LOCKET LOVE-- Rocket to Russia 4

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While the first two RAMONES lps each featured one stab at pure, energetic pop (see LISTEN TO MY HEART and SWALLOW MY PRIDE), ROCKET TO RUSSIA upped the ante with a duo of melodic, catchy confections: I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING and LOCKET LOVE. Over clean-- even acoustic-- guitars, these British Invasion-influenced attempts at hitmaking (or at least, album filling) exhibited sly lyrical maneuvers designed to subvert the standard romantic storylines. I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING would draw its strength by way of outright denouncement of typical pathos. LOCKET LOVE, on the other hand, would undermine genre cliches with subtler undercurrents of morbid sexual deviance and threats of physical harm.

Musically, the pair are strikingly similar. Both are built upon riffs which, though constructed within 1-4-5 frameworks, playfully resist being restrictively rooted to their '1' base. If I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING is slightly more adventurous, and has an overall harder edge, LOCKET LOVE has superior tunefulness, and a more distinctly memorable middle eight. (The lighter arrangement effectively disguises the considerable resemblance to BLITZKRIEG BOP's corresponding section.) The impressively crisp production heightens the appeal of potent performances, and the capable arrangements puts the pigeonholing of the group as mere primitive savants into serious jeopardy. Particular note must be made of the outstanding background vocals, which here reach a pre-SPECTOR era peak.

The final common attribute of the twin tracks is the creation of unlikely rhymes via the ungrammatical omission of key words at the end of familiar phrases, and if this amplifies the later tough guy stance of I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING, the sum coherence of the present composition suffers somewhat as a result. Still, LOCKET LOVE represents one of the last gasps in the band's efforts to cohere their driving energy into charmingly developed (and perhaps, commercially motivated), unpunk product. In the future, the cut and dried lines dividing 'pop' and 'rock' material in the RAMONES' landscape would rarely allow for the overlapping coexistence evident here, but the upcoming machinations of both the New Wave and 60's Revivalist sub-genres would find precedent in the group's nostalgic adherence to a previous musical era's commitment to album filler exuberance.












RAMONES LOCKET LOVE

IF THERE AINT NO SNOW: TOP 10 RAMONES WINTER SKETCHES--List #9

Wintertime in NYC is a confounding cauldron of clashing extremes, and this is reflected in the music of the RAMONES. On one hand, a dazzling postcard of ice capades noir where Breugel meets Gotham amongst skyscapers surrounded by gently swirling snowflakes; on the other, a brutal, unforgiving storm terrain of sub-freezing suffering-- where the menace to the insufficiently sheltered is potentially lethal. (Perhaps even JOEY must be counted amongst those who have fallen prey to the season's --sometimes, subtle-- dangers.) The RAMONES felt it all, and their depictions of Yuletide, year-end flavors transformed into a discernible arc over time, as the culminating decades brought even their sick, outsider humor to a gradual acceptance of shivering sentimentality. In sequential order, here's the band's snowiest ruminations...




1. SWALLOW MY PRIDE
     Early on, the late season is used primarily only as a marker of time, but the tinge of chilly disillusionment is already tangible-- and will only become more prominent as the years pile up.

SWALLOW MY PRIDE







2. WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY
     The initial extreme of the RAMONES' abberant seasonal ambivalence, this track underlines the deviantly criminal familial disintegration with the obvious unlikelihood of December correspondence.

WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY







3. I WANTED EVERYTHING
     The embittered childhood verse lumps Xmas morning disappointment with other religious holiday derision, sideswiping Easter as well.

I WANTED EVERYTHING







4. DANNY SAYS
     This unforgettable snapshot of touring downtime finds our protagonist thwarted from a surfboard excursion by ludicrously low seaside temperatures. But even at minus 20, the absence of snowfall only triggers longing for the wintry tableaux of their familiar New York turf.

DANNY SAYS







5. THE KKK TOOK MY BABY AWAY
     JOEY's winter of discontent kicks off as his sweetheart's extended west coast trip for the holidays is tragically interrupted. If one is willing to accept the behind the scenes love triangle subtext, this track makes an interestingly angry bookmark to the later, matured detente of MERRY XMAS (I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TONIGHT) (see below).

THE KKK TOOK MY BABY AWAY







6. MY MY KIND OF A GIRL
      In the Wonderland of his romantic reminiscence, an older JOEY completes the swing to correlating the colder climates to his yearning nostalgia.

MY MY KIND OF A GIRL







7. HOWLING AT THE MOON
     Outside of rose coloured recollection, the present reality is delineated plainly in this track's middle eight, as wintertime's despair finds an antidote only in the joyous triumph of summer's celebration.

HOWLING AT THE MOON (SHA LA LA)







8. I'M NOT AFRAID OF LIFE/ PLANET EARTH 1988
     TOO TOUGH TO DIE's pair of apocalyptic downers both bear biting, world weary wintry realism. And if a lack of childhood holiday celebrations seems a bit pat compared to PLANET EARTH 1988's other enumerated dystopian anxieties, I'M NOT AFRAID OF LIFE features an unforgettable image of a mentally ill transient shaking against the freezing elements. The lyric then questions how the aged are ostracized, and with the only marginally successful RAMONES looking back at an ever growing number of winters, it's impossible to not imagine them singing this line self-reflectively.


I'M NOT AFRAID OF LIFE







PLANET EARTH 1988







9. MERRY XMAS (I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT TONIGHT)
     The christmastime contempt of WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY comes full circle as the RAMONES deliver a unapologetic, straightfaced seasonal singalong. If its poorly timed appearance was not quite as clumsy as ROCKAWAY BEACH's odd November release, it certainly did not help its fortunes. The irony-free detail of the verses' Santa clauses is perhaps less interesting than the ceasefire between JOEY & JOHNNY it sideways suggests, and with the departure of DEEDEE, the reappearance of MARKY, and the recruitment of CJ, this song establishes an uneasy truce which the band would adhere to until the end.

MERRY XMAS (I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TONIGHT)







10. CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME)
     No longer held in check by the RAMONES format once they disbanded, JOEY released a solo single unabashedly covering the DARLENE LOVE classic CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME), which originally appeared on PHIL SPECTOR's 1963 various artists production A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU. (A decade and a half later he would commence work on THE RAMONES'  END OF THE CENTURY lp.) JOEY's performance is predictably heartfelt and charming.

CHRISTMAS (BABY PLEASE COME HOME)










BONUS!
     JOEY's solo CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IN MY HOUSE ep also featured a considerably altered version of MERRY XMAS (I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TONIGHT). Definitely less rockin' than the original, but an entertaining performance over a unique arrangement.



JOEY RAMONE-- MERRY XMAS (I DON'T WANNA FIGHT TONIGHT)











Picture: JOEY & MICKEY LEIGH & Santa Claus

HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW-- Rocket to Russia 3

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Little that the RAMONES had recorded up to this point could have prepared their audience for the stunning terrain which would be embarked upon with ROCKET TO RUSSIA's next track, HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW. Perhaps somewhat anticipated by the forthright honesty of LISTEN TO MY HEART, or the detailed realism of BABYSITTER, or the pained remorse of I REMEMBER YOU, this unprecedentedly serious portrait of doomed romantic failure represented the starkest departure from their predominant approach thus far.

An early composition by JOEY, the tune shows him working around his favorite melodic pattern, a stripped down triumvirate of chords adopted from the chorus of ALICE COOPER's I'm Eighteen, and immediately utilized on his inaugural songwriting attempt: I DON'T CARE. He would fall back on this barre chord foundation often over the years (the A-G-F driven I JUST WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO is a famous application of it), but this recording arguably illustrates his most effective and unique utilization of the template. Rooting the song in D on guitar leaves open the option of swooping down to the other chords of E and Fsharp instead of climbing up in blocks (surely JOEY's original approach). The unsettling drama of the melody rests upon the arresting drone of this change.

Unfolding an unfamiliar aura of abnormal solemnity with the first, sad strokes of a hi-hat (!) countoff, the band maintains startling, restrained gravity throughout the track-- their longest so far. The impressively layered guitars draw a curtain of slowly swelling overtones, and when the presence of this undercurrent becomes more ominous during the second verse, it signals that there will be no letup from the lyric's sober stare. By the time they reach the pause preceding the instrumental break, the foreboding hum has gradually increased its volume into practically a separate instrument, and as this crescendo lurches into the final chorus it is apparent that any expected punchline shall be absent.

TOMMY's exceptional studio professionalism and arrangement expertise (the group inched ever closer to an uneasy comfort with guitar solos with the primitive arpeggio picked out over the instrumental section) prudently match the hypnotic incantation of JOEY's impassioned vocal. Wrenching maximum heartbreak out of the contradictory resignation present in the lyrics, JOEY wields effective touches with consistent flair. He imbues the repetitive, monosyllabic cliche of the verses with strikingly dextrous melodrama (choruses too: 'for-EVer'), and he knowingly holds back the key catchphrase for the startling musical pauses which end each stanza. The poetic economy of JOEY's phrases-- effectively painting broad strokes of evocative remembrance with just over 40 words-- embodies one of his most underappreciated triumphs.

JOHN HOLMSTROM's accompanying illustration attempts to inject some levity into the proceedings, but the imagery of dismissive graveyard laughter-- 'Here Lies Someone's Dead Body' reads an epitaph-- unexpectedly underlines the only hinted-at morbidity of the song's mood. (Perhaps it should be noted that the 'Ritchie Ramone' headstone refers to an early, brief bandmate-- not the future drummer.) It would rank as the least effectively matched of his ROCKET TO RUSSIA insert designs with little probable debate.

But surely, that is far from surprising- for this was a sharp detour from the RAMONES' traditional comic book landscapes. Here, suddenly, the blunt realities of everyday pain were sized up and confronted-- without the usual aid of accelerated tempos, or cartoonish caricatures, or distracting distortions of personality flaws (or guitar tones). In retrospect, the unflinching realism of HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW demonstrated a clear turning point. The following decades would find the band struggling to preserve an ideal balance between their trademark twisted humour, and the expulsion of hard truths absorbed as the ensuing years unleashed their unforeseen struggles (and resultant acrimony). For the moment, however, the RAMONES bravely widened their emotional palette-- and broadened their followers' palates. Humbly brandishing the fewest chords and words necessary, the RAMONES constructed a monument to the determined, seemingly unlimited, power which could be manifested through minimalism's hidden, stunning strengths. And the atypical HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW-- as precise as a Japanese Haiku, as stark as the rain dampened streets of Film Noir, and as mesmerizing as a meditative mantra-- would tower through the coming tomorrows as one of the band's outstanding achievements.












RAMONES HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW

ROCKAWAY BEACH-- Rocket to Russia 2

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Diminished in stature only by the later appearance of a superior derivative (ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL), ROCKAWAY BEACH is another top notch early classic-- confidently constructed upon its simplistic foundation and full of evocative summertime imagery. Although minor weaknesses become apparent upon closer clinical examination, it is easy to agree with the selection of this track for the LP's leadoff single. (However, the ludicrous appearance of this 45 during the dead of winter was a typical RAMONES career timing misfire.)

Another effective retooling of the 1-4-5 progression in A, the song throws the listener off balance by starting with a few measures of 4 in D. (Note how ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL cunningly improves on this tactic, strumming introductory measures on the 5 of that track's root key instead.) The RAMONES' re-appropriation of the BEACH BOYS' favorite CHUCK BERRY-style derivations is sidelined only twice for brief, bridging blasts of slightly off rhythm punk riffing-- probably the least commercial trait of this proposed 'hit.' The first appearance of this powerful change-- G to D, then F to C-- is followed by an abrupt swing down to Fsharp. The subsequent, doo-wop-driven middle eight makes clear genre sense, but in the context of where the preceding 'punk' section is rooted, it represents surprising movement between keys. The growing dexterity of the band's barre-chord-patterned approach occasionally brought them to unpredictable melodic inventions; some unlikely to be matched by even the more studied competition. The simultaneous slide by DEEDEE and JOHNNY to the lower register as JOEY delivers a repeated line of lyric in the new pitch (which ironically punctuates that it's neither 'hard' nor 'far' to 'reach'--despite the accomplished octave-wide distance the melody has just bounded) leaves the listener with an impression of effortlessness-- a considerable deception.

The persuasively concise performances come into play again as the instrumental 'punk' section reappears towards the finale. This time the G-D to F-C is followed by a matching D to A, stunningly returning the song to the home key--where the band then halts so that TOMMY can count off the coda of final choruses. Once again, the dynamic execution succeeds in making the atypical arrangement seem natural, almost inevitable. ROCKET TO RUSSIA's sharper mix also proves ideal for boosting the overall appeal, as the background vocals impressively augment an already notable amount of hooks, and the crisper tone of the instruments heightens the cartoonier feel of the arrangement- while sacrificing hardly any of the overall strength and drive.

Despite sorely lacking a second stanza, the potency of the RAMONES' street poetry is striking. Driven by unrelentingly rhythmic phrasing and attention to situational detail, the lyrical ambience is arresting from the very first unforgettable line. (Unfortunately, the second line fumbles the flow somewhat, syllabically insufficient at an unwise juncture amidst a verseful of compelling couplets.) Eliciting sweeping familiarity via era-specific and domain-exact minutiae, DEEDEE's lyric transforms the seasonal compulsion towards, in all reality, a rather seedy destination into an inclusive, worldwide anthem of sunburned excitation. The defiance of actuality is reflected in JOHN HOLMSTROM's accompanying illustration, where the protagonists are altered into comical, non-human (but somehow familiar) characters. And similarly, the power of ROCKAWAY BEACH is the metamorphosis of the observational specificity detailed from DEEDEE's sweaty, mid-70s New York environment into a universal, utopian mindset and locale, which resonates personally with each of the group's fans-- no matter how far removed from Disco-era Queens in July they actually are.










RAMONES ROCKAWAY BEACH

CRETIN HOP-- Rocket to Russia 1

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The RAMONES' trademark LP kicks off with an extremely uncharacteristic barrage of open chord, power strummed, lone guitar. The unsettling absence of '1-2-3-4' is atoned for once the chorus chant kicks in, and it becomes apparent that it's been omitted to prevent unnecessary repetition. The aural adjustment compared to LEAVE HOME is recognizable immediately: the guitars are still layered- but more focused, the bass is drier and less overbearing, and the drums are doctored with fewer effects, leaving them more crisply defined in the mix. The promise of ROCKET TO RUSSIA's fresh approach was so utterly fulfilled-- and the popularity of this track was so instantaneous-- that it is easy to overlook how much CRETIN HOP might have benefited from the previous album's heavier crunch.

One of the most simplistic of all the RAMONES' classics (which IS saying something), the song's melody offers only a three chord verse aside from the opening riff, with an exemplary tribal drummed exaltation for the second part (which again utilizes the repeated intro.) Inspiration for the minimal lyric seems to have sprung from a trip to a St. Paul, Minnesota gig, where the band was amused by road signage referring to the local Cretin-Derham Hall High School, and the adjacent Cretin Avenue. These were all named after a historically prominent area bishop, Joseph Cretin.

For the chorus, the band retools a common playground nursery rhyme, to humorous effect. This couplet had already appeared during the side two 'suite' of the BEATLES' Abbey Road, but as the RAMONES had previously mentioned Charles Manson in a lyric (see RAMONES- GLAD TO SEE YOU GO), it's worth noting that Vincent Bugliosi's definitive 1974 account of the murders, HELTER SKELTER, featured a prominent illustration of an interesting piece of evidence: a door from the Family's home at Spahn Ranch graffiti'd with several phrases, including '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 All good children (go to heaven?)'--another possible source. (At first this may seem like a prime example of Manson's obsession with the BEATLES, but the scrawled slogan seems to predate Abbey Road's release by some time, and indeed Manson was in custody within weeks of that LP's appearance.)

While CRETIN HOP commences the proceedings admirably, the closing of side one with the perfect climax (WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY) and the starting of side two with the ideal opener (TEENAGE LOBOTOMY) leaves it almost feeling as if the LP's sides should have been reversed. (Of course, on LEAVE HOME, PINHEAD seemed to terminate the incorrect side as well.) A personal admission: so often in the LP age did I personally swap the sides that now, years later, well after the rise of the CD format, I am still momentarily taken aback when ROCKET TO RUSSIA begins with its actual opener. Amusing, but true.

Another rousing call to arms for the RAMONES' disaffected fan base (JOHN HOLMSTROM's accompanying illustration appropriately captures an assortment of amusing misfits), CRETIN HOP was quickly embraced as a key live anthem. The explosive performances of the song on IT'S ALIVE and other concert documents may have eventually overshadowed the studio take somewhat, but with the song permanently added to the set virtually as soon as it was debuted, even the relatively restrained, original version's declaration could not be denied-- For CRETIN HOP, there would be NO stoppin'.









RAMONES CRETIN HOP

RAMONES-- ROCKET TO RUSSIA

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The RAMONES maintained a frenzied work rate through 1977, releasing their third LP ROCKET TO RUSSIA 18 months and change after the appearance of the debut record. The troubled distribution difficulties faced with LEAVE HOME may have somewhat deflated that album's potential, but encouraging signs were otherwise numerous. The band was met with substantial critical notoriety in the press, their initial UK performances had been explosive, and the new single SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER had stirred decent chart action, threatening the Top 20 in England and busting the Hot Hundred in America. (No doubt that they had hoped for even better, but considering their relative stature as something of a fringe act, these were significant inroads.) The notion that the breakthough could be just a few more stepping stones away drove them relentlessly, and perhaps sensing that the window of opportunity would be brief, they heightened their labours with determined focus, commencing work on ROCKET RUSSIA almost immediately after the release of the SHEENA 45.

Another fortuitous development was the acquisition of their label SIRE's distribution from ABC to the considerably more powerful WARNER BROS, and for the moment the conglomerate seemed willing to roll the dice with the budding act. Armed with another jump in production budget, TOMMY and the group once again enlisted the aid of ED STASIUM and TONY BONGIOVI, this time setting up shop at the high quality MEDIA SOUND and POWER STATION facilities. Wanting to optimize commercial appeal for the new songs, the heavy crunch of LEAVE HOME was retracted for a drier, more streamlined and consistent sound. This unexpectedly played to the strengths of the new songs, written, more often than not, amidst the frenzy of touring. Many new, structurally impressive classics bore the stamp of collaborative compositional craft, and a majority of the fresh material exhibited an overall sharper sense of humour and melodic progression.

Hoping to strike impressively on all fronts, the RAMONES refused to neglect the packaging of ROCKET TO RUSSIA. Never again would they pay such close attention to their product's dressing. Clearly wishing to replicate the effectiveness of ROBERTA BAYLEY's debut LP photo, the front cover design features a similarly posed shot by manager DANNY FIELDS. Even more dazzling, the band recruited JOHN HOLMSTROM of PUNK magazine to illustrate impressively hilarious, cartoon style artwork for the back cover and lyric sheet- where his familiarity and understanding of the RAMONES' flavor and attitude suits the songs admirably. The sleeve image clearly reflects the group's yearning for worldwide dominance and success. HOLMSTROM's other pieces so inextricably compliment their respective tracks, they will warrant further comment here as their place in the running order is reached.

Additionally indicative of the predominant mindset is the care apparent in the selection of the LP's singles. ROCKAWAY BEACH and DO YOU WANNA DANCE were not only commercial standouts in the new set, they also met the aesthetic demands of what the RAMONES were likely to amicably excel at promoting in their concert performances. ROCKAWAY BEACH unforgettably evoked the band's NYC hometown atmosphere, and DO YOU WANNA DANCE was another effective, stripped down retooling of a relatively well known oldie (originally a hit for BOBBY FREEMAN in 1958). Perhaps only the wintertime release of the sunny, summer tailored ROCKAWAY BEACH undermined the coherence of this marketplace strategizing.

So many details, all encouragingly congealing all at once- a Xmastime release date, a headlining return to England planned for New Year's Eve (with the possibility of recording some shows for a live album looming), and WARNER's even willing to foot the bill for enormous promotional cutouts of the ROCKET TO RUSSIA cover to be shipped for display in record stores nationwide.

But then: disappointment. ROCKET TO RUSSIA failed to outperform the previous LP in the UK, and though they scored the highest position for any of their albums thus far in the US, they still could not crack the top 40. Both singles placed roughly as well as SHEENA in the US, but met less notoriety overseas. All things considered, hardly disastrous, but far from the breakthrough they had hoped for. One of the reasons is that the reactionary English version of Punk Rock was beginning to steal headlines, and the more outwardly political nihilism of this music seemed to overshadow the RAMONES in a way, sadly making their heightened melodicism and sharpened, zany humor less significant. And instead of attempting to match the upstarts, the bewildered RAMONES turned to an even more polished sound on their next effort ROAD TO RUIN, where they experimented even father outside of their established strengths. An acceptable strategy as long as the music maintained high quality, but doomed to muddle their efforts in the future, as shall be seen.

But that is getting well ahead of the story. At the time it was unleashed, it was heralded then as has been borne out in the decades since: The RAMONES' superlative work. It took some time for everybody to come around, but to simply let the needle fall into the grooves is to verify that riding atop this ROCKET, the RAMONES had reached their apex. And in the perfection of their finest moment, the coincidental failure to achieve immediate mainstream success eventually came to seem utterly inconsequential.

AND PLAYED MY FAVORITE SONG TOO: TOP 10 RAMONES LOVE SONGS--List #8

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It's been an interesting reversal over time: Originally considered so raw and abrasive that record labels were skeptical whether or not they were even recordable-- but in the present, rightly viewed as so varied, melodic and well produced that the 'punk' label seems too limited a term of description. Ironically, this might have been viewed favorably by the RAMONES, who were initially reluctant to be pigeonholed into the classification. Their eventual dexterity in a variety of approaches beyond their initial two minute blitzkrieg fuzzball barrage aesthetic proved quite surprising, but nothing was so startlingly unexpected as the protopunks' utter mastery of the ballad-- the heartfelt lovesong.

JOEY's vulnerable personality made his inclination towards softer material predictable, but DEEDEE's troubled upbringing left him open to the nakedly confessional composition as well. TOMMY, of course, relished the opportunity to flesh out melodies and arrangements with wider instrumentation, and even JOHNNY seemed to instinctively grasp that for the records and concerts to have better flow, there must be spots where the listener had a chance to breathe. Of course, his decision to become entangled with (and eventually marry) JOEY's girlfriend cemented the central emotional drama inside the band during their later years, and their steely determination to persevere and endure despite such internal turmoil eventually gelled into their raison d'etre.

On one hand, BEAT ON THE BRAT, PSYCHOTHERAPY, COMMANDO and NOW I WANNA SNIFF SOME GLUE. On the other hand, some of the most sincere, attractive and endearing ballads any band has produced since the 60's. They stand as powerful evidence of the RAMONES' often overlooked, ambitious versatility, and spotlighted here, in sequential order, are the 10 that soar highest.








1. I WANNA BE YOUR BOYFRIEND
     TOMMY immediately pulls a rabbit out of his hat with the haiku-like precision of this minimalist masterpiece. An advance indicator of what was to regularly follow, this early fan favorite also had a few other interesting early versions, check 'em out HERE --->> RAMONES EARLY DEMOS

I WANNA BE YOUR BOYFRIEND







2. BABYSITTER
     The RAMONES show impressive development on this followup to I WANNA BE YOUR BOYFRIEND, which knowingly expands on the earlier track's charms in almost every way: melody, lyric, arrangement and production. JOEY's amusing lament on this previously rather difficult to find track is beguiling and compelling.

BABYSITTER







3. HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW
     From out of nowhere ROCKET TO RUSSIA dropped this unprecedentedly serious track, not just proof of how brilliant this 'joke' band could be, but also a devastating example of how powerful a tool minimalism can be, wielded in ANY artistic endeavor. Impressive in the studio version, but also an extremely stunning show stopper on IT'S ALIVE.
     
HERE TODAY GONE TOMORROW







4. NEEDLES AND PINS
     LET'S DANCE proved how effectively an oldie could be retooled into the RAMONES' formula, but CALIFORNIA SUN, and especially this track, showed that the band could meet the originals and match them on their own turf. Simply, an absolute improvement on a cherished classic-- with another perfect vocal from JOEY, but also featuring deft genre details from DEEDEE and MARKY, and displaying one of their best initial attempts at integrating acoustic guitars.

NEEDLES & PINS







5. QUESTIONINGLY
     Melodically, one of the band's most uncharacteristically subtle, and lyrically, one of their most romantically hardboiled. The cathode ray whiskey stupor and wailing guitar figures could have come straight out of a Country & Western song, but the incorrect conjugation of the verb 'to know' reassures you that this is, indeed, still the RAMONES.
 

 QUESTIONINGLY







6. I WANT YOU AROUND
     For the ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL soundtrack the RAMONES concocted one of their most perfectly heartfelt pleas, full of acoustic guitar, a hypnotizing minor key middle, one of MARKY's finest contributions, and a winningly dead on mix (no need to bother with the inferior, more electrified demo version). Surely one of the defining vocal performances of JOEY's career, this was wisely chosen as an extraordinary centerpiece sequence in the ALLAN ARKUSH film.

I WANT YOU AROUND







7. DANNY SAYS
     With girl group mastermind PHIL SPECTOR at the helm, it was elementary that a gorgeous ballad would spring from the hopeful breakout collaboration which was END OF THE CENTURY. However this bafflingly ended up NOT being the heavily overblown and orchestrated cover of the RONETTES standard BABY I LOVE YOU (an unquestioned 60's SPECTOR triumph) but instead the dreary portrait of touring drudgery DANNY SAYS, which is transformed from the humble demo into one of the towering accomplishments of both the band and producer's careers. Unmatchable verses, full of strange and longing details, propel an ingeniously cumulative dense mix, where not a single note played or sung seems out of place--certainly a rarity for this album.

DANNY SAYS







8. MY-MY KIND OF A GIRL
     With the later section of their career underway, the RAMONES once again go back to the I WANNA BE YOUR BOYFRIEND well, with surprisingly dazzling results. Sporting an altered rhythm and evocative lyric, the song absorbs and reapplies the lessons of SPECTOR into a more comfortable realm. MARKY is a bit shaky--right before his temporary 'retirement'-- but this only adds to the appeal as the remainder of the group flaunts impassioned, weathered, primitive perfection.

MY-MY KIND OF A GIRL







9. SHE BELONGS TO ME
     I'd have to admit, the other 9 songs on this list were no brainers to me, but for the 10th choice i was met with a frustrating logjam of equally merited options. Finally I elected this track, for despite being written by DEEDEE, it is one of the truest representations of the bitter JOEY/JOHNNY love triangle which exists on their records. (Apparently THE KKK TOOK MY BABY AWAY ranks as well, but that isn't a ballad.) The ambitious production by JEAN BEAUVOIR is marred by some galling synthesizer keyboard embellishment, but lemme tell ya-- the 80's were tough on everybody. P.S.- the other also rans were I REMEMBER YOU, RAMONA, 7-11, OUT OF TIME, SHE TALKS TO RAINBOWS and CAN'T GET YOU OUTTA MY MIND. I don't think they really count, but also under consideration were DON'T COME CLOSE, WHEN I WAS YOUNG, SWALLOW MY PRIDE and WAITING FOR THAT RAILROAD.

SHE BELONGS TO ME







10. I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN
     Late in the game, the band unleashes an amazingly pure serving of the soft sell-- arguably this release's most pristine track. Borrowing heavily from a similarly entitled SLADE song (see SAME AS THE FIRST-- LIST #6), JOEY wraps his ethos around the acoustic guitars one more time, with age-proof results.

I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN











As always, one bonus for you--  a moving DANNY SAYS at one of JOEY's last appearances, surrounded by friends (song starts at 3:30).

JOEY RAMONE DANNY SAYS












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