The Ramones Albums (20)
What The Critics Say
This live document from the archives of the King Biscuit Flower Hour dates from January, 7, 1978, a week after the Ramones' landmark New Year's Eve gig in London that later became It's Alive. Playing to a rabid hometown crowd packed into the Palladium, Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Tommy run through exactly the same set, with the same attention to brevity over bombast. Joey even uses the same gag to introduce "I Wanna Be Well," switching out "chicken vindaloo" for "dressing room food." The album is also a sonic cousin to It's Alive; its mix is dominated by the slashing treble of Johnny's guitar, and the rhythm section is fuller. NYC 1978's first three songs are a rock & roll history lesson, while the stopping and starting bassline of "California Sun" helps the track sizzle with anticipation. Joey's fake British accent is particularly satisfying over the initial crunch of "I Don't Care," and the set ends strong with more furious guitar from Johnny on "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" and the anthem "We're a Happy Family." Of course, it's over too quickly. The Ramones' two chords and the truth defined punk rock. Now that the band is officially defunct, another document of its influential sound -- especially one recorded in the heady days of its first three albums -- is like a present gift-wrapped in torn Levis. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'We're Outta Here!'
Release Date 11/18/1997
Tracks 32
Label Radioactive
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Ramones' long kiss goodnight was the longest in rock & roll history, beating out the Who's march into history books by spreading it out over the course of over two years. The double-disc We're Outta Here! captures what the band swears was its last concert ever at the Palace in Hollywood and while the group was in good form, the end result is no better or no worse than the average Ramones live album. Sure, there are some guest spots -- Dee Dee Ramone drops by, as does Eddie Vedder, Lemmy from Motorhead, Chris Cornell & Ben Shepard of Soundgarden and Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederikson from Rancid -- but the sound remains the same, which is a mixed blessing. Sure, it reminds you why the Ramones were great, but it also reminds you why only diehard fans followed them through the last 10 years of their existence. And if you're one of those diehard fans -- i.e., someone who can sing along with "Someone Put Something In My Drink" and "Any Way You Want It" -- this is for you. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Greatest Hits Live'
Release Date 6/18/1996
Tracks 18
Label Radioactive
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On the Ramones' Greatest Hits Live, the world's first punk band trots out its classics ("Blitzkrieg Bop," "I Wanna Be Sedated," etc.) along with two new studio tracks: "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." and "Any Way You Want It." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Ramones announced before the release of ¡Adios Amigos! that the record would likely be their last -- unless it sold in massive quantities, that is. While it's hardly their best effort, ¡Adios Amigos! is an admirable way to bow out. The Ramones haven't progressed much since the mid-'80s, yet they have recaptured a bit of the inspiration that fueled their last great album, Too Tough to Die. Even with the extra kick of energy, there are moments on the album that veer too close to self-parody -- even the grungy stomp through Tom Waits' "I Don't Wanna Grow Up," one of the record's best moments, seems forced. Still, the weakest moments of the record outshine the best songs on the stiff and over-produced Brain Drain and Mondo Bizarro. They might not have been on the top of their game, yet the Ramones knew that a record like ¡Adios Amigos! was the right way to call it a day -- it rocks and it rolls, and it's not an embarrassment. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With the Ramones' original drummer, Tommy Erdelyi, producing, the group returns to simple, scathing punk rock on Too Tough to Die. The group takes the big guitar riffs of Subterranean Jungle and makes them shorter and heavier. The Ramones' rhythms are back up to jackhammer speed and the songs are down to short, terse statements. The results read like a reaction to hardcore punk, but the Ramones are more melodic than any hardcore band, as well as smarter than most. Apart from the occasional foray into pop, such as the surprisingly effective Dave Stewart-produced "Howling at the Moon," the album is a sterling set of lethal punk, the best the Ramones had made since the end of the '70s. It was also the last great record they would ever make. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The group reportedly wasn't happy with this Graham Gouldman-produced album, but it holds up well -- one of their more solid '80s releases. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Tearing through a bunch of psychedelic and garage rock classics from the 1960s, the Ramones regain much of the fun and abandon of earlier records, making Acid Eaters easily their best record in a decade; the guest appearances of Pete Townshend ("Substitute") and ex-porn star Traci Lords ("Somebody to Love") help make the record a blast. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A new record deal and the addition of an enthusiastic new bassist (C.J. Ramone) revitalized the Ramones, making Mondo Bizarro the band's strongest release in years. Returning longtime producer Ed Stasium certainly deserves much credit for helping the "bruthas" rediscover their unique combination of pop hooks, savage guitar riffing, and most importantly, sense of humor. This is immediately obvious on songs like "Censorshit" (which addresses the Tipper Gore - P.M.R.C. issue), "The Job That Ate My Brain," and the absolutely hilarious "Cabbies on Crack." Recently departed charter member Dee Dee Ramone also contributes a few surprisingly commercial (but still awesome) songs in "Poison Heart" and "Strength to Endure," the latter is sung by rookie C.J. "I Won't let it Happen" as an acoustic ballad in the classic Ramones mold. Although "Touring" is little more than a poor remake of "Rock'n'Roll High School," Mondo Bizarro still marks a solid return to form for punk rock's greatest institution. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Between 1976 and 1978, the Ramones could seemingly do no wrong, and It's Alive, the album that preserved their 1977-going-on-1978 New Year's Eve show in London for the ages, captured the pride of Forest Hills at the peak of their form, turning three-chord downstroke into the stuff of magic. By 1990, the band's albums were generally good but not great, and it seemed as if their days of studio glory were behind them. But anyone who ever saw the Ramones live will tell you that right up to the end, they never failed to deliver on-stage, and if Loco Live isn't quite up to the same level as It's Alive, it proves these guys always gave their fans the sweat, muscle, and cool tunes they came to see. The buzz of Johnny Ramone's guitar is still gloriously relentless, Joey yelps like he means it (and if he has a little more to say between songs, most of it's cool), Marky remains King of the Big Beat, and C.J. plays at least as well as Dee Dee (and is nearly as good at yelling "wuntootreeFAH!"). And if the presence of "Mama's Boy," "Someone Put Something in My Drink," and "I Believe in Miracles" don't exactly give Loco Live an edge over the first-three-albums set list of It's Alive, the truth is nearly all the newer songs sound stronger (and faster) on-stage, and the old stuff is, as always, a joy to behold. If you're going to buy a Ramones live album, the blazing It's Alive is the one to get, but Loco Live proves these old soldiers never gave up the fight -- 13 years on, they were still loud and proud, and you can't help but love 'em for it. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With Animal Boy, producer Jean Beauvoir (of Plasmatics infamy) attempted to update the Ramones' sound with the commercial conventions of the day, meaning keyboards and synthesizers. The balls-out title song momentarily simplifies things, but the album nevertheless progresses in hit-and-miss fashion. Of note, the album contains one of the band's most clearly political statements in first single "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg," written about President Ronald Reagan's ill-advised visit to Germany's Bitburg cemetery, the site of many Nazi graves. Interestingly, the song was later retitled "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down" prior to the album's release, after vehement protests from guitarist Johnny Ramone, a fervid conservative. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
