D Generation's eponymous debut album for EMI Records was sunk by a glossy, mainstream production that rendered them more hair-metal than modern-day punk. After the record stiffed and EMI dropped them, the group headed over to Columbia Recrods, where they recorded
No Lunch with producer
Ric Ocasek. Unlike its predecessor,
No Lunch keeps it simple and dirty.
D Generation recalls the sleazy hard-rock of proto-punkers like
the New York Dolls more heavily than the speedy punk of
the Ramones and, occasionally, they sound like
the Clash at their most anthemic. In short, they're an angry hard-rock band that plays fast and loose, whether it's the furious "Scorch," the insistent "No Way Out" or the melodic glitz of "Not Dreaming."
No Lunch has a few weak patches, particularly when the band tries to slow things down, but it is the album that justifies
D Generation's long-simmering hype. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine