Ramones "Too Tough to Die" (1984)

Too Tough to Die
release date: Oct. 1, 1984
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Tommy Ramone, Ed Stasium
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

8th studio album by Ramones is an attempt to return to former hey-days exemplified by producer-duo Tommy Ramone and Ed Stasium who also stood behind Road to Ruin (1978). Ritchie Ramone has replaced Marky on drums, the latter having played in the band since the '78 album. A bit ironic that Marky apparently was fired for alcohol abuse - ironic 'cause also Joey was a notorious alcoholic but he may have seemed irreplaceable (and then Dee Dee was a cocaine addict at the time).
Yes, the sound is back to something one can easily determine as Ramones and their power pop- or 'bubblegum'-driven version of punk rock. The only negative side of it is the absence of great tracks - the compositions are just not there anymore. The magic seems gone, and to me, this marks the end to Ramones as I had already given up on the band after Pleasant Dreams (1981). However, the band would go on in slightly different line-ups (Marky returning and Dee Dee being fired, replaced, and eventually re-adopted in the band) to release another six studio albums - the final being ¡Adiós Amigos! released in 1995.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Ramones "Subterranean Jungle" (1983)

Subterranean Jungle
release date: Feb. 28, 1983
format: cd
[album rate: 2,5 / 5]
producer: Ritchie Cordell, Glen Kolotkin
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Little Bit O' Soul" (3,5 / 5) - 3. "Outsider" (3 / 5)

7th studio album by Ramones, again with new producers to define a new sound. The album is the last to feature drummer Marky Ramone. Here it's like a move back to the new wave era, which mostly sounds strange. The overall style is more hard hitting version of rock compared to the predecessor, which may indicate that guitarist Johnny Ramone had his say about what direction to pick after having sought for success (and a personal style) for some time. In my opinion it only contains two good tracks, the rest are mediocre or worse, and I don't find that the album is anywhere near interesting.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5, Rolling Stone Album Guide 2 / 5 stars ]

Ramones "Pleasant Dreams" (1981)

Pleasant Dreams
release date: Jul. 29, 1981
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Graham Gouldman
label: Sire Record - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "We Want the Airwaves" (3 / 5) - 2. "All's Quiet on the Easter Front" - 3. "The KKK Took My Baby Away" (3 / 5) - 4. "Don't Go" - 7. "She's a Sensation" (3 / 5)

6th studio album by Ramones featuring a new producer and once again a new sound. It seems the band was constantly searching for the right sound to go hand in hand with the power pop compositions that kept pointing in many directions, and once again they failed to come up with something great. Maybe due to internal controversy regarding what to play. It's a well-known tale that singer and lyrical composer Joey Ramone often wanted a more pop-minded sound whereas lead guitarist Johnny Ramone wanted to be in a hard rock band. At least on this album they make sure to show both sides of that coin, showing their interests for traditional rock & roll, ballads, power pop, and hard rock, but as an album, and despite several fine tracks, they don't succeed all that well.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Ramones "End of the Century" (1980)

End of the Century
release date: Jan. 1980
format: cd (1990 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,70]
producer: Phil Spector
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" (4 / 5) - 4. "Chinese Rock" (3 / 5) - 5. "The Return of Jackie and Judy" (4,5 / 5) - 8. "I Can't Make It on Time" - 9. "This Ain't Havana" (4 / 5) - 10. "Rock 'N' Roll High School"

5th studio album by Ramones follows 1½ years after Road to Ruin (Sep. 1978) and it shows a big leap further in a mainstream direction ensured by 1970s Mr. 'wall of sound' producer, Phil Spector, who is only producer on the album. The sound is fine but honestly doesn't really fit the universe created by Ramones, or perhaps how it used to be like 'cause the band may themselves have asked for a broader style and that'sexactly what they achieve here. Although, the album distances itself from the band's previous studio albums, End of the Century still contains several fine tracks but I'm not a big fan of the sound and felt somewhat disappointed about it - back then, mind you. The album is still made at a time when British bands produced simple punk rock albums, but Ramones had already done this on four earlier studio albums and asked for something else.
In retrospect, I think the album stands as the last of the Ramones classic era.
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3 / 5 stars ]

Ramones "It's Alive" (1979) (live)

It's Alive (live)
release date: Apr. 1979
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5]
producer: Tommy Ramone
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

1st live album by Ramones. The album has legendary status. It's a recorded live concert held on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 1977 at The Rainbow Theatre in London. The original release was a double vinyl lp and the tracks are taken from the band's first four albums, basically comprising the best years by Ramones. The band members playing were the original quartet featuring Joey Ramone on lead vocals, Johnny Ramone on guitar, Dee Dee Ramone on bass and backing vocals, and Tommy Ramone on drums. The album nicely documents how Ramones went on stage and just played track after track without long breaks, and many times without pausing at all. It's truly a fine album at the peak of their performance. It was one of the first albums I was introduced to by the band, and I kept it on cassette for many years before finally purchasing it on cd around the mid 90s.
[ allmusic.com, Q Magazine, Rolling Stone 4 / 5 stars ]

Ramones "Road to Ruin" (1978)

Road to Ruin
release date: Sep. 21, 1978
format: vinyl (yellow vinyl - SRK 6063) / cd (1990 reissue)
[ album rate: 3,5 / 5 ] [3,68]
producer: Tommy Ramone, Ed Stasium
label: Sire Records / Warner - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "I Just Want to Have Something to Do" - 2. "I Wanted Everything" - 3. "Don't Come Close" - 4. "I Don't Want You" - 6. "I'm Against It" - 7. "I Wanna Be Sedated" (5 / 5) - 10. "She's the One" (4 / 5) - 12. "It's a Long Way Back"

4th studio album by Ramones follows the demand for a quick follow-up by succeeding Rocket to Russia by only 10 months. Despite the well-produced '77-album, Tommy Ramone (aka Thomas Erdelyi) left the band in the aftermath of Rocket to Russia to dedicate his work as a studio producer, which he also should continue to take part as concerning the band - this time together with Ed Stasium. As replacement of Tommy, new family member and drummer is now Marky Ramone (aka Marc Bell).
Several tracks showcase the continued journey of great Ramones kicks but the album also introduces a softer and more mainstream-oriented style on several tracks as on the ballad "Questioningly" and "Don't Come Close", a song I mistook for a 1960s cover but which simply turns out to be written by Ramones. The band had always included covers on their albums and this time it's a bolder mainstream composition "Needles and Pins", a The Searchers cover (made famous by Smokie) written by Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche. Some saw the album as an attempt to satisfy a broader audience but the album still contains some of the bands more aggressive and popular compositions like "I Don't Want You", "I'm Against It", "I Wanna Be Sedated", "Go Mental", "She's the One", and "Bad Brain". The album was my first and (so far) only vinyl purchase by the band. Imho, this is the fourth of five successive great studio albums by Ramones.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone not rated but less enthusiastic ]

[ collectors' item - yellow vinyl pressing - from ~ €30,- ]

Best of 1977:Ramones "Rocket to Russia" (1977)

Rocket to Russia
release date: Nov. 4, 1977
format: cd
[album rate: 4,5 / 5] [4,42]
producer: Tony Bongiovi, Tommy Ramone
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Cretin Hop" (5 / 5) - 2. "Rockaway Beach" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" (4 / 5) - 4. "Locket Love" (4 / 5) - 5. "I Don't Care" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (5 / 5) - 7. "We're a Happy Family" (4 / 5) - 8. "Teenage Lobotomy" (4 / 5) - 9. "Do You Wanna Dance?" (org. video) (4,5 / 5) - 10. "I Wanna Be Well" (4 / 5) - 11. "I Can't Give You Anything" (3,5 / 5) - 12. "Ramona" (3,5 / 5) - 13. "Surfin' Bird" (4 / 5) - 14. "Why Is It Always This Way?" (3,5 / 5)

3rd studio album by Ramones follows 10 months after Leave Home. The band has kept the same producer-duo from the predecessor, which had a hard rock tone that sort of didn't pay justice to the band or its image, and luckily, the two producers have helped creating a much more fitting sound.
The album shows a matured band who has learned what works and what doesn't, and despite having the same producer duo as on Leave Home (Jan. 1977) this sounds much better. The compositions seem stronger but perhaps it's more the impression of a more diverse album with the usual fast 1-2-3-4 'bubblegum'-like tracks combined with fine distinctive hooks, slower compositions, and a band now flirting with surf rock inspiration that just add other ingredients. The album is the last to feature the original line-up as drummer Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) left after the release to concentrate on mixing and producing music.
This is my all-time favourite Ramones album, and back when I heard it first around 1980, I played and shouted "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker na-a-a-a-ow!" at maximum volume so my parents must have asked themselves whatever happened to my ABBA albums.
[ allmusic.com, NME 5 / 5 stars ]

1977 Favourite releases: 1. Ramones Rocket to Russia - 2. The Clash The Clash - 3. The Jam In the City

Ramones "Leave Home" (1977)

Leave Home
release date: Jan. 10, 1977
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,94]
producer: Tony Bongiovi, Tommy Ramone
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Glad to See You Go" - 2. "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" (4,5 / 5) - 3. "I Remember You" (4 / 5) - 4. "Oh, Oh, I Love Her So" (4 / 5) - 6. "Suzy Is a Headbanger" (4 / 5) - 8. "Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy" (4 / 5) - 11. "California Sun" (4 / 5) - 13. "You're Gonna Kill That Girl" (4 / 5)

2nd studio album by Ramones following 9 months after the debut introduces Tony Bongiovi as new co-producer together with Tommy Ramone (aka Thomas Erdelyi), who would go on to be an acclaimed producer.
The album simply continues where the debut ended, and the album is packed with several great tracks. In a more critical perspective it also seems like a release with a few fillers that do not reach quite the same high level throughout e.g. "Carbona Not Glue", "Pinhead", "What's Your Game", "Commando", and "You Should Have Never Opened That Door". Another thing that doesn't work too great is the production side. The debut was lo-fi-like garage rock-produced, perhaps with something to be desired but it's punk rock, right, so it has to be dirty and simple. This has a tone of hard rock production aspect to it - that I understand is Bongiovi's contribution - that doesn't sound right nor goes hand in hand with the simplicity of the music.
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone 4,5 / 5, NME 5 / 5 stars ]

Ramones "Ramones" (1976)

Ramones [debut]
release date: Apr. 23, 1976
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,18]
producer: Craig Leon with Tommy Ramone (associate producer)
label: Sire Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: A) 1. "Blitzkrieg Bop" (5 / 5) - 2. "Beat on the Brat" (4 / 5) - 3. "Judy Is a Punk" (5 / 5) - 4. "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" - 5. "Chain Saw" (3,5 / 5) - 6. "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" (3,5 / 5) - 7. "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" (3,5 / 5) - - B) 1. "Loudmouth" (3,5 / 5) - 2. "Havana Affair" (4 / 5) - 3. "Listen to My Heart" (4 / 5) - 4. "53rd & 3rd" (3,5 / 5) - 5. "Let's Dance" (4 / 5) - 6. "I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You" - 7. "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World" (3,5 / 5)

Studio debut album by Ramones. This is a most legendary album. Joey Ramone (Jeffrey Ross Hyman) is lead vocalist, Johnny Ramone (John William Cummings) lead guitarist, Dee Dee Ramone (Douglas Glenn Colvin) handles bass and backing vocals, and Tommy Ramone (Thomas Erdelyi) plays drums. The band was formed in 1974, and they began playing a type of fast and simple rock early on, which initially was labelled 'bubblegum' but later when as the band had started playing at the CBGB with other artists of the new music scene in New York it eventually became known as punk rock. The album had only little commercial success but still Ramones were invited to play concerts in England, presumably because the label had consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, and Ramones initiated a tour in London, Jul. '76 where among others, members of Sex Pistols and The Clash attended several of their gigs. Not long after the tour, bands dedicated to punk rock sprung out all over England and a new musical wave had been ignited. Ramones were themselves inspired by primarily American proto punk artists from the early 1970s but are pinned out as the most influential band to the British punk rock wave, which reverberated back to the US and started a second wave in the motherland with a more aggressive sound that was labelled hardcore punk. In Britain a similar progression started at the same time, although, many other labels were at play like anarcho-punk, oi!, art punk, glam punk, psychobilly, and post-punk. Anyway, this album was launched in 1976. I didn't hear of it until around 1980 when punk rock had already been declared dead. No other artists sounded like this in '76 but many soon created music inspired by this, and it's really no wonder 'cause it's catchy, energetic and young at heart. The single tracks may sound much a like, but so does jazz, electronic or pop music, or a lot of other music. I think, for the devoted fans, the tracks are very different because you'll hear all the details and I'm still impressed. This is still positive, happy, and lots of fun. Maybe I should rate it higher but I feel they were slightly better later on. Anyway, quite logically it's enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". The album is still great and it contains modern classics like "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Beat on the Brat", "Judy Is a Punk", "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue", and "Havana Affair" (although, their not all my personal favourites), but the music is at a stage of sketching up a style, and the variation is not all that broad. Hell, who gives a damn! Just hit it!
[ allmusic.com, Rolling Stone, NME 5 / 5 stars ]

1976 Favourite releases: 1. Jean-Michel Jarre Oxygène - 2. Ramones Ramones - 3. Ennio Morricone Novecento (OST)