Biography
Kim Fowley assembled Venus & the Razor Blades in 1976 as one of Los Angeles's earliest punk outfits. The producer, manager, songwriter, and vocalist previously responsible for acts ranging from the Hollywood Argyles and their hit "Alley Oop" to the all-girl hard rock and metal group The Runaways recruited the short-lived, predominantly female band after holding extensive auditions. Iggy Pop and The New York Dolls ranked among the primary influences on the group's sound, whose strongest material balanced playful humor with trashy decadence. The lineup that emerged included guitarist and singer Steven T., rhythm guitarist Roni Lee, bassist Danielle Faye (formerly of the L.A. band Atomic Kid), drummer Nickey Beat (later succeeded by Kyle Raven), and vocalists Dyan Diamond alongside Vicki Arnold, known professionally as Vicki Razor Blade. At the time of hiring, Arnold was seventeen while Diamond was fourteen, although the latter's gritty, powerful delivery evoked a performer already in her early twenties. Fowley handled production and co-writing duties on several singles for the band, among them "I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are" and "Punk-A-Rama" released on Bomp plus "Dog Food" issued on Spark. Although these releases failed to achieve widespread commercial success, Venus & the Razor Blades cultivated a modest underground cult following before disbanding in 1977. The following year Diamond launched a solo career, with Fowley producing her strong yet overlooked album In The Dark for MCA. Also in 1978 Fowley compiled the Venus & the Razor Blades anthology Songs from the Sunshine Jungle for the Visa label.
Albums
