Expanded Edition
A few of Pleasant Dreams's extras are of major historic interest as three songs on the extras are early editions of future tracks.
In the case of "Touring", you are almost listening to the same track that's available in Mondo Bizarro. It has the same drum opening and the vocals are about the same with only CJ adding his backup vocals on the later cut. The only difference is that the guitars are noticeable on the Mondo Bizarro cut, as they are loud! (Honestly, you can't hear them on the original.)
"I Can't Get You Out of My Mind" is brighter and professional in tone than the stripped down, dark sound of the track when it's re-done for "Brain Drain". Joey's double-tracked vocals the main interest here as it gives the impression of someone recalling a memory (It goes with the song.) Of course, Brain Drain omits that and it doesn't sound as good compared to this cut.
"I'm Not An Answer" also makes it's debut here, a track with a similar chord arrangement to "You Sound Like Your Sick", but with different lyrics and tougher in mood. This track sounds tough, but not as tough or quick like the Too Tough to Die bonus track edition with Dee Dee taking over the vocals(and Dee Dee does his hardcore voice, so it's quite a song).
"Sleeping Troubles" wouldn't be of any interest if it wasn't for the way that Joeys sings the verses as it is similar to the CJ-sung "Strength to Endure". The similarities end after that as this has a different riff and musical arrangement.
After that, the other tracks are not of much interest. I hate "Chop Suey" for its obvious cheesiness. It's the kind of song that tries hard to sound appealing, but fails to do so and lands on its face. "Kicks to Try" and "Stares In This Town" are milquetoast and almost add nothing to the extras other than being extra tracks.
Album Info
All time references are taken from my iTunes tracklist.
# of Tracks: 12 (original), 19 (Expanded)
Album Length : 34.9 minutes (original), 54.2 minutes (expanded)
Shortest Track: "All's Quiet on the Eastern Front" : 2:14
Longest Track: "7-11" - 3:36
No "Blitzkrieg Bop" on this album.
Note
This is the last CD that I review that has an Expanded Edition. CDs past Too Tough to Die are the same as the original LPs, therefore nothing changes between formats.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Pleasant Dreams
Before I formally begin, here's a small paragraph on the album cover...
If you ever go to a record shop or search for Pleasant Dreams in any online store, you'll probably notice that
this album has one of the band's worst cover art pieces. It with a bizarre painting of a man hidden by a light, forming a silhouette with a trench coat and hat (Is it a noir detective? Maybe it's the Boogieman.). The Expanded Edition of the album has the original cover art on the back of the album's booklet; a black and white photo of the boys together with a dream-like appearance due to the smoke surrounding them. It was a creepier cover art that wouldn't have fit the music on the album, but it was ten times better than the horrendous art they stayed with.
So...
The era of Pop-Ramones began with End of the Century, the collaboration between Phil Spector and the Ramones, and ended with Subterranean Jungle, the closest the band ever got to giving up their original style. In between those albums was Pleasant Dreams, an album that has a poppier sound than End of the Century's attempted retro sound, but the sound is closer to the boys in spirit than Subterranean Jungle's misguided hard rock. I won't disregard this album as nothing more than the K.K.K. song album, as there are few tracks that are worth a listen.
I won't discuss the musicianship on this album in much detail as a Pop-Ramones album usually raises my bullshit meter with the intricate guitar and bass playing. Did John and Dee Dee really play those riffs and solos? Probably not. There are some extra bells and whistles that come out in the poppier tracks, like the alarm in "It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)" and the weird sounding guitars on "We Want the Airwaves". Listening to these albums back to back makes me miss the band's original sound, but this album has "The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away", a song that sounds akin to the earlier material (in simple terms - they can actually play this song without help.) Joey gets double tracked in a bonus song, and Marky bangs the drums like he should, so yeah...This album has a cleaner sound than albums before it, but the boys have tightened up their production since Rocket to Russia, so it isn't much of a factor. One thing I do have to point out: Dee Dee should have been put aside for "All Quiet on the Eastern Front". The song is not the band's best, and Dee Dee's vocals make it worse to listen to.
Songwriting-wise, this album is a mixed bag (Pure 50/50 for me. I can listen to about half of this album and discard the rest.). I love the opener "We Want the Airwaves", a song about their lack of airplay on radios (and TV by this point). "The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away", whose title is basically the song's whole premise, is one of my favorite Ramones songs overall and it's the highest point on this album.
"7-11" is an unheralded track as it works more as a pastiche of 60's death rock ballads, complete with a talking bridge a la the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack". (It's a brilliant homage with great lyrics..."Oncoming car went out of control. It crushed my baby and it crushed my soul" This song is Joey's finest on the album.) There's a few stinkers in here. I've discussed "All Quiet on the Eastern Front", but "It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)" is close to vile. The lyrics are nothing but endless name drops (Stephen King, Spector, Clint Eastwood...really) with crappy music backing it. If you ave free time to search for stuff online, this song also has a music video which makes it about 10 times worse. "You Sound Like Your Sick", "Come On Now", "Sitting in My Room", they all go under the category of bad filler. Every song on this album has its hooks, but the way they are presented make all the difference - and the songs I named are skippable. You can live without ever hearing those tracks (and most of the stuff on Subterranean Jungle...)
Pleasant Dreams is better than Subterranean Jungle, and it's as equally retro as End of the Century. Unlike Subterranean Jungle, there is a legitimate classic on this album, "The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away", and a minor goody, "We Want the Airwaves", plus the deep cut "7-11". There is some major filler on this album, but most of the songs are tolerable and a few caught my attention. It's fun album, and while it won't easily compare to band's finest moments, it's not an album that deserves most of its negativity.
-----------------
Having looked back at Pleasant Dreams, I am done with the Early Ramones and the Pop Ramones era. After this, the Ramones become darker and edgier (in Ramones terms - it gets personal) with the Tough-Ramones era, symbolized by the drumming sounds of Richie Ramone and Dee Dee's lyrical takeover. I already looked back at Too Tough to Die, therefore our next album will be Animal Boy.
If you ever go to a record shop or search for Pleasant Dreams in any online store, you'll probably notice that
this album has one of the band's worst cover art pieces. It with a bizarre painting of a man hidden by a light, forming a silhouette with a trench coat and hat (Is it a noir detective? Maybe it's the Boogieman.). The Expanded Edition of the album has the original cover art on the back of the album's booklet; a black and white photo of the boys together with a dream-like appearance due to the smoke surrounding them. It was a creepier cover art that wouldn't have fit the music on the album, but it was ten times better than the horrendous art they stayed with.
So...
The era of Pop-Ramones began with End of the Century, the collaboration between Phil Spector and the Ramones, and ended with Subterranean Jungle, the closest the band ever got to giving up their original style. In between those albums was Pleasant Dreams, an album that has a poppier sound than End of the Century's attempted retro sound, but the sound is closer to the boys in spirit than Subterranean Jungle's misguided hard rock. I won't disregard this album as nothing more than the K.K.K. song album, as there are few tracks that are worth a listen.
I won't discuss the musicianship on this album in much detail as a Pop-Ramones album usually raises my bullshit meter with the intricate guitar and bass playing. Did John and Dee Dee really play those riffs and solos? Probably not. There are some extra bells and whistles that come out in the poppier tracks, like the alarm in "It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)" and the weird sounding guitars on "We Want the Airwaves". Listening to these albums back to back makes me miss the band's original sound, but this album has "The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away", a song that sounds akin to the earlier material (in simple terms - they can actually play this song without help.) Joey gets double tracked in a bonus song, and Marky bangs the drums like he should, so yeah...This album has a cleaner sound than albums before it, but the boys have tightened up their production since Rocket to Russia, so it isn't much of a factor. One thing I do have to point out: Dee Dee should have been put aside for "All Quiet on the Eastern Front". The song is not the band's best, and Dee Dee's vocals make it worse to listen to.
Songwriting-wise, this album is a mixed bag (Pure 50/50 for me. I can listen to about half of this album and discard the rest.). I love the opener "We Want the Airwaves", a song about their lack of airplay on radios (and TV by this point). "The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away", whose title is basically the song's whole premise, is one of my favorite Ramones songs overall and it's the highest point on this album.
"7-11" is an unheralded track as it works more as a pastiche of 60's death rock ballads, complete with a talking bridge a la the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack". (It's a brilliant homage with great lyrics..."Oncoming car went out of control. It crushed my baby and it crushed my soul" This song is Joey's finest on the album.) There's a few stinkers in here. I've discussed "All Quiet on the Eastern Front", but "It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)" is close to vile. The lyrics are nothing but endless name drops (Stephen King, Spector, Clint Eastwood...really) with crappy music backing it. If you ave free time to search for stuff online, this song also has a music video which makes it about 10 times worse. "You Sound Like Your Sick", "Come On Now", "Sitting in My Room", they all go under the category of bad filler. Every song on this album has its hooks, but the way they are presented make all the difference - and the songs I named are skippable. You can live without ever hearing those tracks (and most of the stuff on Subterranean Jungle...)
Pleasant Dreams is better than Subterranean Jungle, and it's as equally retro as End of the Century. Unlike Subterranean Jungle, there is a legitimate classic on this album, "The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away", and a minor goody, "We Want the Airwaves", plus the deep cut "7-11". There is some major filler on this album, but most of the songs are tolerable and a few caught my attention. It's fun album, and while it won't easily compare to band's finest moments, it's not an album that deserves most of its negativity.
-----------------
Having looked back at Pleasant Dreams, I am done with the Early Ramones and the Pop Ramones era. After this, the Ramones become darker and edgier (in Ramones terms - it gets personal) with the Tough-Ramones era, symbolized by the drumming sounds of Richie Ramone and Dee Dee's lyrical takeover. I already looked back at Too Tough to Die, therefore our next album will be Animal Boy.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Road to Ruin Addendum
Expanded Edition
The big addition to this album are the "Rock 'n' Roll High School" soundtrack songs. Aside from the Ed Stasium cut of the title track, you also get "I Want You Around" (which I hate..), and the mini-concert that was performed in the movie. The mini-concert includes "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Teenage Lobotomy", "California Sun", "Pinhead", and "She's the One". I think this mini-concert is the only official live release of "She's the One", and the guys play the songs without much pause so you're getting a small taste of what a concert might of been like. You also get demos of "Come Back, She Cried A.K.A. I Walked Out", and "Yea, Yea", but those have been available on previous compilations.
Album Length
All time references are based on my iTunes tracklist.
# of Tracks: 12 (original), 17 (Expanded)
Album Length: 31.1 min (original), 52 min (Expanded)
Shortest Track: "I'm Against It" - 2:07
Longest Track: "Questioningly" - 3:22 (original)/ Mini-Concert - 11:00 (Expanded)
The mini-concert includes "Blitzkrieg Bop", but due to it being one whole track and not separated tracks, I can only guess that it starts around 0:15 and ends on 2:14-2:15, which makes it about two minutes in length, thus being the average run time for "Blitzkrieg Bop" in this era.
The big addition to this album are the "Rock 'n' Roll High School" soundtrack songs. Aside from the Ed Stasium cut of the title track, you also get "I Want You Around" (which I hate..), and the mini-concert that was performed in the movie. The mini-concert includes "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Teenage Lobotomy", "California Sun", "Pinhead", and "She's the One". I think this mini-concert is the only official live release of "She's the One", and the guys play the songs without much pause so you're getting a small taste of what a concert might of been like. You also get demos of "Come Back, She Cried A.K.A. I Walked Out", and "Yea, Yea", but those have been available on previous compilations.
Album Length
All time references are based on my iTunes tracklist.
# of Tracks: 12 (original), 17 (Expanded)
Album Length: 31.1 min (original), 52 min (Expanded)
Shortest Track: "I'm Against It" - 2:07
Longest Track: "Questioningly" - 3:22 (original)/ Mini-Concert - 11:00 (Expanded)
The mini-concert includes "Blitzkrieg Bop", but due to it being one whole track and not separated tracks, I can only guess that it starts around 0:15 and ends on 2:14-2:15, which makes it about two minutes in length, thus being the average run time for "Blitzkrieg Bop" in this era.
Road to Ruin
Road to Ruin is the "I Wanna be Sedated" album, complete with several songs to keep your mind at bay while waiting for "I Wanna Be Sedated" to play...
Road to Ruin is actually one of the Ramones' best albums and a successful experiment towards a poppier sound.This is the 4th Ramones studio album, with Marky making his drumming debut and the team of Tommy Ramone and Ed Stasium take the helm as producers.The album is slower than the prior three albums, but it does not make the boys sound any less stronger than they were before. In fact, I would say that some songs benefit from the decreased speed as it helps them add moods.
There are great songs on this album - I find the opener, "I Just Wanna Have Something to Do" to be one of the boy's finest songwriting and musical moments. The song gives a cool, desperate vibe despite it being a slower than the usual Ramones song. The cover of "Needles and Pins" is something that could have worked in End of the Century, but I found it a bit of out place if it wasn't for the mental theme that permeates this album. Joey is great on those types of songs and it's still a good cover, but I can't say that it feels like a Ramones song. "Questioningly" troubles me because it's another good song, but the sound is more of a Joey thing and I think there's even an acoustic guitar and solo in there (even though Dee Dee wrote this song...). "Bad Brain" is a bit lazy, but it's short so no long-term damage is done. "She's the One" is my personal favorite as it's a short, sweet love song but done in the classic Ramones speed and it's over before you know it. Finally, "I Wanna Be Sedated" is the classic Ramones track (and the only Ramones song other than "Blitzkrieg Bop" that's in rotation on the radio stations in my area.) about Joey's boredom and willingness to be knocked out of consciousness. The song still packs the punch without a bit of staleness and age.
If you listen to the Ramones chronologically, this album is clearly the beginning of the inevitable change towards the Pop-Ramones. The boys still had a good grasp with their situation as the songwriting has all the crispness as before, but there are parts where a few bells and whistles are added and I strongly think there's a few solos in here (or maybe they're extended leads...Johnny probably didn't do those). The problem that this album has is that it is always bundled with the first three as the best albums the boys would ever make, but the sound is different enough to push towards the Pop era, thereby forcing its position in a type of limbo between the Early Ramones and Pop-Ramones. Outside of "I Wanna Be Sedated", "I Just Want to Have Something to Do" survived on live shows, and "It's a Long Way Back" is more of a fan-classic than a huge song. The album is good enough without having to bundle it with the first three or just mentioning it because of "I Wanna Be Sedated".
UP NEXT: We return to the Pop-Ramones era with Pleasant Dreams...
Road to Ruin is actually one of the Ramones' best albums and a successful experiment towards a poppier sound.This is the 4th Ramones studio album, with Marky making his drumming debut and the team of Tommy Ramone and Ed Stasium take the helm as producers.The album is slower than the prior three albums, but it does not make the boys sound any less stronger than they were before. In fact, I would say that some songs benefit from the decreased speed as it helps them add moods.
There are great songs on this album - I find the opener, "I Just Wanna Have Something to Do" to be one of the boy's finest songwriting and musical moments. The song gives a cool, desperate vibe despite it being a slower than the usual Ramones song. The cover of "Needles and Pins" is something that could have worked in End of the Century, but I found it a bit of out place if it wasn't for the mental theme that permeates this album. Joey is great on those types of songs and it's still a good cover, but I can't say that it feels like a Ramones song. "Questioningly" troubles me because it's another good song, but the sound is more of a Joey thing and I think there's even an acoustic guitar and solo in there (even though Dee Dee wrote this song...). "Bad Brain" is a bit lazy, but it's short so no long-term damage is done. "She's the One" is my personal favorite as it's a short, sweet love song but done in the classic Ramones speed and it's over before you know it. Finally, "I Wanna Be Sedated" is the classic Ramones track (and the only Ramones song other than "Blitzkrieg Bop" that's in rotation on the radio stations in my area.) about Joey's boredom and willingness to be knocked out of consciousness. The song still packs the punch without a bit of staleness and age.
If you listen to the Ramones chronologically, this album is clearly the beginning of the inevitable change towards the Pop-Ramones. The boys still had a good grasp with their situation as the songwriting has all the crispness as before, but there are parts where a few bells and whistles are added and I strongly think there's a few solos in here (or maybe they're extended leads...Johnny probably didn't do those). The problem that this album has is that it is always bundled with the first three as the best albums the boys would ever make, but the sound is different enough to push towards the Pop era, thereby forcing its position in a type of limbo between the Early Ramones and Pop-Ramones. Outside of "I Wanna Be Sedated", "I Just Want to Have Something to Do" survived on live shows, and "It's a Long Way Back" is more of a fan-classic than a huge song. The album is good enough without having to bundle it with the first three or just mentioning it because of "I Wanna Be Sedated".
UP NEXT: We return to the Pop-Ramones era with Pleasant Dreams...
Sunday, May 16, 2010
It's Alive / NYC 1978 Addendum
Extra Material
Both albums have no demos or rehearsal tracks. NYC 1978 includes a short essay by Kurt Loder describing the concert and the band. It's Alive includes a few photos of the boys playing in the concert.
Album Length
All time references are from my iTunes tracklists.
1. It's Alive (recorded 12/31/1977, London)
# of tracks - 28
Album Length: 53.5 minutes
Shortest Track: "Judy is a Punk" - 1:14
Longest Track: " Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" - 2:55
Length of "Blitzkrieg Bop" - 2:05
2. NYC 1978 (recorded 1/7/1978, New York City)
# of tracks - 27
Album Length: 55.6 minutes
Shortest Track: "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" - 1:31
Longest Track: " Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" - 3:14
Length of "Blitzkrieg Bop" - 2:05 (w/ cheers), 2:00 (without cheers)
About "Blitzkrieg Bop"
By this point in their career, the boys have the fastest recording of "Blitzkrieg Bop" at 2:05, beating Leave Home's bonus concert recording. However, the cut on It's Alive is faster and it includes cheers, so removing them gives the length of the song to be about 1:58-2:00 in length making it the shortest before the "Loco Live" era.
Both albums have no demos or rehearsal tracks. NYC 1978 includes a short essay by Kurt Loder describing the concert and the band. It's Alive includes a few photos of the boys playing in the concert.
Album Length
All time references are from my iTunes tracklists.
1. It's Alive (recorded 12/31/1977, London)
# of tracks - 28
Album Length: 53.5 minutes
Shortest Track: "Judy is a Punk" - 1:14
Longest Track: " Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" - 2:55
Length of "Blitzkrieg Bop" - 2:05
2. NYC 1978 (recorded 1/7/1978, New York City)
# of tracks - 27
Album Length: 55.6 minutes
Shortest Track: "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" - 1:31
Longest Track: " Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" - 3:14
Length of "Blitzkrieg Bop" - 2:05 (w/ cheers), 2:00 (without cheers)
About "Blitzkrieg Bop"
By this point in their career, the boys have the fastest recording of "Blitzkrieg Bop" at 2:05, beating Leave Home's bonus concert recording. However, the cut on It's Alive is faster and it includes cheers, so removing them gives the length of the song to be about 1:58-2:00 in length making it the shortest before the "Loco Live" era.
It's Alive / NYC 1978: Please Define "Live"
(Important Note: NYC 1978 was re-released a while back under the title Live January 7, 1978 at the Palladium, NYC with a new album cover as well. My iTunes account changed the NYC 1978 album's name and cover to fit the re-release.)
Judas Priest has a live album called Unleashed in the East, recorded live in Japan but cleaned up in studio. Allegations were that the band completely re-recorded the album and/or gave it a "live" feel (some fans mock the album as "Unleashed in the Studio"). One fact is that lead singer Rob Halford returned to the studio to re-record his vocals, so there was some tinkering involved. According to Wikipedia, live bootlegs from the same era indicate that the band could pull off their sound live as they did on the album, so no major harm is done.
What does this have to do with the Ramones?
It's often been the consensus that the Ramones hit their energetic peak around the the last years of the 1970's, with the band ripping through live sets faster than their first three albums combined with the technical precision and clarity that would make most bands, past and present, jealous. The main evidence for this opinion comes from the recording of the December 31, 1977 live show in England known as It's Alive, a concert that was both filmed and recorded for an album. One week later, the boys would return to New York City for a concert recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, a radio show. While the "It's Alive" concert has been in circulation since 1979, the King Biscuit performance was released in 2003 under the title NYC 1978, making It's Alive the album with most press and praise due to its lengthy availability and presence.
Both shows were recorded one week apart, therefore they share similarities:
1. Joeys says the same introductions to each song, and barely changes them to fit the location.
2. The band plays the same setlist, with NYC 1978 excluding "Judy is a Punk". (This shouldn't be a deal breaker for anyone.)
3. Both albums are under an hour long.
4. The guys play like they ought to: loud, fast, and short.
5. Some songs are improved live ("Rockaway Beach", "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Sheena is a Punk Rocker"), but don't expect the band to change any of the song's arrangements as they're faithful to the album cuts.
6. The concerts both document Tommy Ramone's last stint as the band's drummer, as he would go one to be a producer.
The major difference is the sound.
It's Alive does has severe tinkering in that all the vocals and instruments but the drums was re-recorded. The sound is in fact cleaner and sharper and everyone plays in note with no guitars going off-tune. The fans cheer and applaud and a few bells and whistles are heard between songs. I won't deny that this does sound great, as the producers (T. Ramone and Ed Stasium! YAY!) did a fantastic job putting this all together. It's Alive gives off the impression of a live album, but it's sad to know that everything had to be redone in studio, as looking at the recently released It's Alive footage (from the It's Alive 1974-1996 DVD set) makes me wonder if they even went back and put the re-recorded audio into the footage. I think of It's Alive as a great album that represent the ideal Ramones, but the Ramones were great without the need to romanticize them as this album does.
With the Ramones's "Unleashed in the East" out of the way, we can now look into a "bootleg" to see if they band could cut it live without the post-production. NYC 1978 is as real a live album as the boys would get. The loudness of this album is ridiculous as it must be at least a step or two up compared to It's Alive's leveled sound. Johnny's guitar will sound like a chainsaw that is ripping through your headphones or speakers without a sign of decline in intensity for the 55 minutes of this concert. I never saw the band live, but I can imagine that the sound of this album probably is the closest anyone would be to hearing the Ramones live in the front row as it's that intense.
The band sounds great, but I do think there's some problems with Johnny's guitar as the sound is a bit out of tune every once in a while. It's almost unnoticeable until he slides from chord to chord. I really can't tell if Dee Dee's even playing on most tracks as Johnny makes him mute. You can hear the bass during the end of Blitzkrieg Bop, but when the two of them are playing together, it's hard to track Dee Dee. As for Joey, his singing gets some heavy mic feedback in every few songs, therefore there wasn't any cleanup as the job on It's Alive. Dee Dee also gets a bit left out in the vocal tracks as you here him every once in a while and not as in unison as in the It's Alive concert. With every Ramone recording out there, the other noticeable instrument is the drums, and Tommy does a good job banging his 4/4 notes like a pro. As for the audience, they sound well-miced and they don't disappoint. They cheer after each song but mostly remain quiet when the band plays. As noted in other reviews, there is a guy with an air horn which is not as annoying as it's made out to be. I find it humorous that someone had the gall to bring an air horn to a concert, but this was New York circa 1978 so I make it out to be as part of the audience's unique ambiance.
If I had to choose between It's Alive and NYC 1978, I would lean towards NYC 1978. Sure, the band didn't didn't play "Judy is a Punk" that night, and the concert sounds as loud, raw, and gritty as any Ramones concert could get, but those are the qualities that make it a product that arouses my interest. Without expanding the discussion with future live albums (with the exception of You Don't Come Close as I don't own it at the time of this writing), this is as real a live Ramones album will get. It's Alive is the cleaner, sharper product and well on its own, but I've often felt that it comes off as a perfected Ramones sound and not the sound that came off the band's speakers on any given night. NYC 1978 is as close to a genuine live sound as you can get from the boys at their youngest and at their peak.
NEXT - Marky debuts in Road to Ruin!!
EXTRA!!
I found the air horn man to be hilarious and went back to find his appearances.
The Air Horn Man's cameos in NYC 1978
1. I think you first hear him during the applause after Pinhead is finished
2. After Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
3. After Let's Dance
I think someone confiscated the horn or beat him into a pulp when he was found. Maybe he just stopped after reflecting on his motives. Who knows?
Judas Priest has a live album called Unleashed in the East, recorded live in Japan but cleaned up in studio. Allegations were that the band completely re-recorded the album and/or gave it a "live" feel (some fans mock the album as "Unleashed in the Studio"). One fact is that lead singer Rob Halford returned to the studio to re-record his vocals, so there was some tinkering involved. According to Wikipedia, live bootlegs from the same era indicate that the band could pull off their sound live as they did on the album, so no major harm is done.
What does this have to do with the Ramones?
It's often been the consensus that the Ramones hit their energetic peak around the the last years of the 1970's, with the band ripping through live sets faster than their first three albums combined with the technical precision and clarity that would make most bands, past and present, jealous. The main evidence for this opinion comes from the recording of the December 31, 1977 live show in England known as It's Alive, a concert that was both filmed and recorded for an album. One week later, the boys would return to New York City for a concert recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, a radio show. While the "It's Alive" concert has been in circulation since 1979, the King Biscuit performance was released in 2003 under the title NYC 1978, making It's Alive the album with most press and praise due to its lengthy availability and presence.
Both shows were recorded one week apart, therefore they share similarities:
1. Joeys says the same introductions to each song, and barely changes them to fit the location.
2. The band plays the same setlist, with NYC 1978 excluding "Judy is a Punk". (This shouldn't be a deal breaker for anyone.)
3. Both albums are under an hour long.
4. The guys play like they ought to: loud, fast, and short.
5. Some songs are improved live ("Rockaway Beach", "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Sheena is a Punk Rocker"), but don't expect the band to change any of the song's arrangements as they're faithful to the album cuts.
6. The concerts both document Tommy Ramone's last stint as the band's drummer, as he would go one to be a producer.
The major difference is the sound.
It's Alive does has severe tinkering in that all the vocals and instruments but the drums was re-recorded. The sound is in fact cleaner and sharper and everyone plays in note with no guitars going off-tune. The fans cheer and applaud and a few bells and whistles are heard between songs. I won't deny that this does sound great, as the producers (T. Ramone and Ed Stasium! YAY!) did a fantastic job putting this all together. It's Alive gives off the impression of a live album, but it's sad to know that everything had to be redone in studio, as looking at the recently released It's Alive footage (from the It's Alive 1974-1996 DVD set) makes me wonder if they even went back and put the re-recorded audio into the footage. I think of It's Alive as a great album that represent the ideal Ramones, but the Ramones were great without the need to romanticize them as this album does.
With the Ramones's "Unleashed in the East" out of the way, we can now look into a "bootleg" to see if they band could cut it live without the post-production. NYC 1978 is as real a live album as the boys would get. The loudness of this album is ridiculous as it must be at least a step or two up compared to It's Alive's leveled sound. Johnny's guitar will sound like a chainsaw that is ripping through your headphones or speakers without a sign of decline in intensity for the 55 minutes of this concert. I never saw the band live, but I can imagine that the sound of this album probably is the closest anyone would be to hearing the Ramones live in the front row as it's that intense.
The band sounds great, but I do think there's some problems with Johnny's guitar as the sound is a bit out of tune every once in a while. It's almost unnoticeable until he slides from chord to chord. I really can't tell if Dee Dee's even playing on most tracks as Johnny makes him mute. You can hear the bass during the end of Blitzkrieg Bop, but when the two of them are playing together, it's hard to track Dee Dee. As for Joey, his singing gets some heavy mic feedback in every few songs, therefore there wasn't any cleanup as the job on It's Alive. Dee Dee also gets a bit left out in the vocal tracks as you here him every once in a while and not as in unison as in the It's Alive concert. With every Ramone recording out there, the other noticeable instrument is the drums, and Tommy does a good job banging his 4/4 notes like a pro. As for the audience, they sound well-miced and they don't disappoint. They cheer after each song but mostly remain quiet when the band plays. As noted in other reviews, there is a guy with an air horn which is not as annoying as it's made out to be. I find it humorous that someone had the gall to bring an air horn to a concert, but this was New York circa 1978 so I make it out to be as part of the audience's unique ambiance.
If I had to choose between It's Alive and NYC 1978, I would lean towards NYC 1978. Sure, the band didn't didn't play "Judy is a Punk" that night, and the concert sounds as loud, raw, and gritty as any Ramones concert could get, but those are the qualities that make it a product that arouses my interest. Without expanding the discussion with future live albums (with the exception of You Don't Come Close as I don't own it at the time of this writing), this is as real a live Ramones album will get. It's Alive is the cleaner, sharper product and well on its own, but I've often felt that it comes off as a perfected Ramones sound and not the sound that came off the band's speakers on any given night. NYC 1978 is as close to a genuine live sound as you can get from the boys at their youngest and at their peak.
NEXT - Marky debuts in Road to Ruin!!
EXTRA!!
I found the air horn man to be hilarious and went back to find his appearances.
The Air Horn Man's cameos in NYC 1978
1. I think you first hear him during the applause after Pinhead is finished
2. After Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
3. After Let's Dance
I think someone confiscated the horn or beat him into a pulp when he was found. Maybe he just stopped after reflecting on his motives. Who knows?
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Ramones Smash You: Live '85
Loud Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits had a bonus disc included in the original 50,000 print run. The bonus disc is entitled Ramones Smash You: Live '85, a live show that featured Richie Ramone on the drums, thus making it the only officially released live recording with Richie on the drums! This bonus disc is basically fan territory/completion material and can be skipped by a causal fan or someone who has the complete show and doesn't care for an official partial copy.
The show was recorded on February 25, 1985 at the Lyceum Theater in England as a part of the Ramones' comeback tour following the release of Too Tough to Die. This bonus CD gives us a quarter of that show, as research has found me another blog which gives more details about this concert. (Great blog!)
The Tracklist
1. "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio"
2. "Psycho Therapy"
3. "Suzy is a Headbanger"
4. "Too Tough to Die"
5. "Smash You"
6. "Chinese Rock"
7. "Howling at the Moon"
8. "I Don't Want to Go Down to the Basement"
It's not far-fetched to say that this tracklist is chopped up and out of order ("Psycho Therapy" was always played before "R'n'R Radio".) It's the only Richie live record out, so let's give it a listen, shall we?
The first thing that pops out is the sound as it's not crisp and a bit muddy and it's mostly audible with Joey's voice. The recording is not up to par with NYC 1978 or even Loco Live, but it's still audible and enjoyable. Joey had not reached the growling era when this concert was recorded as he sings each song well. Johnny and Dee Dee do what they do best, with Dee Dee popping every now and then to count down the next song. Of course, my main interest with this bonus is Richie, and he sounds just as good live as he did on Too Tough to Die. I really do think he shifted the band towards their later speed runs as they zipped past 8 of the lengthier Ramones songs in about 18 minutes.
(Example: "Too Tough to Die" is about 30 seconds shorter here than on the album it was named after and it's also shorter than the recording on Loco Live. "Suzy is a Headbanger" is about 35-40 seconds shorter than the Leave Home cut. "Howling at the Moon" was a four minute epic reduced by a minute and a half! PURE SPEED!)
What I find funny about this bonus being on the "Toughest Hits" compilation is that the songs for the most part are tougher than the ones on the disc, and the coolest part is that the live versions of "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio" and "Psycho Therapy" are actually enjoyable, especially with "RnR Radio" transcending the sentimentalism that the album cut reeks of. I enjoyed all the tracks on this disk, as they really are well played and improved from the album versions in general.
Bottom line, it's a fun piece of history and fans (especially Richie fans like myself) will find this a fun sampler of the Ramones during the Too Tough to Die tour. Now if they only released this concert in full...
UP NEXT: It's Alive and NYC 1978
Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits
(Since I reviewed Too Tough to Die, I thought it would be appropriate to write about Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits and the rare bonus Ramones Smash You: Live '85 live recording. The It's Alive/ NYC 1978 live albums will be discussed next week.)
Let's get one thing out of the way: The Ramones rarely had HITS! The only big singles they had were "Baby, I Love You" (A UK-only hit), "Pet Sematary", and "Poison Heart" - and the latter two were helped by being on the soundtracks of the Pet Sematary films and only reached the Top 10 Modern Rock Charts, not the Hot 100. None of those songs appear on Loud, Fast Ramones!
Loud Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits is a compilation CD by Johnny Ramone that chronicles the Ramones's 30 "toughest" tracks. When I bought this album last summer, I didn't buy it for the compilation as I own every album. The reason I bought this compilation is because of the awesome bonus CD the first 50,000 copies had: Ramones Smash You: Live '85. As of this writing, it is the only official live release with Richie Ramone on the drums. Since the album sans the bonus is still in the market, I'll just go ahead and write about it.
Right away, the "Toughest Hits" moniker is suggesting that this compilation should exclusively have all the headbanging, rough tracks that show the guys at their cutthroat best, and no songs of the saccharine variety should be included (as we have enough inclusive compilations...). After all, this had the magnificent militaristic bastard Johnny Ramone doing the compilation work and not sweet Joey or the tragic Dee Dee (or CJ and the replaceable drummers). So...what did we get?
I broke this compilation down by album and the tracks that represent it. Any songs that I find that stand out negatively will be marked in red (purple means a replaceable track):
Ramones
"Blitzkrieg Bop"
"Beat on the Brat"
"Judy is a Punk"
Leave Home
"Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"
"Commando"
"Glad to See You Go" *
"Pinhead"
Rocket to Russia
"Rockaway Beach"
"We're a Happy Family" *
"Sheena is a Punk Rocker"
"Teenage Lobotomy"
Road to Ruin
"I Wanted Everything" *
"I Just Want to Have Something to Do"
"Rock 'n' Roll High School" (Ed Stasium version found on the Expanded Road to Ruin and the soundtrack Rock 'n' Roll High School)
End of the Century
"Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio"
Pleasant Dreams
"The KKK Took My Baby Away"
Subterranean Jungle
"Psycho Therapy"
"Outsider" *
"Highest Trails Above" *
Too Tough to Die
"Wart Hog" *
"Mama's Boy"
Animal Boy
"Somebody Put Something in My Drink"
Halfway to Sanity
"I Wanna Live"
"Garden of Serenity"
Brain Drain
"I Believe in Miracles"
Mondo Bizarro
"Main Man" *
"Strength to Endure" *
Adios Amigos
"The Crusher" *
* - Denotes tracks that were not available in Hey Ho Let's Go: The Anthology.
------------------------------------------------
Ramones
"Judy is a Punk" - The song is weak compared to half of that album. "Chainsaw"? "53rd & 3rd"? Even "Loudmouth" would have worked.
Leave Home
I have no major qualms as to what was added, as Leave Home is an early example of the guys at their darkest (even toughest). You could have also added "You're Gonna Kill that Girl" and "You Should Have Never Opened that Door", as those songs aren't as well-known as those four, but I'm okay with the chosen tracks.
Rocket to Russia
"Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and "Rockaway Beach" are fan favorites and not the toughest, loudest songs on that album. How about "I Don't Care" instead of those two.
Road to Ruin
"I Wanna Be Sedated" is a Ramones classic, but I think that its inclusion on this compilation is arguable. "Rock 'n' Roll High School" is a fan favorite that doesn't show the band at their toughest. "Go Mental" is tougher. "I Wanted Everything" could be exchanged for something else.
End of the Century
This album's absence would have brought no ill will whatsoever. A live cut of "Chinese Rock" is included on the bonus disk, but it should have been added on the compilation instead."Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" should have never crossed the mind of anyone when discussing the track selection to this compilation. There may be bad choices on this compilation and some that I disagree with, but that song is the worst choice of them all. Is there any hint of "toughness" on that song?
Pleasant Dreams
Why exclude "We Want the Airwaves"? Everything else is skippable.
Subterranean Jungle
There isn't much to go by as "Psycho Therapy" is it. "Highest Trails Above" is swappable, and "Outsider" is more sweet than tough, but Johnny really liked that song as he often mentioned it on interviews.
Too Tough to Die
"Wart Hog" is tough, but this is criminal. When you have "Danger Zone", "I'm Not Afraid of Life", and "Too Tough to Die", is your only option "Wart Hog"? "Mama's Boy" is fine. The bonus CD includes live cuts of "Too Tough to Die" and the single from this album's recording sessions, "Smash You", both songs that crush "Wart Hog". My only guess for its inclusion is that "Wart Hog" was one of those songs that stayed on the band's set list until their retirement.
~(Too Tough to Die, Animal Boy, Halfway to Sanity, and Brain Drain are basically Ramones albums where the boys are at their TOUGHEST! It doesn't mean that the tracks are great, but the sound is rougher in comparison to most of their recordings prior and after these records.)~
Animal Boy
There was more than "Somebody Put Something in My Drink". How about "Mental Hell"?. Better yet, why didn't he add the title song!
Halfway to Sanity
While I enjoy the fact that "Garden of Serenity" and "I Wanna Live" are represented, I find it odd that "Bop Til' You Drop", a great, tough song was omitted. Then again, there were a few more that were tough as well.
Brain Drain
This album has "Don't Bust My Chops" and "Learn to Listen", songs with toughness that wipe the floor with "I Believe in Miracles" and about 50% of this compilation!
Mondo Bizarro
Mondo Bizarro suffers of being a happy Ramones album, and the songs that Johnny selected are pale in comparison to most tracks on this compilation.
Adios Amigos
I have no qualms with "The Crusher but "Born to Die in Berlin" is also great and it's not in this compilation.
--------------------------
When we talk about "tough" in the sense of word as expressed in this compilation, it probably means something that is resilient, endurable. The classics would easily fit the bill but the rest of the tracks would be put under the bus. The "tough" I though of - rough, troublesome - is probably not the definition Johnny was aiming for. However, some of those tracks are not tough in either of those definitions ("Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio", "Highest Trails Above" the Mondo Bizarro cuts, etc.)
The "Toughest Hits" moniker suggests whatever Johnny enjoyed that also was an already familiar song. Some fan favorite songs are tough, but there are some that are best left in other expansive collections where career retrospective compilations require the fan songs to be added. Yes, that even included Johnny's love for those Subterranean Jungle tracks (He really loved "Outsider").
In conclusion...
The idea that every track was closely chosen should be thrown out of the window when the majority of liner notes were copied and pasted from the Hey Ho Let's Go: The Anthology compilation, and 21 of the chosen songs are on that compilation. Where is the discussion of Johnny's decision making for this compilation? What guidelines did he put in order to pass up songs like "Bop Til' You Drop" and "Don't Bust My Chops" in exchange for "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and the antithesis of all sorts of "tough", the horrendously saccharine nostalgic kitsch epic, "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?"? This was a wasted opportunity on what could have been an introduction to some of the Ramones darker, edgier, and/or roughest tracks.
Unless you are searching for the bonus CD or you are a Ramones collector, this is a major rip-off. Don't purchase it if you're new to the band or even remotely familiar with them, as there's better compilations with better track lists and bonuses.
This compilation is a joke.
UP NEXT: Ramones Smash You: Live '85!!, followed by the battle between It's Alive and NYC 1978!
Let's get one thing out of the way: The Ramones rarely had HITS! The only big singles they had were "Baby, I Love You" (A UK-only hit), "Pet Sematary", and "Poison Heart" - and the latter two were helped by being on the soundtracks of the Pet Sematary films and only reached the Top 10 Modern Rock Charts, not the Hot 100. None of those songs appear on Loud, Fast Ramones!
Loud Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits is a compilation CD by Johnny Ramone that chronicles the Ramones's 30 "toughest" tracks. When I bought this album last summer, I didn't buy it for the compilation as I own every album. The reason I bought this compilation is because of the awesome bonus CD the first 50,000 copies had: Ramones Smash You: Live '85. As of this writing, it is the only official live release with Richie Ramone on the drums. Since the album sans the bonus is still in the market, I'll just go ahead and write about it.
Right away, the "Toughest Hits" moniker is suggesting that this compilation should exclusively have all the headbanging, rough tracks that show the guys at their cutthroat best, and no songs of the saccharine variety should be included (as we have enough inclusive compilations...). After all, this had the magnificent militaristic bastard Johnny Ramone doing the compilation work and not sweet Joey or the tragic Dee Dee (or CJ and the replaceable drummers). So...what did we get?
I broke this compilation down by album and the tracks that represent it. Any songs that I find that stand out negatively will be marked in red (purple means a replaceable track):
Ramones
"Blitzkrieg Bop"
"Beat on the Brat"
"Judy is a Punk"
Leave Home
"Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"
"Commando"
"Glad to See You Go" *
"Pinhead"
Rocket to Russia
"Rockaway Beach"
"We're a Happy Family" *
"Sheena is a Punk Rocker"
"Teenage Lobotomy"
Road to Ruin
"I Wanna Be Sedated"
"I'm Against It" *"I Wanted Everything" *
"I Just Want to Have Something to Do"
"Rock 'n' Roll High School" (Ed Stasium version found on the Expanded Road to Ruin and the soundtrack Rock 'n' Roll High School)
End of the Century
"Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio"
Pleasant Dreams
"The KKK Took My Baby Away"
Subterranean Jungle
"Psycho Therapy"
"Outsider" *
"Highest Trails Above" *
Too Tough to Die
"Wart Hog" *
"Mama's Boy"
Animal Boy
"Somebody Put Something in My Drink"
Halfway to Sanity
"I Wanna Live"
"Garden of Serenity"
Brain Drain
"I Believe in Miracles"
Mondo Bizarro
"Main Man" *
"Strength to Endure" *
Adios Amigos
"The Crusher" *
* - Denotes tracks that were not available in Hey Ho Let's Go: The Anthology.
------------------------------------------------
Ramones
"Judy is a Punk" - The song is weak compared to half of that album. "Chainsaw"? "53rd & 3rd"? Even "Loudmouth" would have worked.
Leave Home
I have no major qualms as to what was added, as Leave Home is an early example of the guys at their darkest (even toughest). You could have also added "You're Gonna Kill that Girl" and "You Should Have Never Opened that Door", as those songs aren't as well-known as those four, but I'm okay with the chosen tracks.
Rocket to Russia
"Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and "Rockaway Beach" are fan favorites and not the toughest, loudest songs on that album. How about "I Don't Care" instead of those two.
Road to Ruin
"I Wanna Be Sedated" is a Ramones classic, but I think that its inclusion on this compilation is arguable. "Rock 'n' Roll High School" is a fan favorite that doesn't show the band at their toughest. "Go Mental" is tougher. "I Wanted Everything" could be exchanged for something else.
End of the Century
This album's absence would have brought no ill will whatsoever. A live cut of "Chinese Rock" is included on the bonus disk, but it should have been added on the compilation instead."Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" should have never crossed the mind of anyone when discussing the track selection to this compilation. There may be bad choices on this compilation and some that I disagree with, but that song is the worst choice of them all. Is there any hint of "toughness" on that song?
Pleasant Dreams
Why exclude "We Want the Airwaves"? Everything else is skippable.
Subterranean Jungle
There isn't much to go by as "Psycho Therapy" is it. "Highest Trails Above" is swappable, and "Outsider" is more sweet than tough, but Johnny really liked that song as he often mentioned it on interviews.
Too Tough to Die
"Wart Hog" is tough, but this is criminal. When you have "Danger Zone", "I'm Not Afraid of Life", and "Too Tough to Die", is your only option "Wart Hog"? "Mama's Boy" is fine. The bonus CD includes live cuts of "Too Tough to Die" and the single from this album's recording sessions, "Smash You", both songs that crush "Wart Hog". My only guess for its inclusion is that "Wart Hog" was one of those songs that stayed on the band's set list until their retirement.
~(Too Tough to Die, Animal Boy, Halfway to Sanity, and Brain Drain are basically Ramones albums where the boys are at their TOUGHEST! It doesn't mean that the tracks are great, but the sound is rougher in comparison to most of their recordings prior and after these records.)~
Animal Boy
There was more than "Somebody Put Something in My Drink". How about "Mental Hell"?. Better yet, why didn't he add the title song!
Halfway to Sanity
While I enjoy the fact that "Garden of Serenity" and "I Wanna Live" are represented, I find it odd that "Bop Til' You Drop", a great, tough song was omitted. Then again, there were a few more that were tough as well.
Brain Drain
This album has "Don't Bust My Chops" and "Learn to Listen", songs with toughness that wipe the floor with "I Believe in Miracles" and about 50% of this compilation!
Mondo Bizarro
Mondo Bizarro suffers of being a happy Ramones album, and the songs that Johnny selected are pale in comparison to most tracks on this compilation.
Adios Amigos
I have no qualms with "The Crusher but "Born to Die in Berlin" is also great and it's not in this compilation.
--------------------------
When we talk about "tough" in the sense of word as expressed in this compilation, it probably means something that is resilient, endurable. The classics would easily fit the bill but the rest of the tracks would be put under the bus. The "tough" I though of - rough, troublesome - is probably not the definition Johnny was aiming for. However, some of those tracks are not tough in either of those definitions ("Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio", "Highest Trails Above" the Mondo Bizarro cuts, etc.)
The "Toughest Hits" moniker suggests whatever Johnny enjoyed that also was an already familiar song. Some fan favorite songs are tough, but there are some that are best left in other expansive collections where career retrospective compilations require the fan songs to be added. Yes, that even included Johnny's love for those Subterranean Jungle tracks (He really loved "Outsider").
In conclusion...
The idea that every track was closely chosen should be thrown out of the window when the majority of liner notes were copied and pasted from the Hey Ho Let's Go: The Anthology compilation, and 21 of the chosen songs are on that compilation. Where is the discussion of Johnny's decision making for this compilation? What guidelines did he put in order to pass up songs like "Bop Til' You Drop" and "Don't Bust My Chops" in exchange for "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and the antithesis of all sorts of "tough", the horrendously saccharine nostalgic kitsch epic, "Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?"? This was a wasted opportunity on what could have been an introduction to some of the Ramones darker, edgier, and/or roughest tracks.
Unless you are searching for the bonus CD or you are a Ramones collector, this is a major rip-off. Don't purchase it if you're new to the band or even remotely familiar with them, as there's better compilations with better track lists and bonuses.
This compilation is a joke.
UP NEXT: Ramones Smash You: Live '85!!, followed by the battle between It's Alive and NYC 1978!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
TOO TOUGH TO DIE ADDENDUM!!!
Expanded Edition
After Leave Home's excellent bonuses, Too Tough to Die is the closest competitor as the extras on this album are grand. You are getting 2 singles (the excellent "Smash You" and a ripping cover of "Street Fighting Man"), 8 demos, and two unreleased tracks ("I'm Not An Answer" and "Out of Here"). The demos are way more interesting than the usual fare, as a few of these are either stripped bare-bones renditions ("Howling of the Moon" sounds different!) or Dee Dee sung tracks. Now, I've written that I'm normally not a fan of Dee Dee's vocals, but he does do a great job on a few of these, even with his monotonous singing ("Too Tough to Die" is my favorite.). I'm only disappointed that "Out of Here" has a barely audible vocal track, as that song has a great riff and the lyrics might have been interesting to listen to.
Note No.1
Only the first eight studio albums were remastered, so anything after Too Tough to Die was left untouched. I recently read an old interview with Johnny Ramone (click here) that mentioned how it was getting harder to find extra material because, after this album, he was becoming tired of making demos for executives to listen to choose from and own. Also, Johnny passed way in 2004, thereby making any any further remasters of this quality improbable. I believe that the last things he did merchandise-wise were choosing the tracks for the compilations Weird Tales of the Ramones and Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits, and the commentary track for Ramones: Raw, so he probably didn't get to do anything else. Also, it would be hard to only interview Marky and CJ for the liner notes, as Joey and Johnny had the most input after Dee Dee quit the band.
Note No.2
It's actually bittersweet to review this CD, as the three main band members are dead and have been for over 6 years now (Johnny was the last to go in '04) and this album title always reminds me of that. The title Too Tough to Die is ghastly as it's the music that has survived and the boys themselves did not. Only the 4 drummers (yes, I include Elvis Ramone) and CJ are left. To make matters worse, it's the heart and soul of the group that's buried. I can't listen to this album today without thinking of the depressive undertones of that title. Even the Johnny Ramone tribute DVD is named Too Tough to Die, and while they discuss him, the bands paying tribute to the group are playing Ramones music. In the end, the phrase "Too Tough to Die" isn't exactly describing the group or any one member, it's about the music. Thinking on it, it may have always been about the music as this was the album that brought them back to reality (or at least tried to). The album cover shows them as nothing more than silhouettes, with their name and the albums title more prominent than them in big, bold white lettering contrasting the navy blue background color. That is "Too Tough to Die".
Note No.3 (Added June 4, 2010)
It has come to my attention (via searching on Youtube), that Richie Ramone had done vocal tracks for the band for this album. The two tracks that have surfaced are "Chasing the Night", and "Humankind". I have not found "Humankind", but here's "Chasing the Night".
Album Length
All time references are based on my iTunes tracklist.
# of Tracks: 13 (original), 25 (w/ Bonuses)
Album Length: 36.6 min (original), 1.1 hours (Expanded)
Shortest Track: "Durango 95" - 0:55
Longest Track: "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)" - 4:32
No "Blitzkrieg Bop" on this album.
NEXT: A live album extravaganza, as I compare the famous IT'S ALIVE and its lesser known cousin NYC 1978!
After Leave Home's excellent bonuses, Too Tough to Die is the closest competitor as the extras on this album are grand. You are getting 2 singles (the excellent "Smash You" and a ripping cover of "Street Fighting Man"), 8 demos, and two unreleased tracks ("I'm Not An Answer" and "Out of Here"). The demos are way more interesting than the usual fare, as a few of these are either stripped bare-bones renditions ("Howling of the Moon" sounds different!) or Dee Dee sung tracks. Now, I've written that I'm normally not a fan of Dee Dee's vocals, but he does do a great job on a few of these, even with his monotonous singing ("Too Tough to Die" is my favorite.). I'm only disappointed that "Out of Here" has a barely audible vocal track, as that song has a great riff and the lyrics might have been interesting to listen to.
Note No.1
Only the first eight studio albums were remastered, so anything after Too Tough to Die was left untouched. I recently read an old interview with Johnny Ramone (click here) that mentioned how it was getting harder to find extra material because, after this album, he was becoming tired of making demos for executives to listen to choose from and own. Also, Johnny passed way in 2004, thereby making any any further remasters of this quality improbable. I believe that the last things he did merchandise-wise were choosing the tracks for the compilations Weird Tales of the Ramones and Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits, and the commentary track for Ramones: Raw, so he probably didn't get to do anything else. Also, it would be hard to only interview Marky and CJ for the liner notes, as Joey and Johnny had the most input after Dee Dee quit the band.
Note No.2
It's actually bittersweet to review this CD, as the three main band members are dead and have been for over 6 years now (Johnny was the last to go in '04) and this album title always reminds me of that. The title Too Tough to Die is ghastly as it's the music that has survived and the boys themselves did not. Only the 4 drummers (yes, I include Elvis Ramone) and CJ are left. To make matters worse, it's the heart and soul of the group that's buried. I can't listen to this album today without thinking of the depressive undertones of that title. Even the Johnny Ramone tribute DVD is named Too Tough to Die, and while they discuss him, the bands paying tribute to the group are playing Ramones music. In the end, the phrase "Too Tough to Die" isn't exactly describing the group or any one member, it's about the music. Thinking on it, it may have always been about the music as this was the album that brought them back to reality (or at least tried to). The album cover shows them as nothing more than silhouettes, with their name and the albums title more prominent than them in big, bold white lettering contrasting the navy blue background color. That is "Too Tough to Die".
Note No.3 (Added June 4, 2010)
It has come to my attention (via searching on Youtube), that Richie Ramone had done vocal tracks for the band for this album. The two tracks that have surfaced are "Chasing the Night", and "Humankind". I have not found "Humankind", but here's "Chasing the Night".
Album Length
All time references are based on my iTunes tracklist.
# of Tracks: 13 (original), 25 (w/ Bonuses)
Album Length: 36.6 min (original), 1.1 hours (Expanded)
Shortest Track: "Durango 95" - 0:55
Longest Track: "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)" - 4:32
No "Blitzkrieg Bop" on this album.
NEXT: A live album extravaganza, as I compare the famous IT'S ALIVE and its lesser known cousin NYC 1978!
TOO TOUGH TO DIE!!
Subterranean Jungle was the band at a low point. They sacrificed their earlier sound for a chance to reach the pop charts, only to find themselves in a worse position than the one they left. Going back to their loud, fast style was not an easy option, as their sound was now commonplace amongst the hardcore punks and heavy metal bands. The Ramones chose an alternate, yet necessary route: All our classic stuff but louder, faster, and put in whatever works with it!
Too Tough to Die does not necessarily mark of the return of the earlier Ramones sound but it does bring them back to what is considered to be their meat and potatoes. They play fast, loud, and some songs are actually short on this record. The solos and leads do return, and there's a 3 song stretch on the album with each song passing the 4 minute range, but it's well-executed. With Tommy Ramone and Ed Stasium back in production, the boys managed to combine their classic sound with the lessons learned from the Pop-Ramones era and Too Tough to Die is the best of both worlds.
Sound-wise, this album represents the band at its strongest. Joey voice sounds appropriately darker on this album as it has in fact matured nicely since the early days, and he could still pull of the sweetness when called for. Johnny, as usual, fiercely rips every chord and there are in fact pieces where I think he plays the lead (maybe "Mama's Boy", for one). Of course he doesn't do all the lead work because there's always someone helping him out (Walter Lure makes his return in some tracks, because I bet Johnny didn't play some of those parts in "Chasing the Night"), but it's nice to know that the guitar sound does not come off as strange or as forced as in Subterranean Jungle. Aside from his guitar work, Johnny's major contribution to the album is the only instrumental the band ever made, "Durango 95". It's a short piece piece, but it doesn't overstay its welcome and it would later be the opener for their concerts. As for Dee Dee, I never enjoyed the idea of him singing an entire song as his voice is borderline monotonous, but his singing is adequate for his "hardcore" songs. Finally, Richie Ramone makes his debut replacing Marky and he does not disappoint. He's a faster, metalesque drummer, and I think you can hear in this album the influence he brings in terms of the band's future speed runs. The only negatives I can think of are the synthesizers and KEYBOARDS on "Howling at the Moon", as I find that they make that song a bit dated and whatever that beeping noise on "Chasing the Night"'s chorus comes from is annoying. Finally, there's a piano riff on "Planet Earth 1988", which really sounds non-Ramones, but this album is really one bizarrely effective work the more I think about it.
(The boys have some great atmosphere on the tracks. The darkness of "Mama's Boy" and the tired feelings evoked on "I'm Not Afraid of Alive" really stand out.)
The songwriting on this album is stronger than previous efforts, but the lyrics have become stranger than even the song "Highest Trails Above". Dee Dee's material has the weirdest moments as he had become a bit political and aware of the world outside of the military/communism, but the stuff just go off the wall. (Some of my favorites include "Guerilla armies rule the street, no more Christmas or trick or treat." and "I see an old lady with a shopping bag, and I wonder if life's a drag."on "I'm Not Afraid of Life") "Mama's Boy" and the title track are great tracks, but what the hell was Dee Dee writing about? The first two verses on "Mama's Boy" are about an outcast and/or snitch, but then the song shifts about not wanting to work in different jobs in an abstract world. I think the lyrics on the title track were just written to get to the chorus because they too jump to different subjects without much coherence. His "hardcore" tracks are wacky, but I've read somewhere that "Warthog" was supposed to be about a rehab meeting he went to, so that makes some sense (still sucks). "Planet Earth 1988" and "Howling at the Moon" are Dee Dee's most focused works as he stays on subject and they're great because of it. I wouldn't make a big deal out of Dee Dee's work if it wasn't for the fact that it's so dominant on this album.
Joey has fewer contributions than usual on this album, but his pieces are also entertaining. Always the romantic, Joey wrote "Chasing the Night" and "Daytime Dilemma". "Chasing the Night" is similar to "In the Park" as it's topic is hanging out, but the song has an annoying chorus which I blame the instrumental side of things and not lyrics themselves. "Daytime Dilemma" is about some girl who fell in love and her life got unruly. It has a pretty catchy chorus and bridge, but I feel Joey was stressing his vocals a bit. Joey also wrote "No Go", the final track on the album and a fun little ditty to end the album.
(I didn't forget the Richie-penned track "Humankind", but it's lyrics are equally as bizarre as the stuff Dee Dee wrote and not as effective. If I remember correctly, he also wrote "Smash You", which is on the extras on the remaster and that is better.)
This album really is wacky, full of nonsense and pure stream of consciousness in a few areas - but it still rocks. A major, major upgrade from the wretched Subterranean Jungle by leaps and bounds, and one of the Ramones's finest moments. There may be keyboards and synthesizers, the lyrics may have expanded beyond the minimalism and humor of Ramones, and some songs are longer than the usual. Where else can you get love songs, hardcore tracks, politically aware lyrics, and an instrumental in one non-career retrospective album? All those pieces add up to a surprisingly tight album that's worthy of a listen. Plus, the Expanded Edition has a ton of added bonus that makes the album a must-buy!
NEXT: We're back to our chronological studies with IT'S ALIVE/NYC 1978!
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