Dead Boys celebrating 40th anniversary with photobook & Cheetah Chrome tour

Cleveland punk legends Dead Boys‘ classic 1977 debut album Young Loud and Snotty turns 40 this year, and there are some celebrations planned for the anniversary. A photobook, Dead Boys 1977: The Lost Photographs of Dave Treat, will come out on September 29. It was edited and designed by Ron Kretsch (Dangerous Minds), and has introductions by both Kretsch and curator Brittany M. Hudak.Here’s the synopsis:

In the mid 1970s, photographer Dave Treat was a friend and neighbor to members of the nascent Cleveland punk rock band the Dead Boys. When they needed press kit pictures, Treat and his camera were at the ready, and together with the band, he captured a series of stunning portraits—not just of a group of musicians, but of engrossing ’70s Rust Belt decay and a major city at the brink of ruin. Soon after the photo shoot, the band pulled up roots to move to New York, added a fifth member, and cut off their hair, so the photos were obsolete for promo purposes, and into the proverbial shoebox they went for almost forty years. The new book DEAD BOYS 1977: THE LOST PHOTOGRAPHS OF DAVE TREAT collects those incredibly rare images (Only one was ever published—in “Rock Scene” magazine, the alley photo that served as the template for the “Young Loud and Snotty” cover), selections from Treat’s series of intimate portraits of singer Stiv Bators, and early live photos of the band in concert, along with new commentary by band members Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz, and essays by art historian Brittany Mariel Hudak and longtime Dangerous Minds culture blogger Ron Kretsch. The book is an astonishing document from the pre-history of one of the most seismically important movements in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, and an absolute must-have for fans of punk’s first wave.

If the photo on the book’s cover (above) looks a little like the artwork for Young Loud and Snotty, here’s why:

Dave Treat explains “After the Dead Boys were signed with Sire Records, the band wanted the photo I shot [the alley shot] to be used as the album cover. They wanted me to reshoot the photo…and they pushed hard for me, but [Sire owner] Seymour Stein had the final say. He decided since I was not a professional photographer, he wanted Glen Brown to shoot it. So he flew Glen out to Cleveland and they went back to the exact location and reshot my photo. How do I feel about that? Actually, it’s great to finally be recognized as the person who created the original concept and photo. As far as Glen, he was hired to do a job and no hard feelings here.”

Photo exhibits are planned for Cleveland, NYC, and LA, with more cities and details TBA. You can see some of Dave Treat’s photos at Dangerous Minds.

Dead Boys member Cheetah Chrome is also going on a ‘Cheetah Chrome’s Dead Boys’ tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary. The full tour hasn’t been announced yet but all known dates are listed below.

UPDATE: Full tour announced (dates on the poster below). Cheetah Chrome and Johnny Blitz are also releasing Still Snotty: Young, Loud & Snotty at 40!, an album of re-recordings of Dead Boys’ debut, on September 8.

They play NYC on September 17 at Bowery Electric (tickets) and Halloween at Lucky 13 Saloon.

Watch the classic concert footage of the Dead Boys at CBGB in 1977: