In spurts and fits across several decades, The Dogs put out a fun, dirty mix of punk/garage rock (long before the punk genre even had a name) stripped of all pretense and superfluous sheen true to their Michigan roots.
Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s the trio played with a slew of like-minded bands from across the globe, sharing tours with AC/DC, Kiss, the Ramones, and Van Halen, among others, yet they never really managed to snag the much-deserved recognition that many of their fellow tour-mates earned. The folks at Rum Bar Records have pulled together an impressive 24-song retrospective of the trio, corralling tracks from their two albums as well as various singles and live tracks.
The result, Unleashed, is a brilliant capture of the band’s legacy. Songs like “Sleaze City,” recorded live, the fuzzed out “I Got Nothing,” and “John Rock And Roll Sinclair,” give a remarkable look at how a band can have great songs and still not get the attention they deserve. There are few covers thrown in here as well, like their remarkable take on Eddie And The Hot Rods’ “Do Anything U Wanna Do.”
Still performing occasionally, Unleashed is the perfect argument for including the Dogs on any and every list of Michigan greats alongside The Stooges, the MC5s and Alice Cooper.
