It's a shame that it's always someone's passing that prompts us to do these things, but the deaths of both JOEY and DEE DEE RAMONE over the past twelve months really ought to make those of us who care about such things re-evaluate what an utterly fantastic band THE RAMONES were.
Typically, the good people at Rhino got there first, releasing this comprehensive 2CD career-spanning set (with a lovely accompanying book if you're still lucky) just as the Millennium celebrations were beginning to kick in.
Rather like with, say THE BEATLES and THE ONLY ONES round here, Whisperinandhollerin tend to feel that if you don't dig THE RAMONES then, well, why bother describing yourself as a rock'n'roll fan? Certainly, the majority of these 58 tracks covering 1976-1995 are unimpeachably brilliant live grenades that refuse to be defused regardless of the passing of time.
Disc 1 covers the band's "golden age" from 1976-1980 and largely cause you to simply cast fishing rods into the superlative pool to reel in new ways to describe the likes of "Blitzkreig Bop", "Glad To See You Go", "Pinhead" and "Rockaway Beach". THE RAMONES first four albums are all well-serviced and full marks to RHINO for re-installing "Carbona Not Glue" - deleted from "Leave Home" after the first pressing - and also for including "I Want You Around" and the original 1979 version of "Rock'n'Roll High School" before the meddlesome PHIL SPECTOR got his mitts on it.
"Anthology" also does a good job in cherry-picking the best tracks from THE RAMONES fraught LA sessions with SPECTOR for "End Of The Century" (1980). "Do You Remember Rock'n'Roll Radio?" peps up the Brudders sound with sax, organ and cavernous drums and both "I Can't Make It On Time" and the poignant "Danny Says" showed that Joey and Dee Dee were maturing into cool songwriters regardless of producer pressure.
Meanwhile, CD2 gives the lie to the common misconception that THE RAMONES went downhill post-SPECTOR.
Commercial considerations aside, the tracks from the Graham Gouldman(10CC) -produced "Pleasant Dreams" (1981) find Queens' finest cutting cracking turbo-charged POP, with the BO DIDDLEY-bothering "It's Not My Place(In The Nine To Five World)" and the ace "The KKK Took My Baby Away" ranking amongst the best things the band had done.
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1983's "Subterranean Jungle" was another turbulent time for THE RAMONES, with drummer MARKY sacked for his alcohol-related problems. Nonetheless, the JOHNNY/ DEE DEE collaboration, "Psycho Therapy" crackles wih the group's early manic, distortion-fuelled intensity and by the time they'd regrouped with new boy RICHIE for 1984's "Too Tough To Die" - artistically at least - things were back on track in RAMONES world.
"Anthology" culls a generous-but-warranted six tunes from "Too Tough..." including Joey's irrestistible "Daytime Dilemma" (this reviewer's fave Brudders tune), plus "I'm Not Afraid Of Life" and "Endless Vacation", Dee Dee in defiant and nihilistic modes respectively. The fantastic, Ronald Reagan-slagging "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" ushers in dispappointing tracks from 1986's "Animal Boy", these tracks suffering from the all-too prevalent fussy 80s production sheen that should never have been allowed to fuck with THE RAMONES sound.
Nonetheless, the later years still unearth forgotten treasure. Despite quitting the band in 1989, Dee Dee contributed both the cool "Pet Semetary" and "I Believe In Miracles" just before he closed the door and continued in BRIAN WILSON mode, giving "Poison Heart" to the band, which,along with "Tomorrow She Goes Away" are highlights from 1992's "Mondo Bizarro." Meantime, the TOM WAITS/ KATHLEEN BRENNAN cover "I don't Wanna Grow Up" from the band's final studio effort, "Adios Amigos" captures the very essence of THE RAMONES in a tight nutshell.
Rumours on the grapevine suggest RHINO will shortly be releasing deluxe editions of "Pleasant Dreams", "Subterranean Jungle" and "Too Tough To Die", so watch this space for more detailed reappraisals if the whispers become reality. For the present, though, make a beeline for "Hey Ho! Let's Go- The Anthology" and encourage all your Christmases to come at once.
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