Boston has a storied reputation for producing great garage bands. From the Remains to the Real Kids and Lyres, the tradition continues on with new bands, inspired by their predecessors, creating future classics which in turn inspire the next generation and keep audiences happy. The Voodoo Dolls, arriving on the scene in the late eighties, fit perfectly into this lineage, and with nary a blink, followed the tradition. Formed around Evan Shore (now Muck and the Mires) and Cam Ackland (Prime Movers) the band specialized in short, snappy, garage-inspired songs with a strong sense of melody and heavy dose of guitars.
Not For Sale, their debut album, was released in early 1993 after three successful singles and a few compilation tracks. Having played together for several years, they had developed a very strong live sound which translated quite nicely to vinyl. They blast their way through twelve originals and a couple covers “(1-2-5,” and “Just Like Romeo and Juliet”) on this lp which comprised the best of their live shows at the time. And speaking of live, “1-2-5” and “I Ran Out of Luck” (as well as most of the cd’s bonus tracks) were recorded live on wmbr’s Pipeline show, and end this album as they might have ended a set on any given Saturday night.