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!