The Expanded Edition
This edition of Leave Home is a vast improvement in the extras department as a complete concert was included. The concert was recorded on August 12, 1976 at the Roxy in California. The set is mostly the debut album and a few from Leave Home. The concert sounds amazing as the band played with blistering speed without much error or rest between the songs. It's great to hear them this early in their career and a year before the "It's Alive" concert, and its interesting to hear Dee Dee's backup singing alongside Joey clearly. The extras are the best of any of the Remasters, making this a must purchase for anyone.
Length
All time references are taken from my iTunes setlist.
# of Tracks: 15 (album), 31 (w/ bonuses)
Album Length: 34:00 (non-extras), 66:55 (Expanded)
Shortest Track: "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" - 1:45
Longest Track : "Babysitter" - 2:49
Concert
Shortest Track: "Judy is A Punk" - 1:23 (10 seconds shorter than original)
Longest Track: "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World"- 2:53 (with 56 seconds of Joey's farewell and cheers), 1:56 (from song's start to finish)
Length of "Blitzkrieg Bop": 2:05 - (without Joey's welcome and post-song cheers), 2:13 - (with intro and cheers)
At this moment in their career, the Ramones have the fastest recorded version of Blitzkrieg Bop at 2:05. Taking the intro and cheers to consideration, it is as long as the album cut in Ramones.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Leave Home...
After Ramones, I bought Leave Home, their second album and one that has been upgraded as a result of the Expanded Edition. According to the liner notes and all sorts of places, the song "Carbona Not Glue" caused a bit of a trademark issue that resulted in seeing the song removed and replaced with "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" in certain markets. The Expanded Edition has the album as it was originally intended with "Carbona not Glue" reinstated.
Leave Home is a not a completely different album than Ramones, as the material is short, fast and to the point. In fact, it is slightly slower and longer than Ramones with 15 tracks played in 34 minutes compared to the prior album's 14 tracks at 29.2 minutes. While the songs are longer on average, the album is over as fast as Ramones. Most of the song topics are the same, and it really feels like like Ramones, Part 2 as even the saddest or most horrifying topic is engaged with the same joyously dark delight.
So, what's the difference? First, the production has changed to what will be the Ramones's distinct album sound from now until Road to Ruin - all instruments playing at once with no separation between the guitar and bass with an increase in loudness. I enjoyed the previous album's channel separation, but the sound on this album is much improved as everything sounds fiercer and faster. However, I think that Dee Dee's playing is lost in this increase in sound, as Johnny's guitar playing and Tommy's drum banging are now important to the overall sound-scape. The bass is still there, but you have to pay more attention to find it.
As stated earlier, the album songs are based on the same formula as before and repeated in future albums (a Joey love song or two, a drug song, an early rock and roll/pop cover, horror/murder, child/parental abuse - not necessarily in that order), but this album introduces us to probably their favorite genre (ties with horror) - mental illness. "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment", "Suzy is a Headbanger", and "Pinhead", all well written and just as memorable as any song on this album, are strange to me in that not only is the band embracing mental illness, but they perform their songs with a warm, non-ironic tone. I often find a web page or documentary discussing some of the band members dealings with mental illnesses, and its amazing to see a band write upbeat songs about that topic despite the problems they dealt with.
The songwriting in general is just as good as Ramones, but they did increase some of the comedy (dark humor) in songs like "Commando" where soldiers are ordered to love their mommies, eats kosher salami, and never talk to commies, and all while following the laws of (Nazi?) Germany. "Your Gonna Get That Girl" which deals with a killer catching his prey to "get the glory like Charles Manson". "Swallow My Pride" is my personal favorite in terms of lyrics, as the song is surprisingly philosophical compared most of their songs, and it's done in a humorous Ramones fashion as the band eventually comes to the realization that it's better to "have a real cool time" than to be grim.
Their style is still as effective as ever, but the cover of "California Sun" is the standout of the album as it clearly shows the band (ie. Johnny) being able to play a song with a note playing riff. Unlike Ramones's inclusion of "Just Dance", "California Sun actually sounds different from the original as it is played and sounds like a regular Ramones song. Just to be clear, the original "California Sun" included an organ in the background, akin to "Let's Dance". Unlike "Let's Dance", the band did not choose to make a note by note cover and instead played it without the organ and went with the fast, to-the-point style that they're famous for.
Overall, this was the album that justified my positive feelings for the band. Leave Home is not only an improvement in sound, but an even bigger improvement in songwriting and musicianship. A worthy purchase today as it probably was so many years ago, and read the addendum for information on the excellent re-release!
Next: Rocket to Russia, and a giant leap in time!
Leave Home is a not a completely different album than Ramones, as the material is short, fast and to the point. In fact, it is slightly slower and longer than Ramones with 15 tracks played in 34 minutes compared to the prior album's 14 tracks at 29.2 minutes. While the songs are longer on average, the album is over as fast as Ramones. Most of the song topics are the same, and it really feels like like Ramones, Part 2 as even the saddest or most horrifying topic is engaged with the same joyously dark delight.
So, what's the difference? First, the production has changed to what will be the Ramones's distinct album sound from now until Road to Ruin - all instruments playing at once with no separation between the guitar and bass with an increase in loudness. I enjoyed the previous album's channel separation, but the sound on this album is much improved as everything sounds fiercer and faster. However, I think that Dee Dee's playing is lost in this increase in sound, as Johnny's guitar playing and Tommy's drum banging are now important to the overall sound-scape. The bass is still there, but you have to pay more attention to find it.
As stated earlier, the album songs are based on the same formula as before and repeated in future albums (a Joey love song or two, a drug song, an early rock and roll/pop cover, horror/murder, child/parental abuse - not necessarily in that order), but this album introduces us to probably their favorite genre (ties with horror) - mental illness. "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment", "Suzy is a Headbanger", and "Pinhead", all well written and just as memorable as any song on this album, are strange to me in that not only is the band embracing mental illness, but they perform their songs with a warm, non-ironic tone. I often find a web page or documentary discussing some of the band members dealings with mental illnesses, and its amazing to see a band write upbeat songs about that topic despite the problems they dealt with.
The songwriting in general is just as good as Ramones, but they did increase some of the comedy (dark humor) in songs like "Commando" where soldiers are ordered to love their mommies, eats kosher salami, and never talk to commies, and all while following the laws of (Nazi?) Germany. "Your Gonna Get That Girl" which deals with a killer catching his prey to "get the glory like Charles Manson". "Swallow My Pride" is my personal favorite in terms of lyrics, as the song is surprisingly philosophical compared most of their songs, and it's done in a humorous Ramones fashion as the band eventually comes to the realization that it's better to "have a real cool time" than to be grim.
Their style is still as effective as ever, but the cover of "California Sun" is the standout of the album as it clearly shows the band (ie. Johnny) being able to play a song with a note playing riff. Unlike Ramones's inclusion of "Just Dance", "California Sun actually sounds different from the original as it is played and sounds like a regular Ramones song. Just to be clear, the original "California Sun" included an organ in the background, akin to "Let's Dance". Unlike "Let's Dance", the band did not choose to make a note by note cover and instead played it without the organ and went with the fast, to-the-point style that they're famous for.
Overall, this was the album that justified my positive feelings for the band. Leave Home is not only an improvement in sound, but an even bigger improvement in songwriting and musicianship. A worthy purchase today as it probably was so many years ago, and read the addendum for information on the excellent re-release!
Next: Rocket to Russia, and a giant leap in time!
Monday, April 5, 2010
The First Ramones Album
As I mentioned on my introductory post, Ramones is the first album I bought from the Ramones, and it is also the first album they made.
I bought it in early January 2008, almost 32 years since it was released, with high expectations. This was as big to me as listening to Abbey Road or Blonde on Blonde, as this album is considered a landmark in rock n' roll and the band's magnum opus. Reading album reviews didn't help lower my expectations, as reviewers often repeated the same information about its length, style (Three Chords and the Truth), and historical importance. Even at the time of this post, there is so much information on this album alone that it gives the impression that the Ramones could never do any better.
The Ramones did release 13 studio albums after this one, so I will save my opinion on what I consider their best until I finally reach the end of looking back at their albums.
Ramones is a great album, one that has enough ear worms and idiosyncrasies to leave you mesmerized after listening.
For one, the production on this album is different from any of their albums in that:
1. Johnny and Dee Dee are playing in different channels (I think that's the correct terminology), with only Joey and Tommy coming in from both sides. It reminds me of Beatles albums where you can actually listen to any instrument you want if you know what speaker it's coming from. This even works well in my headphones, where I can block Johnny's playing for one song or ignore Dee Dee's bass playing in the next.
2. The sound in general comes off as Spartan, with almost no special bells and whistles. There is only the singer, a distorted guitar, bass, and drums at all times and all of them sound a bit low. Every album after this sounds louder and obviously cleaned up, but Ramones has the distinction of sounding as if the four guys were the only ones in the studio.
As for the songs, every song on the album is catchy and brief, with a frequently repeated verse and chorus with all instruments continuously playing until the next song. The band wastes no time with solos or long instrument breaks (except in I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement", which happens to be the album's longest song at 2:40 and "Let's Dance", a cover song.) The topics are funny and still fresh, with songs like "Chain Saw" and "Beat on the Brat" alluding to horror films and childhood violence respectively. They even have saccharine love songs such as "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" that boggle my mind in their juxtaposition with the Nazi imagery of "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World! The songwriting is surprisingly impressive for a debut; it's the album's best facet and the reason I enjoyed it the most.
(One misconception that I got from reviews is that the band only played the same three chords per song, but that's not true. Just take a good listen to "Let's Dance" or "53rd & 3rd".)
If there is one thing that bothered me about this album, then it is the speed in which the songs are played. I thought everything was good when I first heard the album, but the further I listened to their catalog, the more it seems as if their playing is constrained in Ramones. "Blitzkrieg Bop" sounds fiercer and faster in live albums, but the album's cut sounds slower. It could be that this was the speed in which they first performed, and future albums were faster due to the gained ease of playing through the years.
Overall, this album fulfilled my expectations. It's a fun, happy thirty minutes (45 if you have the expanded release), filled with some of the most so-simple-it's-genius writing and playing that is still as good today as it was 34 years ago. The band would eventually tighten their playing and studio experience, but this is still a great debut and a fine album to buy.
Next : Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, and a jump in time!
I bought it in early January 2008, almost 32 years since it was released, with high expectations. This was as big to me as listening to Abbey Road or Blonde on Blonde, as this album is considered a landmark in rock n' roll and the band's magnum opus. Reading album reviews didn't help lower my expectations, as reviewers often repeated the same information about its length, style (Three Chords and the Truth), and historical importance. Even at the time of this post, there is so much information on this album alone that it gives the impression that the Ramones could never do any better.
The Ramones did release 13 studio albums after this one, so I will save my opinion on what I consider their best until I finally reach the end of looking back at their albums.
Ramones is a great album, one that has enough ear worms and idiosyncrasies to leave you mesmerized after listening.
For one, the production on this album is different from any of their albums in that:
1. Johnny and Dee Dee are playing in different channels (I think that's the correct terminology), with only Joey and Tommy coming in from both sides. It reminds me of Beatles albums where you can actually listen to any instrument you want if you know what speaker it's coming from. This even works well in my headphones, where I can block Johnny's playing for one song or ignore Dee Dee's bass playing in the next.
2. The sound in general comes off as Spartan, with almost no special bells and whistles. There is only the singer, a distorted guitar, bass, and drums at all times and all of them sound a bit low. Every album after this sounds louder and obviously cleaned up, but Ramones has the distinction of sounding as if the four guys were the only ones in the studio.
As for the songs, every song on the album is catchy and brief, with a frequently repeated verse and chorus with all instruments continuously playing until the next song. The band wastes no time with solos or long instrument breaks (except in I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement", which happens to be the album's longest song at 2:40 and "Let's Dance", a cover song.) The topics are funny and still fresh, with songs like "Chain Saw" and "Beat on the Brat" alluding to horror films and childhood violence respectively. They even have saccharine love songs such as "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" that boggle my mind in their juxtaposition with the Nazi imagery of "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World! The songwriting is surprisingly impressive for a debut; it's the album's best facet and the reason I enjoyed it the most.
(One misconception that I got from reviews is that the band only played the same three chords per song, but that's not true. Just take a good listen to "Let's Dance" or "53rd & 3rd".)
If there is one thing that bothered me about this album, then it is the speed in which the songs are played. I thought everything was good when I first heard the album, but the further I listened to their catalog, the more it seems as if their playing is constrained in Ramones. "Blitzkrieg Bop" sounds fiercer and faster in live albums, but the album's cut sounds slower. It could be that this was the speed in which they first performed, and future albums were faster due to the gained ease of playing through the years.
Overall, this album fulfilled my expectations. It's a fun, happy thirty minutes (45 if you have the expanded release), filled with some of the most so-simple-it's-genius writing and playing that is still as good today as it was 34 years ago. The band would eventually tighten their playing and studio experience, but this is still a great debut and a fine album to buy.
Next : Leave Home, Rocket to Russia, and a jump in time!
The First Ramones Album Addendum
About the Expanded Edition
The Ramones Expanded Edition included 8 extra tracks, but they really are weak and fan-oriented. There are seven demos, with "I Can't Be" and "I Don't Wanna Be Learned / I Don't Wanna Be Tamed" being unreleased songs and "I Don't Care" is interesting as I didn't know this song was recorded earlier than Rocket to Russia.
The other extra is the single version of "Blitzkrieg Bop", which is louder than the album cut and is also a second shorter. As the remaster is the only version of this album easily available to everyone (vinyl excluded), it's quite a bargain as I was able to buy it for 8 bucks on Amazon. In fact, most remasters are cheaper than their iTunes counterparts, making them the better option in terms of price.
Length
All time references are taken from my iTunes setlist.
# of Tracks: 14 (original), 22 (Expanded)
Album Length: 29.2 minutes (original), 44.6 (Expanded)
Shortest Track: "Judy is a Punk" - 1:33
Longest Track : "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" - 2:40
Length of "Blitzkrieg Bop": 2:13 (album cut), 2:12 (single cut from the Exp. Edition)
Blitzkrieg Bop is important as it is not only the Ramones most recognized song, but it is a great point to observe the band's gradual changes in speed through their 22 years.
The Ramones Expanded Edition included 8 extra tracks, but they really are weak and fan-oriented. There are seven demos, with "I Can't Be" and "I Don't Wanna Be Learned / I Don't Wanna Be Tamed" being unreleased songs and "I Don't Care" is interesting as I didn't know this song was recorded earlier than Rocket to Russia.
The other extra is the single version of "Blitzkrieg Bop", which is louder than the album cut and is also a second shorter. As the remaster is the only version of this album easily available to everyone (vinyl excluded), it's quite a bargain as I was able to buy it for 8 bucks on Amazon. In fact, most remasters are cheaper than their iTunes counterparts, making them the better option in terms of price.
Length
All time references are taken from my iTunes setlist.
# of Tracks: 14 (original), 22 (Expanded)
Album Length: 29.2 minutes (original), 44.6 (Expanded)
Shortest Track: "Judy is a Punk" - 1:33
Longest Track : "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" - 2:40
Length of "Blitzkrieg Bop": 2:13 (album cut), 2:12 (single cut from the Exp. Edition)
Blitzkrieg Bop is important as it is not only the Ramones most recognized song, but it is a great point to observe the band's gradual changes in speed through their 22 years.
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