We're Outta Here is the live recording of the Ramones's final concert that took place on August 6, 1996. The band was finished after the River Plate Stadium event in Argentina earlier that year, but they were offered a spot in Lollapalooza and thus their retirement was halted for a while. This halt gave us the final product that was made when the band was active - We're Outta Here!.
What separates this recording from the rest of their live albums (besides the historical value) is the guest stars that appear. We get Lemmy from Motorhead playing his own song "R.A.M.O.N.E.S", Tim Armstrong and Lars Fredericksen of Rancid on "53rd & 3rd", Chris Cornell and Ben Shepard of Soundgarden on "Chinese Rocks", and Ramones Fan Club member Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam, of course) on the final track, "Any Way You Want It". Before I forget, Dee Dee Ramone makes a surprise return on "Love Kills", but Dee Dee screws it up and...it's a Dee Dee thing. The inclusion of all these guests is strange, as the Ramones didn't have many guests on their albums (outside of singles, "Go Lil' Camaro Go" on Halfway to Sanity and the few tracks on Acid Eaters), but they add their own touches here and there (My favorites were Lemmy and the guys from Rancid. Eddie sounded a bit off.).
The setlist is the same as what a full Greatest Hits Live would have been, with live cuts of that album's bonus tracks included ("R.A.M.O.N.E.S.", "Any Way You Want It"). The only qualm that I found in it was that there is very little breathing space between the songs as one song starts right after the other with no cuts in between. I don't think the band was able to pull off this feat at the end, when Joey's singing was not as it used to be and we get that strange style where he stresses words out to fill in parts.
Unless you're a completionist, this is the definite second live album to obtain. It's the band's final product while they were active, and at a 32 song length, this is a good value as well. Not as great as NYC 1978, but better than Greatest Hits Live or even Loco Live.
Showing posts with label Live Albums. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Live Albums. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Greatest Hits Live
Again, let's get this out of the way: The Ramones never had hits in the vein of the Clash or the Sex Pistols. The band was excellent, but they rarely got something to chart well enough. If this was a "Greatest Hits" compilation, then there would only be three songs on it ("Baby, I Love You", Pet Sematary", and "Poison Heart"). Of course, the band does not mean hits in the charts, but hits among the fans of the group...(Lampshade, please.)
With the last album being their final studio release, the band set out its final tour which gave us two different live albums. The first was "Greatest Hits Live", an album that's often considered to be a record company mandate and not something the band cared about - and it shows. What you're getting here is not a complete concert, but half of what was one of the final New York City concerts for the band.
The songs and albums chosen for this album were:
Ramones - 3 ("Blitzkrieg Bop", "Beat on the Brat", "53rd & 3rd")
Rocket to Russia - 4 ("Sheena is a Punk Rocker", "Rockaway Beach", "We're a Happy Family", "Do You Wanna Dance?")
Road to Ruin - 1 ("I Wanna Be Sedated")
End of the Century - 1 ("Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio?")
Too Tough to Die - 1 ("Durango 95")
Brain Drain -1 ("Pet Sematary")
Mondo Bizarro - 1 (Strength to Endure")
Adios Amigos - 3 ("I Don't Want to Grow Up", "Cretin Family", "The Crusher")
Singles -3 (The live rendition of "Spider-Man", plus the two bonus studio cuts: "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." and the cover of "Any Way You Want It")
If you were around/ conscious of the band during this time, then you already had Loco Live and It's Alive available to you. Do you really need Greatest Hits Live today? If you are a fan/completionist, then yes. Casual fans and those who want to start listening to the band need not apply. Outside of the live versions of a few Adios Amigos songs, there's nothing new on this album except for the studio cuts that can be found on compilations like Weird Tales of the Ramones. Plus, you're getting a few songs compared to the monster tracklists of the other live albums. Even the bonus concert on the Leave Home expanded release has the same number of songs available to you for a lower price, and that one is justifiable as the band was still young when it was recorded.
If you decide to purchase this record, then I would say that there are some great things about it. For one thing, I enjoyed this performance more than the one on Loco Live. Every member sounds lively, and Joey does bring in a few great performances. I especially enjoyed his kick ass performance of "Pet Sematary", as I can't stand the studio cut. The rest of the songs have been done to death, but the band had slightly increased their speed again, so there's always a reason to give it a listen.
"Cretin Family" however, is still a horrible song even if it's done live.
It's a fifteen year old album that would hold up well if it was the only Ramones live release. There are so many recordings available to the consumer at this point that it makes this release unnecessary. If they would release this album in a complete state, then I would gladly re-evaluate it. At this state, stick to NYC 1978 or Loco Live.
With the last album being their final studio release, the band set out its final tour which gave us two different live albums. The first was "Greatest Hits Live", an album that's often considered to be a record company mandate and not something the band cared about - and it shows. What you're getting here is not a complete concert, but half of what was one of the final New York City concerts for the band.
The songs and albums chosen for this album were:
Ramones - 3 ("Blitzkrieg Bop", "Beat on the Brat", "53rd & 3rd")
Rocket to Russia - 4 ("Sheena is a Punk Rocker", "Rockaway Beach", "We're a Happy Family", "Do You Wanna Dance?")
Road to Ruin - 1 ("I Wanna Be Sedated")
End of the Century - 1 ("Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio?")
Too Tough to Die - 1 ("Durango 95")
Brain Drain -1 ("Pet Sematary")
Mondo Bizarro - 1 (Strength to Endure")
Adios Amigos - 3 ("I Don't Want to Grow Up", "Cretin Family", "The Crusher")
Singles -3 (The live rendition of "Spider-Man", plus the two bonus studio cuts: "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." and the cover of "Any Way You Want It")
If you were around/ conscious of the band during this time, then you already had Loco Live and It's Alive available to you. Do you really need Greatest Hits Live today? If you are a fan/completionist, then yes. Casual fans and those who want to start listening to the band need not apply. Outside of the live versions of a few Adios Amigos songs, there's nothing new on this album except for the studio cuts that can be found on compilations like Weird Tales of the Ramones. Plus, you're getting a few songs compared to the monster tracklists of the other live albums. Even the bonus concert on the Leave Home expanded release has the same number of songs available to you for a lower price, and that one is justifiable as the band was still young when it was recorded.
If you decide to purchase this record, then I would say that there are some great things about it. For one thing, I enjoyed this performance more than the one on Loco Live. Every member sounds lively, and Joey does bring in a few great performances. I especially enjoyed his kick ass performance of "Pet Sematary", as I can't stand the studio cut. The rest of the songs have been done to death, but the band had slightly increased their speed again, so there's always a reason to give it a listen.
"Cretin Family" however, is still a horrible song even if it's done live.
It's a fifteen year old album that would hold up well if it was the only Ramones live release. There are so many recordings available to the consumer at this point that it makes this release unnecessary. If they would release this album in a complete state, then I would gladly re-evaluate it. At this state, stick to NYC 1978 or Loco Live.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Loco Live!
With Brain Drain gone, we have officially made it to the fourth and final era of the Ramones -
Legendary Ramones, an era fueled by nostalgia and a younger worldwide fan base focused in their final attempt to recapture their earlier sounds in order to achieve the one goal that fueled their entire careers - Mainstream Success.
The band's final era got off to a bumpy start with the departure of Dee Dee Ramone. Dee Dee was carrying the group with the ridiculous amount of contributions in each album from Too Tough to Die all the way to Brain Drain, but the endless touring and the abuse from other members made him quit. In typical Ramones fashion the show went on without him, but he still gave the band material for their later albums. His replacement was C.J. Ward, a young chap who grew up listening to the band. C.J. would be the final addition to the band, thus cementing him in the final Ramones line-up of Johnny, Joey, Marky, and C.J.
C.J. would make his debut on Loco Live, the second Ramones live album released during the band's lifetime. The last live album, It's Alive, showcases the band's idealized peak as the four young men from Queens who assaulted the ears of British audiences with blistering minimalist rock and roll. Twelve years later, two of the young men were gone, and the two that were left continued the band despite their deep-rooted hatred for each other and the years of wear and tear that the road had given them. The Ramones that were captured playing in Barcelona for Loco Live are older and brutally fast, lacking the playfulness of their younger selves in exchange for the quickness that can only come from years of experience and continuously playing the same songs.
By this point in the timetable, Johnny and Joey have played Blitzkrieg Bop more than a thousand times. The song had become as intuitive as sleeping than another bit of muscle memory. What started out as a two minute-13 seconds long song, Blitzkrieg Bop was becoming shorter and faster each year they played it. In Loco Live, the band reached a milestone by making the song 1:45 seconds long. Marky and C.J. were probably happy to go along with the speed increases as both held their own ground without skipping a beat. Anything that was on Loco Live will have a noticeable speed increase.
The speed increase is not bad if not for the few pieces were Joey doesn't completely sing the songs and instead stretches the chorus or does some sort of scat singing. He does have his growl on some of the tracks, but it does not offend as it did on the later studio albums. Another issue with the speed increase is actually something that has bothered me since End of the Century. Johnny Ramone was an excellent rhythm guitarist, but he had some trouble playing lead guitar pieces. If a song had a complicated, note-driven riffs on the studio tracks, they most likely would have been recorded by someone else and later played offstage by a roadie live or pre-recorded. The faster playing has resulted in some of their later songs losing their riffs and solos, such as "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" and "I Believe in Miracles". I enjoy these stripped versions as that's probably the way those songs would have been played during their minimal years. The songs that benefit from this arrangement are "Pet Sematary" and "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg", songs that were so overproduced and long on the albums that the reduction makes them tolerable, and in "Sematary"'s case, enjoyable.
I can't complain much about the setlist. The first nine songs, minus "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" were the Ramones standard from Loco Live on to We're Outta Here. They never changed position and were ingrained in their subconscious, so there's nothing much to add. Ramones is mostly represented here, followed by Rocket to Russia and the rest. Pleasant Dreams, Subterranean Jungle, and Halfway to Sanity are the least represented with one song each. It's unfair to both Pleasant Dreams and Halfway to Sanity, as those albums had more than one good track on them. Two omissions that I found interesting were "California Sun" and "We're a Happy Family", songs that have been played live for years. "We're A Happy Family" would return in We're Outta Here, but "California Sun" was gone. They still played it around that year and it was actually part of the Greatest Hits Live full recording, but it doesn't appear again on future live recordings.
In general, the band as it's portrayed in Loco Live are men who have mastered their craft of live playing. While Loco Live may not have the acclaim or romanticism of It's Alive (or the gritty authenticity of NYC 1978), what you're getting is a good album full of rare songs that you would not have heard them play again, mixed with the usual Ramones repertoire that had been sped up a bit.
Legendary Ramones, an era fueled by nostalgia and a younger worldwide fan base focused in their final attempt to recapture their earlier sounds in order to achieve the one goal that fueled their entire careers - Mainstream Success.
The band's final era got off to a bumpy start with the departure of Dee Dee Ramone. Dee Dee was carrying the group with the ridiculous amount of contributions in each album from Too Tough to Die all the way to Brain Drain, but the endless touring and the abuse from other members made him quit. In typical Ramones fashion the show went on without him, but he still gave the band material for their later albums. His replacement was C.J. Ward, a young chap who grew up listening to the band. C.J. would be the final addition to the band, thus cementing him in the final Ramones line-up of Johnny, Joey, Marky, and C.J.
C.J. would make his debut on Loco Live, the second Ramones live album released during the band's lifetime. The last live album, It's Alive, showcases the band's idealized peak as the four young men from Queens who assaulted the ears of British audiences with blistering minimalist rock and roll. Twelve years later, two of the young men were gone, and the two that were left continued the band despite their deep-rooted hatred for each other and the years of wear and tear that the road had given them. The Ramones that were captured playing in Barcelona for Loco Live are older and brutally fast, lacking the playfulness of their younger selves in exchange for the quickness that can only come from years of experience and continuously playing the same songs.
By this point in the timetable, Johnny and Joey have played Blitzkrieg Bop more than a thousand times. The song had become as intuitive as sleeping than another bit of muscle memory. What started out as a two minute-13 seconds long song, Blitzkrieg Bop was becoming shorter and faster each year they played it. In Loco Live, the band reached a milestone by making the song 1:45 seconds long. Marky and C.J. were probably happy to go along with the speed increases as both held their own ground without skipping a beat. Anything that was on Loco Live will have a noticeable speed increase.
The speed increase is not bad if not for the few pieces were Joey doesn't completely sing the songs and instead stretches the chorus or does some sort of scat singing. He does have his growl on some of the tracks, but it does not offend as it did on the later studio albums. Another issue with the speed increase is actually something that has bothered me since End of the Century. Johnny Ramone was an excellent rhythm guitarist, but he had some trouble playing lead guitar pieces. If a song had a complicated, note-driven riffs on the studio tracks, they most likely would have been recorded by someone else and later played offstage by a roadie live or pre-recorded. The faster playing has resulted in some of their later songs losing their riffs and solos, such as "Somebody Put Something in My Drink" and "I Believe in Miracles". I enjoy these stripped versions as that's probably the way those songs would have been played during their minimal years. The songs that benefit from this arrangement are "Pet Sematary" and "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg", songs that were so overproduced and long on the albums that the reduction makes them tolerable, and in "Sematary"'s case, enjoyable.
I can't complain much about the setlist. The first nine songs, minus "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" were the Ramones standard from Loco Live on to We're Outta Here. They never changed position and were ingrained in their subconscious, so there's nothing much to add. Ramones is mostly represented here, followed by Rocket to Russia and the rest. Pleasant Dreams, Subterranean Jungle, and Halfway to Sanity are the least represented with one song each. It's unfair to both Pleasant Dreams and Halfway to Sanity, as those albums had more than one good track on them. Two omissions that I found interesting were "California Sun" and "We're a Happy Family", songs that have been played live for years. "We're A Happy Family" would return in We're Outta Here, but "California Sun" was gone. They still played it around that year and it was actually part of the Greatest Hits Live full recording, but it doesn't appear again on future live recordings.
In general, the band as it's portrayed in Loco Live are men who have mastered their craft of live playing. While Loco Live may not have the acclaim or romanticism of It's Alive (or the gritty authenticity of NYC 1978), what you're getting is a good album full of rare songs that you would not have heard them play again, mixed with the usual Ramones repertoire that had been sped up a bit.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
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
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