D.F.F.D.

Though The Dictators were one of the best bands of the '70s, they were known only to those who were up on their rock 'n' roll history. The 2001 set D.F.F.D. ("Dictators Forever, Forever Dictators") was The Dictators' first studio album in 23 years, since 1978's excellent Bloodbrothers. And it's quite possibly their best album. The years apart only let them hone their skills even further, with Handsome Dick Manitoba becoming a formidable singer; he was always a formidable presence. "Who Will Save Rock and Roll?" is the band's declaration of war, with songs like the Ramones-like "Pussy and Money" and the seething "Avenue A" channeling rage with a ferocity that only true New Yorkers—who now battle gentrification the way they used to battle poverty—can muster. Ross "The Boss" Friedman is a transcendent guitarist, and Andy Shernoff is a songwriter who knows how to balance the hilarious with the poignant, the trivial with the essential and come out with songs that sound like they've been around since the dawn of time.