RAMONES discography

MetalGuy71 wrote:

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Even though the Ramones continued recording and performing for another fifteen years, the two men never settled the issue and in fact they rarely spoke to each other from this point on.

It's insane that the 2 of them held onto that grudge for the rest of their lives, yet continued in the band together.

Yeah, I can't even fathom how they stayed in the same band for so many years. In any other band, one or the other would've simply said "f*ck you, I quit." Maybe neither guy wanted to give the other one the satisfaction of saying "Yeah, I drove him out of the band."

I was watching the "End of the Century" documentary last night and I had to laugh when they covered the whole Joey/Johnny/Linda thing - Marky sez when he rejoined the band in the late '80s and saw that Johnny and Joey still weren't speaking to each other, he was like "Jeezus, how long are you guys gonna hold onto this sh*t?"

I do love the legend about "The KKK Took My Baby Away" being about Johnny, and Johnny never quite realizing it, though. That must've been a nice little bit of revenge for Joey, making Johnny playing that song on stage every night for years afterward...

Fat Freddy wrote:

ZombieHavoc wrote:

"Come On Now" is, in my opinion, one of the top 5 tracks in their catalog.

Yeah, that's a great track, and when the band is "on" they're really "on" here, but overall the album is about 50% cool and 50% filler.

Honestly my favorite song on this one isn't even an album track - it's the B-Side "Chop Suey," which is a bonus track on the remastered version from 2002. It's just a goofy 60s surf style song with the gals from the B-52s singing backup vox, simply a fun track that probably should've been on the record.

I think Debbie Harry from Blondie also provided some vocals on that one.

It's funny, even on tracks that aren't as strong (aka filler), I find myself listening to them anyway casue they're over so quick anyway.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

It's funny, even on tracks that aren't as strong (aka filler), I find myself listening to them anyway casue they're over so quick anyway.

I personally wouldn't qualify much of the Ramones catalog as filler, especially on those first 8 albums. Some tracks aren't as good as the others, but they all have that Ramones signature sound that makes them fun to listen to.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

Honestly my favorite song on this one isn't even an album track - it's the B-Side "Chop Suey," which is a bonus track on the remastered version from 2002. It's just a goofy 60s surf style song with the gals from the B-52s singing backup vox, simply a fun track that probably should've been on the record.

I think Debbie Harry from Blondie also provided some vocals on that one.

I just checked the booklet to my CD and yep, you're right. I'd forgotten that Debbie was on there too.

Fat Freddy wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Quote :

Even though the Ramones continued recording and performing for another fifteen years, the two men never settled the issue and in fact they rarely spoke to each other from this point on.

It's insane that the 2 of them held onto that grudge for the rest of their lives, yet continued in the band together.

Yeah, I can't even fathom how they stayed in the same band for so many years. In any other band, one or the other would've simply said "f*ck you, I quit." Maybe neither guy wanted to give the other one the satisfaction of saying "Yeah, I drove him out of the band."

I was watching the "End of the Century" documentary last night and I had to laugh when they covered the whole Joey/Johnny/Linda thing - Marky sez when he rejoined the band in the late '80s and saw that Johnny and Joey still weren't speaking to each other, he was like "Jeezus, how long are you guys gonna hold onto this sh*t?"

I do love the legend about "The KKK Took My Baby Away" being about Johnny, and Johnny never quite realizing it, though. That must've been a nice little bit of revenge for Joey, making Johnny playing that song on stage every night for years afterward...

The more I read of Mickey's book, the more I think it was Johnny just being a stubborn d*ck and Joey's OCD not being able to let it go. But holy cow, 15 years!

Soon as I'm done that book, I gotta pick up 'Commando' to get Johnny's side of the story. Because he's coming off pretty bad from Mickey's perspective.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Soon as I'm done that book, I gotta pick up 'Commando' to get Johnny's side of the story. Because he's coming off pretty bad from Mickey's perspective.

"Commando" is a pretty quick read (it was only around 200 pages if memory serves), it's not really as in depth as "I Slept With Joey" (Johnny was a man of few words, I guess) but there's some good stories in it. Lotsa cool pictures from his private archives too.

ZombieHavoc wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

It's funny, even on tracks that aren't as strong (aka filler), I find myself listening to them anyway casue they're over so quick anyway.

I personally wouldn't qualify much of the Ramones catalog as filler, especially on those first 8 albums. Some tracks aren't as good as the others, but they all have that Ramones signature sound that makes them fun to listen to.

Absolutely. There isn't a single song that I need to skip over or think, "Ugh, not this tune again". They all have a certain charm to them. A couple later-era tunes with Dee Dee on vocals can be a little harsh, but I can take 'em for the 1:50 duration.

Fat Freddy wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Soon as I'm done that book, I gotta pick up 'Commando' to get Johnny's side of the story. Because he's coming off pretty bad from Mickey's perspective.

"Commando" is a pretty quick read (it was only around 200 pages if memory serves), it's not really as in depth as "I Slept With Joey" (Johnny was a man of few words, I guess) but there's some good stories in it. Lotsa cool pictures from his private archives too.

I'll probably finish up 'I Slept With Joey' by the weekend. I flipped through 'Commando' when I saw it in Barnes & Noble. Looked interesting. Micky's book coulda used a few more photos.

I never owned this album, so I can't judge it, but 15 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I honestly knew nothing about this til I saw the doc 'The End of the Century"

Semi-related note:

I'm an awesome parent. When I came home today my 5 year old showed me the holes in both knees of his jeans. I sez "Dude, you look like a Ramone." He sez "What's a Ramone?" so I took him upstairs, pulled out my "Rock N Roll High School" DVD and showed him this clip. He loved it when the school blew up at the end.



...I hope we don't get a call from the principal tomorrow.

OK, so I've survived Hurricane Sandy and her aftermath so what say we get back to bid'ness up in here, huh? Movin' on....



Subterranean Jungle was released in February of 1983 and is a much more "back to basics" album than the two "experimental" discs that preceded it.

Inter-personal relationships were at an all time low between the band members at this time, so Joey's songwriting contributions to Subterranean Jungle were minimal. He only wrote two songs, neither of which is anything to shout about - "What'd Ya Do" and the closing "Every Time I Eat Vegetables, It Makes Me Think Of You" (which is merely an OK song, but it's gotta be one of the best song titles ever!). Fortunately Dee Dee stepped up to the plate, writing (or at least co-writing) six out of the album's twelve tracks. He also recorded his first-ever lead vocal on a Ramones album ("Time Bomb").

Subterranean Jungle also features three (!) cover songs - The Music Explosion's "Little Bit O' Soul," "I Need Your Love" from the obscure '60s band The Boyfriends, and the Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today" (which was released as a single).

Marky Ramone was fired from the band during the recording of this album; his ongoing problems with alcohol had caused the Ramones to cancel several concert dates, which angered Johnny because up until that point the band had never cancelled a show. (Note how Marky is seated away from the rest of the band members on the album cover, peeking out of the subway car window.) Though Marky played on the bulk of the album, Billy Rogers (of the Heartbreakers) filled in on drums for the cover of "Time Has Come Today." Rogers' Heartbreakers bandmate Walter Lurie is also credited with playing "extra guitar" on the album, though it's unclear which tracks he played on.

In addition to "Time Has Come Today," the band also released the hard-driving "Psycho Therapy" as a single. "Psycho Therapy" was the best track on the album but it didn't got much traction thanks to MTV, who refused to play the video due to its portrayal of the band members as inmates at an insane asylum. MTV apparently thought the video "made fun" of the mentally ill. The scene where a hapless Ramones fan undergoes brain surgery and sprouts a second head, "Alien" style, during the operation probably didn't help much, either.

New drummer Richie Reinhardt, aka Richie Ramone, joined the band in time to appear in both music videos for the album, and would stay with them for the next several years. Richie's drumming and songwriting skills are widely credited with giving the band a musical shot in the arm. Joey Ramone once went so far as to say that Richie's entrance into the Ramones "saved" the band.

Subterranean Jungle may not rank as a classic Ramones platter but at least it didn't do any further damage to their already shaky reputation. The band was trying to find their way back to their 'classic" sound after a few years in the wilderness, but weren't quite there yet. On the next one they'd roar back stronger than they'd been in a very long time.




Useless trivia: a lyric from the song "Highest Trails Above" off this album is engraved on Dee Dee Ramone's tombstone.

Fat Freddy wrote:

On the next one they'd roar back stronger than they'd been in a very long time.

Interesting, I find their next one after ST to be the weakest release of the original 8. Too Tough to Die is still a classic, with some excellent tunes, but just not as good as the preceding 7. But I'll wait until you get to that one to discuss.

ST is made up, to me, of mostly excellent tracks. The three covers, "In the Park", "Psycho Therapy" and "My-My Kind of A Girl" are numbered among some of my favorite 'Mones tunes. Of course I have like 50 favorites...but still. Plus "Outsider" and "Highest Trails Above" are so good.

Also, the re-issue for this one has some of my favorite bonus tracks on it of all the re-issues. Especially "Indian Giver".

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Interesting, I find their next one after ST to be the weakest release of the original 8. Too Tough to Die is still a classic, with some excellent tunes, but just not as good as the preceding 7. But I'll wait until you get to that one to discuss.

Diff'rent strokes I guess. I've always felt that Subterranean Jungle was a good, but not great album. Meanwhile Too Tough To Die is my favorite Ramones album outside of the original four. That record has TEETH!

"Outsider" is one of my favorite Ramones tunes, great catchy track.

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"Psycho Therapy" was the best track on the album but it didn't got much traction thanks to MTV, who refused to play the video due to its portrayal of the band members as inmates at an insane asylum. MTV apparently thought the video "made fun" of the mentally ill. The scene where a hapless Ramones fan undergoes brain surgery and sprouts a second head, "Alien" style, during the operation probably didn't help much, either.

I never saw that video until just a few minutes ago. No wonder MTV didn't play it. It's pretty freaky and grim.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Quote :

"Psycho Therapy" was the best track on the album but it didn't got much traction thanks to MTV, who refused to play the video due to its portrayal of the band members as inmates at an insane asylum. MTV apparently thought the video "made fun" of the mentally ill. The scene where a hapless Ramones fan undergoes brain surgery and sprouts a second head, "Alien" style, during the operation probably didn't help much, either.

I never saw that video until just a few minutes ago. No wonder MTV didn't play it. It's pretty freaky and grim.

Anthrax ran into the same problem w/MTV when they made a video for "Madhouse," which also took place in an insane asylum, everyone was moshing with straightjackets on. I guess MTV doesn't find that sort of stuff funny.

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Anthrax ran into the same problem w/MTV when they made a video for "Madhouse," which also took place in an insane asylum, everyone was moshing with straightjackets on. I guess MTV doesn't find that sort of stuff funny.

Not nearly as hilarious as the pregnant teen moms and overly tan guidos they've showcased in recent years.

The Ramones celebrated their tenth anniversary in 1984, and marked the occasion with the release of Too Tough To Die, their 8th studio album. Too Tough To Die has a much harder edge than the past several albums and signaled a return to form by a band that many had written off as "tired" or "irrelevant." By 1984, Hardcore Punk had become the flavor of the day in the underground, and Too Tough To Die appears to be a mission statement and a message from the Ramones to all the bands that had sprung up in their wake, i.e. "Hey, we're not going anywhere. We invented this sh*t, and we can still kick your ass."

The bulk of Too Tough To Die is Dee Dee Ramone's show; he had a hand in writing 8 out of the album's 12 tracks, including "Mama's Boy," the title track, and the moody "I'm Not Afraid of Life." Dee Dee sings lead on two songs, the blazing hardcore-flavored numbers "Wart Hog" and "Endless Vacation." Sire refused to print the foul-mouthed lyrics to "Wart Hog" on the inner sleeve of the album, out of fear that Dee Dee's rants about "junkies and f*gs," "Commies and queers" and "artificial phonies" might offend sensitive listeners.

As was becoming customary, Joey's contributions were the more pop-flavored tracks like "Chasing the Night," "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)" and "No Go," which provide nice breaks from Dee Dee's pessimistic material like "Planet Earth 1988" (a prophetic "Everything sucks and we're gonna die" song).

The album also features the Ramones' first ever instrumental track, "Durango 95" (a reference to the car driven by "Alex" and his "droogs" in the film "A Clockwork Orange;" the cover photo of the band shrouded in shadow at the mouth of a tunnel is an additional homage to a scene in the film). The band kicked off their live sets by ripping into "Durango 95" for years afterward.

Too Tough To Die was a homecoming for former Ramones drummer-turned-producer Tommy Erdelyi, who worked the studio desk for the band for the first time since Road To Ruin. The lone exception is "Howling At The Moon," which was produced to a high radio-friendly shine by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame and released as the album's first single. Sire Records originally wanted the then-hot Stewart to produce the entire album, in hopes of scoring some radio/MTV play, but the band only worked with him on the one track and did the rest of the record with Tommy and his assistant, Ed Stasium. Benmont Tench of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers provided the keyboards heard on "Howling." If there was ever a Ramones track that should've been a hit, "Howling At The Moon" was it.



As usual, Too Tough To Die got great reviews and was hailed as a legitimate comeback for the band, but also as usual, record sales were nothing to scream about.

The band recorded an additional track called "Smash You" (written by new drummer Richie) and a cover of the Rolling Stones classic "Street Fighting Man" for use as B-sides in the U.K. The tracks were added to the album as bonus cuts (along with a heap of demos) when Rhino Records reissued the disc in 2002.

Too Tough To Die is quite simply one hell of a great rock album from beginning to end and it's my favorite Ramones record outside of the first four.

This was the first Ramones I ever owned, bought it as cut out about 1985, bought it because I had read so much about them and loved the album cover.

I still have it on vinyl and have not gotten around to replacing it on CD


The album kicks out the jams from song one 'Mama's Boy' and just kicks ass from beginning to end.

I was at a record show over the Thanksgiving weekend and got to meet Marky Ramone. He had a table set up, selling some signed prints, photos and spaghetti sauce. I was kinda caught off-guard. I just walked up to the table, not really paying attention and there he was, just standing there. I said, "Hey Marky, big fan" and shook his hand. He said "Cool man, thanks" and shook my son's hand too. Guess I shoulda snapped a pic, but I didn't.

Anyway, it was cool to meet an actual Ramone.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I was at a record show over the Thanksgiving weekend and got to meet Marky Ramone. He had a table set up, selling some signed prints, photos and spaghetti sauce. I was kinda caught off-guard. I just walked up to the table, not really paying attention and there he was, just standing there. I said, "Hey Marky, big fan" and shook his hand. He said "Cool man, thanks" and shook my son's hand too. Guess I shoulda snapped a pic, but I didn't.

Anyway, it was cool to meet an actual Ramone.

Way cool! Did you buy some of his spaghetti sauce?

Fat Freddy wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

I was at a record show over the Thanksgiving weekend and got to meet Marky Ramone. He had a table set up, selling some signed prints, photos and spaghetti sauce. I was kinda caught off-guard. I just walked up to the table, not really paying attention and there he was, just standing there. I said, "Hey Marky, big fan" and shook his hand. He said "Cool man, thanks" and shook my son's hand too. Guess I shoulda snapped a pic, but I didn't.

Anyway, it was cool to meet an actual Ramone.

Way cool! Did you buy some of his spaghetti sauce?

He sells spaghetti sauce!!! Talk about diversying business interests!

manny wrote:

He sells spaghetti sauce!!! Talk about diversying business interests!

Yep, he's got his own private-label sauce that's sold via his web site and gourmet/specialty food stores. He did an in-store appearance to pimp it at a "Chef Central" store near me last year sometime, unfortunately I wasn't able to attend.



A case of 12 jars will set you back $88 (!) on his web site. For that price, it had better be damn good stuff...

Nah, no purchases were made. I think the sauce was $8 bucks a jar and he wanted $20 to sign stuff. I'm not a big autograph hound and I'd never pay for a signature anyway. I had my phone on me, so now I kinda wished I snapped a pic with my boy. Like I said, I was sorta caught off guard. I knew he was supposed to be there, but I was in a cd scanning haze and then *boom*, he's standing right in front of me.

Oh well.

It's still cool that you got to meet him. (and I wouldn't pay $8 for a jar of sauce either!)

When I met Marky w/the rest of the Ramones back in 1992, it didn't occur to my friend and I that maybe we should've brought a camera till we'd already gotten their autographs and were on our way out the door. Then suddenly it hit us like "D'OH!"

...I blame the pretty major ragin' malt liquor habit that I had goin' on back then.