A short flyover after a needed sabbatical - I wanted to share this because I know there are lots of Ramones fans here - and as Tommy told me the day we sat down - "We were huge Stones fans - we all liked it when they kinda stripped back down on Some Girls - they were always sorta punks, anyway"

For any of us that saw the Ramones at CBGB back in the 70s, it always felt like kind of a Cavern Club epiphany kind of thing. This band was just so relentless and dedicated to what they were -just pure, simple, NYC speed bubblegum - we knew they were gonna change the world.

Anyway - here ya go. Hope you've all been well and see ya around!

(ps--the vinyl releases are very well done)

[www.noisecreep.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-08-19 06:30 by hbwriter.

Thanks, and welcome back !

as time goes on i like the ramones more and more. even though they were called punk to me they are just a mix of the stones, the who and beach boys played at full tily

Many thanks, hbwriter. For more of The Brothers, see


[ramonesdownloadsector.blogspot.com]

Good stuff, Chris!

My only criticism of Tommy E is that he absolutely butchered the production on The Replacements' "Tim" album.

Agreed, love Tommy but that album was not his finest production effort, same with Neurotica by Redd Kross from '87. Two records where the exemplary songwriting transcends the production. Anyhow, thanks for this, Chris!

Interesting read...thanks for sharing Chris. Had no idea of the Hendrix connection.

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Goldsmith
My only criticism of Tommy E is that he absolutely butchered the production on The Replacements' "Tim" album.

I beg to differ. What would you have had him do differently?

Chris,

Nice work.
I just wrote about The Ramones and CBGB's the other day.

I'll admit, I had to look it up to see if Tommy was still alive.
Glad he is alive and well.

I loved them in concert. What a complete blast!
Ramones and CBGB's

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parislocksmith
Many thanks, hbwriter. For more of The Brothers, see


[ramonesdownloadsector.blogspot.com]

GREAT site!
Thanks for sharing.

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71Tele

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Goldsmith
My only criticism of Tommy E is that he absolutely butchered the production on The Replacements' "Tim" album.

I beg to differ. What would you have had him do differently?

The entire album sounds flat and makes me think that they might have recorded it in a wind tunnel. I know nothing about how music is recorded so I don't know how one would go about fixing something like that but I do know what sounds good and what doesn't and that album does not sound good.

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treaclefingers
Interesting read...thanks for sharing Chris. Had no idea of the Hendrix connection.

ditto for me. thanks.

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Goldsmith

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71Tele

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Goldsmith
My only criticism of Tommy E is that he absolutely butchered the production on The Replacements' "Tim" album.

I beg to differ. What would you have had him do differently?

The entire album sounds flat and makes me think that they might have recorded it in a wind tunnel. I know nothing about how music is recorded so I don't know how one would go about fixing something like that but I do know what sounds good and what doesn't and that album does not sound good.

Really? I love that record, and it contains some of their best work, imo. I like "Pleased To Meet Me" better though, which bringing it back to a tangential Stones connection was produced by Jim Dickinson.

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71Tele

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Goldsmith

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71Tele

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Goldsmith
My only criticism of Tommy E is that he absolutely butchered the production on The Replacements' "Tim" album.

I beg to differ. What would you have had him do differently?

The entire album sounds flat and makes me think that they might have recorded it in a wind tunnel. I know nothing about how music is recorded so I don't know how one would go about fixing something like that but I do know what sounds good and what doesn't and that album does not sound good.

Really? I love that record, and it contains some of their best work, imo. I like "Pleased To Meet Me" better though, which bringing it back to a tangential Stones connection was produced by Jim Dickinson.

Don't get me wrong, I love the album too but the sound quality seems poor. Like you, I also prefer Pleased to Meet Me to Tim.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2011-08-19 22:32 by Goldsmith.

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Goldsmith
[ I also prefer Pleased to Meet Me to Tim.

I'll take the early Twin Tone stuff like Hootenanny or Let It Be any day over those two....

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loog droog

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Goldsmith
[ I also prefer Pleased to Meet Me to Tim.

I'll take the early Twin Tone stuff like Hootenanny or Let It Be any day over those two....

One of those, eh? The Replacements were only good when drunk and amateurish? No, I like them when Paul matured as a songwriter and the band really gelled. Those Twin Tone Records have a certain charm and energy, but I'll take the tunes from Tim onward any day. Though I loved "Let It Be" it had a few real stinkers on there to go along with the brilliance.

There's a 'Mats bonanza of mostly Tim-era shows on Dime right now and I was listening to San Diego 12/85 (recorded about a week after I saw 'em for the first and only time with Bob in Vancouver) yesterday. The setlist is outstanding, one classic after another, and I was thinking, "Wow, Paul's catalogue was already stellar in '85". I like all eras of the band but I'm definitely in agreement w/ 71Tele that Westerberg's songwriting continued to mature/improve and Tim and Pleased were, I think, the peak. I also think Don't Tell a Soul is an unfairly maligned album, big 80's production notwithstanding (it suits some of the songs).

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andrewm
There's a 'Mats bonanza of mostly Tim-era shows on Dime right now and I was listening to San Diego 12/85 (recorded about a week after I saw 'em for the first and only time with Bob in Vancouver) yesterday. The setlist is outstanding, one classic after another, and I was thinking, "Wow, Paul's catalogue was already stellar in '85". I like all eras of the band but I'm definitely in agreement w/ 71Tele that Westerberg's songwriting continued to mature/improve and Tim and Pleased were, I think, the peak. I also think Don't Tell a Soul is an unfairly maligned album, big 80's production notwithstanding (it suits some of the songs).

I certainly agree with you about DTAS. What's the problem Mats fans have with this album? Now, it can be argued that the next one was really a Paul solo LP for all intents and purposes, but it still has some great stuff on it...If you get the chance, find the boot "Shit, Shower and Shave" which is a soundboard recording of them when they opened for Tom Petty. They do a smoking version of "Around and Around", and almost all their greatest songs. Those guys were the best of the best when they wanted to be, which unfortunately wasn't often enough.

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71Tele

One of those, eh? The Replacements were only good when drunk and amateurish? No, I like them when Paul matured as a songwriter and the band really gelled.

Yeah, I'm glad to be one of those....

Live, Bob was the manic energy that made them exceptional as well as the glue that held it all together during the "drunk" years. It was like Keith Moon meets Mick Taylor.

I only saw them once with Slim and couldn't believe how lame they were. Had to leave before it was over.


Watching Paul "mature" and get so precious was like watching Rod Stewart get boring when he left Mercury for Warner Brothers. By the end, any rough edges in the production were calculated moves.

....btw...CBGB's is now the flagship store for men's designer John Varvatos.....

I've done several shows with Tommy and his bluegrass duo Uncle Monk. He and his wife Claudia are lovely people.

I was in Budapest, Tommy's birthplace, and Berlin, home of the Ramones Museum, last month. Whole lotta gabba going on!

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loog droog

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71Tele

One of those, eh? The Replacements were only good when drunk and amateurish? No, I like them when Paul matured as a songwriter and the band really gelled.

Yeah, I'm glad to be one of those....

Live, Bob was the manic energy that made them exceptional as well as the glue that held it all together during the "drunk" years. It was like Keith Moon meets Mick Taylor.

I only saw them once with Slim and couldn't believe how lame they were. Had to leave before it was over.


Watching Paul "mature" and get so precious was like watching Rod Stewart get boring when he left Mercury for Warner Brothers. By the end, any rough edges in the production were calculated moves.

I loved Bob. I loved Slim. Neither one is on my favorite 'Mats album, Pleased To Meet Me, where I think the brilliance of Paul's songwriting most perfectly met the fire of the band. I think the Bob days are overrated. For every magical show there was at least one drunk or half-assed one. Paul's writing in the early days was amusing and clever, but rarely brilliant. He hit his stride in the middle-to-late years. The preciousness you speak of really came out in his solo career. With the exception of the fantastic "Mono" there's not much for me to sink my teeth into after the 'Mats departed, but to get back to my original point, I'll take the tenderness of "Skyway" and the anthemic brilliance of "Alex Chilton" over the slop of the early Twin Tone stuff any day.

Comparing Paul to Rod Stewart? Below the belt. When Paul starts making music for old ladies I'll buy that.

welcome back

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hbwriter
"We all liked it when they kinda stripped back down on Some Girls - they were always sorta punks, anyway"

Interesting to know, as I've always been curious what the Ramones thought of Some Girls, considering that WHEN THE WHIP COMES DOWN was so obviously inspired by the Ramones' 53rd AND 3rd as to be just short of plagiarism! (Love both songs.)

How do you see the connect between "53rd and 3rd" and "Whip"? Lyrically?

I like that TR says "I guess they stood the test of time". That is a huge statement to able to say about your work.
I also like "Rocket to Russia" best of the first 4 albums.
Never felt quite that Tommy was as real a Ramone as the other 3. I always sensed the part of producer in him.

Good article and welcome back

I bought that album when it came out without having heard a song from it. I liked the way it looked. I played it so often as a freshman in college my nickname became "Ramone."

It was by far the Ramones' greatest album. It was perhaps the only instance of a group's debut album also being its greatest hits album. And you have no idea how refreshing it sounded in 1976 when Peter Frampton and disco ruled the radio.

The Ramones never equaled it. They became a kind of novelty act.