Artist
Richard Hell & the Voidoids
New York City, United States • 1976 – 1983
Richard Hell & the Voidoids is a music group from New York City, United States, active 1976–1983. Their discography on Gatefold includes 4 records.
4
Albums tracked
48
In collections
1976
Since
Biography
Richard Hell and the Voidoids (A.K.A. The Voidoids) were an American punk band from the first wave of punk rock, fronted by Richard Hell (born Richard Meyers), a former member of The Neon Boys, Television and The Heartbreakers. Formed in New York City, at various times the band included influential guitarist Robert Quine, Ivan Julian, Naux Maciel, former Contortions and The Raybeats guitarist Jody Harris, Golden Palominos leader Anton Fier, and future Ramones member Marc Bell (Marky Ramone).
The Arc of Richard Hell & the Voidoids
The pivots — what forced Richard Hell & the Voidoids to reinvent.
The Electric Lady Dissonance
When Hell entered Electric Lady in 1977 to record Blank Generation, he wasn't looking for the polish the studio was known for. Robert Quine brought a record collector’s obsession with Lou Reed and Albert Ayler into the sessions, creating a twin-guitar attack with Ivan Julian that sounded like a serrated knife. You hear this in the title track’s solo, where the guitars seem to be fighting the rhythm section rather than following it. This was the moment the aesthetic of the Lower East Side moved from a look to a high-wire musical act.
The Destiny Street Stall
Five years of lineup shifts and heavy habits led to the 1982 sessions for Destiny Street, which sounded like a band losing its grip on the thread. Robert Quine was openly miserable during the process, and the clean, almost power-pop production choices clashed with Hell’s ragged vocal delivery. It lacks the cohesive grime of the debut, though Quine’s solo on the Kinks cover 'You Gotta Move' still shreds through the haze. Hell eventually spent years trying to remix and rerecord this era because he knew the original tapes didn't capture the bite of the songs.
Influences
- The Velvet Underground — Robert Quine famously recorded dozens of the band's live shows on a handheld cassette player, obsessing over Lou Reed’s erratic lead style. You hear that exact feedback-heavy, non-linear phrasing all over the guitar breaks in 'Betrayal Takes Two.' It’s the sound of art-school nerves turned into pure electricity.
- Albert Ayler — Quine and Hell were obsessed with the free jazz movement, specifically Ayler’s willingness to let a melody disintegrate into noise. The chaotic, screeching bridge in 'Another World' is a direct nod to that improvisational freedom. It’s jazz logic applied to a three-chord punk structure.
- The Kinks — Hell covered 'You Gotta Move' on Destiny Street and frequently cited Ray Davies as a primary influence for his cynical, observational songwriting. The choppy, rhythmic guitar chug that drives 'New Pleasure' is a direct descendant of the early Kinks singles. It’s the British Invasion filtered through a needle and a notebook.
- Bob Dylan — Hell has stated in multiple interviews that his entire vocal approach was modeled after Dylan’s mid-60s phrasing—more of a rhythmic recitation than traditional singing. You hear it in the way he crams too many syllables into a line on 'Love Comes in Spurts.' It’s the sound of a poet who realizes the beat won’t wait for him to finish the thought.
- The Stooges — The raw, confrontational energy of Fun House served as the blueprint for the Voidoids' live assault. Marky Ramone’s drumming on the early Sire sessions mirrors the relentless, unswinging thud that Scott Asheton used to drive the Stooges. It provides the necessary floor for Hell’s lyrical acrobatics.
Discography
Their records — most-collected first.
Related artists
Around the web
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