The origins of the band can be traced to The Bordello Boys, formed in late 1982 by Tyla (born Timothy Taylor), formerly of Kitsch. An American vocalist who was staying in England at the time, Ned Christie (real name Robert Stoddard), was brought into the project and he gave the band the name, The Dogs D'Amour, and co-wrote many early songs with Tyla. Guitarist Nick Halls, bass guitarist Karl Watson and drummer Bam completed the line-up.
The Dogs D'Amour played around fifty live shows during this era and recorded on two separate sessions, the second set of which was later released on the bootleg 7" EP, Blame It On Us whilst its lead track, Teenage (a cover of Kitsch's Teenager of the Week) was officially released on the 1983 glam-punk compilation, Trash On Delivery. On the strength of these tracks, the band was signed to a record deal with Kumibeat Records from Finland. However, shortly before the band was scheduled to record its first album, problems began to spring up and Christie left the band in late 1983 because of musical differences with guitarist Tyla. He subsequently joined L.A. Guns as guitarist and backing vocalist upon moving back to America and reverting to his real name.
Another reason for the split was that Christie had recently started another band with Bam called On The Wire and had his own recording commitments scheduled with that band, around the same time that the Dogs D'Amour were due to record their own first album. The entire line-up with the exception of Tyla and Watson left the band during this time.
The State We're In: Tyla rebuilds the band -
Tyla took over on lead vocals (while still playing guitar) to replace Ned Christie and recorded the band's first album, The State We're In, in early 1984. Dave Kusworth and Paul Hornby were brought in on guitar and drums respectively. Hornby had been a founding member of another London band, The Quireboys, earlier in the year.
The following year, the band returned from Finland to England and supported Johnny Thunders who was touring for the Que Sera, Sera album at the time. Original Dogs' drummer Bam came back to replace Hornby, and Jo "Dog" Almeida took over from Kusworth on guitar when he left to form Jacobites with Nikki Sudden.
The Dogs D'Amour then signed a contract with a Japanese label Watanabe, but did not release any material with them. More changes came during this period when, bass guitarist Karl Watson left and was replaced by Mark Duncan. However, Duncan's stay in the band was only very brief and he gave way for Swiss bass guitarist Mark Drax for a tour in Paris, France.
The classic era: late 1980s, early 1990s -
A more permanent bass guitarist was recruited by 1987. Steve James was part of what would be known as the "classic" Dogs line-up which also included Tyla, Jo "Dog" Almeida and Bam. This line-up signed a record deal with China Records in 1988.
The band released its second album In The Dynamite Jet Saloon in 1988. Essentially, this is the album which first introduced the British general public to the band. It contained singles such as "The Kid From Kensington", "I Don't Want You To Go" and "How Come It Never Rains?", all of which reached the UK Singles Chart top 100.
Unlike the four year gap between their first and second albums, the Dogs became more prolific, releasing their third studio album A Graveyard of Empty Bottles in 1989. This album proved to be the highest charting recording of their career, reaching #16 on the UK Albums Chart. During this year, the band toured with Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter.
Also in 1989, the Dogs released their fourth album, known as Errol Flynn in the United Kingdom, but King of the Thieves in the United States. Again, this album charted well in the Dogs' home country, reaching #22. It included what is their most successful single, and perhaps best-known song, "Satellite Kid".
Another album appeared in 1990 named Straight??!!, but around this time the Dogs had started to fall apart. Tyla had recently split with his wife and the band imploded, live onstage, in Los Angeles. Tyla slashed his own body with a broken glass bottle and brought an end to the band. He needed 30 stitches for the wound.
With the group disbanded, Bam Bam joined The Wildhearts and Tyla wrote a poetry book. A year later, the Dogs D'Amour reunited with a new line-up. Jo Almeida, however, decided not to return to the band as guitarist and so Darrell Bath of The Crybabys was brought in to replace him. In 1993, the band recorded a new album, ...More Unchartered Heights of Disgrace. It charted well and received favourable reviews. One of the singles from the album was a cover of the Small Faces song "All or Nothing".
By 1994, the Dogs D'Amour had broken up again. The final act of this line-up was the recording of Tyla's solo album The Life And Times Of A Ballad Monger. Although this album was released in the name of Tyla, it includes all of the Dogs D'Amour members from the 1992 line-up.
Activity in the 2000s -
In 2000, The Dogs D'Amour reunited for a short time with a line-up of Tyla, Jo "Dog" Almeida, Bam and Share Pedersen of Vixen (Bam's wife). They released an album Happy Ever After that year, along with a special fan club only release Seconds. Bam and Pederson then left the band and now play in their own act entitled Bubble.
Following the short-lived reunion, frontman Tyla moved to Barcelona, Spain, and focused on his solo career, releasing a number of albums in the 2000s under his own name. He also released two albums under the name The Dogs D'Amour, When Bastards Go To Hell and Let Sleeping Dogs..., in 2004 and 2005 respectively, along with the live album Unleashed. These, however, are essentially solo albums under a different title, as for the most part they just feature Tyla playing all instruments and his then-wife Yella on backing vocals with none of the past Dogs D'Amour members except for a guest guitar solo from Darrell Bath on When Bastards Go To Hell's title track.
Tyla toured the United States and the United Kingdom under the name Tyla & the Dogs and released the album Bloody Hell Fire under this moniker. The United Kingdom tour saw The Yo-Yo's (the band of Danny McCormack of The Wildhearts) as his backing band. In April 2011, Tyla released In the Dynamite Jet Saloon MMX.
In November 2012, The Dogs D'Amour show in the classic, original line-up was announced in London's Borderline club on 22 February 2013 to help raising funds for their long-time friend, and also former drummer of the band, Paul Hornby. After a quick sell out they added another show in Borderline on 23 February along with some other dates in UK and Spain. Shortly after the 2013 reunion, Tyla put out a statement declaring he would not be appearing again under the name Dogs Dβamour.
In 2018, Tyla formed a new version of the band minus Jo Dog, Steve James and Bam, calling it "Tyla's Dogs D'amour." The line-up has since released several studio and live albums under this moniker.
Medicine Man
The Dogs D'Amour Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your magic necklace 'round your throat of lies
You're a desperado in this guy
Give me a reason not to cry
They take your land, they're gonna break you inside
They're gonna break you inside
You must be the medicine man
My little medicine man
You must be the medicine man
An I can see you doin' all you can
My little medicine man
Your good is evil turned inside out
Your heart's on fire but I got no doubts
IΒ΄m gonna work it out
As the sun goes down an the desert dies
An a nation weeps but it's me who cries
At all those fuckin' lies
You must be the medicine man
An I can see you doin' all you can
My little medicine man
You must be the medicine man
An I can see you doin' all you can
My little medicine man
They put your man in chains then they take your wife
An they send your kids to some other tribe
But you take 'em back an it all goes round
Like a never ended story left to be found
At the wounded knee on a wounded horse
And the tribes that died for no bloody cause
What was it for
Medicine man
The Dogs D'Amour's song "Medicine Man" talks about the struggles of the Native Americans in the United States. The song paints a vivid picture of the injustice and pain that the Native Americans had to endure at the hands of the white settlers. The opening lines of the song "I can see it in your cat green eyes, Your magic necklace 'round your throat of lies" describe the Native Americans' cultural and spiritual identity that made them unique, but ultimately their beliefs were disregarded and replaced by the beliefs of the settlers. The lyrics "Your good is evil turned inside out, Your heart's on fire but I got no doubts, I'm gonna work it out" speak to the innate goodness of the Native Americans in contrast to the settlers who were inherently evil.
The chorus of the song "You must be the medicine man, An I can see you doin' all you can, My little medicine man" acknowledges and appreciates the role of the medicine man in Native American culture, who was the spiritual and cultural leader of the tribe. The lines "They put your man in chains then they take your wife, An they send your kids to some other tribe, But you take 'em back an it all goes round" highlight the atrocities committed against the Native Americans, as they were forcibly separated from their families and tribes.
Overall, "Medicine Man" is a poignant reminder of the injustices committed against the Native Americans in the United States, and the resilience of their culture and traditions despite centuries of systematic oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
I can see it in your cat green eyes
The singer can tell from the person's green eyes that they possess some sort of magical power.
Your magic necklace 'round your throat of lies
The person wears a necklace that represents deceit and mistrust.
You're a desperado in this guy
The person feels like they are running out of options and are fighting for their survival.
Give me a reason not to cry
The artist is upset and needs the person to provide some sort of comfort or explanation to ease their emotions.
They take your land, they're gonna break you inside
The person's land has been taken away from them, causing them to feel defeated and hopeless.
You must be the medicine man
The singer assumes that the person has the power to heal and help them through their struggles.
An I can see you doin' all you can
The singer recognizes the person's efforts and hard work to assist them.
My little medicine man
The artist affectionately refers to the person as their 'medicine man' for their ability to provide guidance and support.
Your good is evil turned inside out
The person has good intentions, but their actions have negative consequences and may backfire.
Your heart's on fire but I got no doubts
The person feels passionately about the situation and is determined to make a change, and the artist believes in their conviction.
I'm gonna work it out
The singer promises to work towards fixing the situation with the person's help.
As the sun goes down and the desert dies
The imagery of the sun setting in a barren desert symbolizes the end of something and the hardship and struggle that comes with it.
And a nation weeps but it's me who cries
The singer feels deeply affected by their nation's suffering and feels responsible to make a change.
At all those fuckin' lies
The singer emphasizes their anger and frustration at the dishonesty in the situation.
They put your man in chains then they take your wife
The person has experienced great loss and pain, such as having loved ones taken away from them as a result of someone else's actions.
And they send your kids to some other tribe
The person's children are sent elsewhere, tearing apart their family and heritage.
But you take 'em back and it all goes round
Despite setbacks, the person continues to fight for what they believe in and take action to regain what was lost.
Like a never ended story left to be found
The sense of endless struggle and unresolved conflict is represented by the idea of a never-ending story left unfinished.
At the wounded knee on a wounded horse
The reference to Wounded Knee represents the historical struggles and mistreatment of Indigenous people in America.
And the tribes that died for no bloody cause
The artist acknowledges the loss and pain that Indigenous tribes have endured without justification.
What was it for
The artist questions the reason for the pain and suffering that has been inflicted on Indigenous people, highlighting the senselessness of it all.
Contributed by Samantha L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.