing Dogs Live at The Village Underground (DVD) - Molehill http://www.thelaughingdogs.com/dvds.html
External Links
• CBGB's Bands
• Photos with Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz
• The Laughing Dogs
• Molehill
• YouTube
• Last.fm
CBGB
CBGB was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City.Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and New Wave bands like Ramones, Misfits, Television, the...
's and went on to release two critically acclaimed albums on Columbia Records, The Laughing Dogs and The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers, and several indie CDs. The two Columbia albums were reissued on American Beat Records in 2009 through Collectors Choice. They toured extensively with the Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
Group, Cheap Trick, and Blondie. Their singles, "Get 'im Outta Town", "Reason for Love", and "Johnny Contender" were in the Billboard picks. The Laughing Dogs evolved from previous bands Mud In Your Eye, The Spencers, Ruben Fox, and Foxtrot. Foxtrot was the band behind Rupert Holmes on the album Rupert Holmes.http://www.xnet2.com/sknoof/html/19990822lafndogs.html Their sound combines rock, power pop, and punk, with emphasis on catchy melodies, harmonies, and humor. "By borrowing from the past, the Dogs created a timeless sound that was as exciting as the explosive punk scene, but was also completely different. This was power pop with a raw edge, yet very commercial. . . . " - Stephen SPAZ Schnee, Allmusic http://www.mp3.com/albums/35263/summary.html
Band members
Ronny Carle (a.k.a. Ronny Altaville) - bass, harmonica, vocalsJames Leonard (a.k.a. Jimmi Accardi) - guitar, vocals
Carter Cathcart (a.k.a. James Carter Cathcart) - guitar, keyboards, vocals
Paul Reed (a.k.a. Skip Reed) - drums
Moe Potts (a.k.a. Mark Potocsky) - drums
Concerts
The band first came out with their original music at CBGB's. "The Laughing Dogs were another band of good song writers, but they were also excellent musicians . . ." - Hilly Kristal http://www.cbgb.org/history/history30.htmlThe Laughing Dogs were the band that played behind the voices of Mickey Dolenz and Davy Jones of The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
on the group's 1977 Reunion Tour with Coco Dolenz, Micky's sister. Band members for the tour were James Leonard, Ronny Carle, Carter Cathcart and Skip Reed. http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Towers/3152/djbh.html&date=2009-10-25+10:59:51 They also played at Boston popular club The Rat http://www.bostongroupienews.com/GigList.htm, The Bottom Line http://www.bottomlinecabaret.com/tline_79.html, My Father's Place, and colleges http://www.rso.cornell.edu/ccc/pastShows.php. For some of their shows, the opening act was satire/comedy band The Kojacks.http://www.bottomlinecabaret.com/tline_79.html. They played at The Village Underground, New York City, June 24, 2008.
Discography
The Laughing Dogs - Columbia Records http://www.mp3.com/albums/35263/summary.html -This debut LP was produced by Bruce Botnick. The cover art, featuring a familiar stoop in Brooklyn, was originally designed for Wicked Lester
Wicked Lester
Wicked Lester was the name of the New York-based rock and roll group that would eventually come to be known as Kiss. The band, under its original name, Rainbow, formed in 1970. The most notable original members were bassist Gene Klein, , and rhythm guitarist Stanley Eisen. The two would later be...
(a precursor to Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
).http://www.californiaalbums.com/hm.htm The song "I Need A Million" from this album was later performed by Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
.http://home.claranet.nl/users/maes/cave/songs/songscov.html
The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/discography/index.jsp?pid=16017&aid=36122#review - This is the second Columbia Records album.
Live at CBGB's: The Home of Underground Rock http://www.discogs.com/release/923502 - The Laughing Dogs have two songs on this famous 1976 compilation, which was later released as a CD on Atlantic Records. Other artists on the record are The Miamis, Tuff Darts
Tuff Darts
Tuff Darts is an American punk rock band. They were one of the first bands to establish an audience at CBGB. They reached their greatest fame in the mid-late 1970s with such songs as "Slash", " Nuclear Waste" and their biggest hit single, "All For The Love of Rock and Roll." The band appeared at...
, Mink DeVille
Mink DeVille
Mink DeVille was a rock band known for its association with early punk rock bands at New York’s CBGB nightclub and for being a showcase for the music of Willy DeVille. The band recorded six albums in the years 1977 to 1985. Except for frontman Willy DeVille, the original members of the band played...
, Robert Gordon
Robert Gordon
Robert Gordon , a 17th century merchant and philanthropist, was born in Aberdeen. He was the only son of Arthur Gordon who married Isabella Menzies of Balgownie...
, The Shirts, Manster, Sun, and Stuart's Hammer.
Punky But Chic . . . The American New Wave Scene - Sony. The Laughing Dogs song "Get 'Im Outta Town" is featured on this compilation album along with David Johansen, The Beat, The Bangles, Wire Train, Romeo Void, The Waitresses, The Knack, The Dictators, and The Romantics.
The Long Lost Night - Laughing Bear Records
Great Italian Love Songs of the '50s - Molehill
Hidden Bones - Molehill
When Do We Eat? - Molehill
The Laughing Dogs / The Laughing Dogs Meet Their Makers - Sony http://www.ccmusic.com/item.cfm?itemID=ABR270212
The Laughing Dogs Live at The Village Underground (DVD) - Molehill http://www.thelaughingdogs.com/dvds.html
External Links
• CBGB's Bands
• Photos with Davy Jones and Mickey Dolenz
• The Laughing Dogs
• Molehill
• YouTube
• Last.fm