Hey Ho Let's Go (The Ramones Anthology) [Digipak] - Ramones > Reviews > Gabba Gabba Hey!

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	The first and finest punk band
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

This anthology chronicles the history of the Ramones, from their early beginnings in Forest Hills, New York in 1974 through to their last work before they finally went their separate ways in 1996.

The Ramones first album, simply titled Ramones, inspired a generation of musicians with its pure, highly distilled Rock and Roll played at breakneck speed. Among those who have credited the Ramones with setting them on their path into Rock and Roll stardom are U2, Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, the Clash and the Sex Pistols.

This album comprises a huge selection of their finest moments from over 2 glorious decades. I'm not going to go through every track on the album, as it would take forever, so instead I thought I'd take you through some of the highest points and some of the more unusual tracks. It takes you on a journey through classic punk moments, and then on into other more pop oriented areas as the Ramones searched for that elusive hit single, before taking you back into more familiar territory as they settled down to do what they did best.
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DISC ONE

The first track, the wonderful Blitzkrieg Bop with the legendary Hey Ho, Let's Go chant, really sets out the stall for this album. Chainsaw guitar driven at incredible pace, together with an unforgettable chant which was strangely enough inspired by the Bay City Rollers, the track finishes in just over 2 minutes and long before you've had time to catch your breath.

And so the high-octane assault continues through tracks 2 and 3, until track 4 when there is an uncharacteristic quiet moment with 'I Wanna be your Boyfriend'. After the first three tracks this comes as a real surprise, but shows the influence Joey Ramone had on the more pop-influenced aspects of the band.

Track 5 tells the story of Dee Dee Ramones early life as a drug addict, earning money by turning tricks on street corners to buy his fix. Unusual material for a song, and a subject most people would keep to themselves, but Dee Dee used his life as the basis for most of his work.

Track 9 returns to a slower theme, with a song, which was later, used as a tribute to Joey Ramone by Bono during a number of US concerts shortly after Joey's untimely death.

Track 10, California Sun is the first of the cover versions on the album. Even though they were seen as the first punk band, the Ramones had their roots firmly entrenched in Rock and Roll and often went back to this as a source of material. Of course, the songs almost always came back a lot faster and with a lot more life than the originals. Other notable covers on this album are The Trashmens 'Surfin Bird', The Searchers 'Needles and Pins' and Tom Waits 'I don't wanna to Grow Up'.

Disc 1 continues along this familiar theme, with many highspots including the banned 'Carbona not Glue', 'Pinhead' which was the source of the Gabba Gabba Hey chant, the surf-influenced 'Sheena is a Punk Rocker' and 'Teenage Lobotomy' among others.
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DISC TWO

Disc 2 contains tracks will many will be less aware of, as they come from albums when the Ramones popularity was waning as they sought popular success and toned down their music. However, that's not to say that the songs aren't good, a lot of this material is as good as anything they produced, it's just different from their original sound.

Highlights on this disc include 'The KKK took my Baby Away' a track Joey wrote after Johnny had stolen his girlfriend, something which led to internal problems within the band from then until they broke up.

Track 5 is the wonderful 'Psychotherapy' which for me has one of the best intros of any song, and is a real return to the old Ramones style they knew best.

After a few lean years, and a number of personnel changes, the Ramones stormed back with 2 albums, Animal Boy and Too Tough to Die, which are captured in tracks 6 to 14. These include the Ramones one foray into politics with 'Bonzo goes to Bitburg' about Ronald Reagans ill-judged visit to a Nazi cemetery. Ironically, Johnny Ramone was a staunch Reaganite and asked for the title to be changed to 'My Brain is Hanging Upside Down'.

Track 15 'I don't want to live this life' was written by Dee Dee for the movie 'Sid and Nancy', although it never made the final version. Dee Dee knew the couple well, and it was often said that he was Sid's role model in life, so it seemed appropriate for him to write this.

Track 19, 'Pet Sematary' was specifically commissioned by Stephen King for his movie of the same name. As a huge Ramones fan, King often dropped Ramones references into his work, and even wrote the introduction to the Ramones tribute album released in 2002.

The album closes with 'R.A.M.O.N.E.S.' a track written by Lemmy and featured on the Motorhead album '1916'. It's said that Joey first heard the song when Lemmy stuck a set of headphones on him and told him to listen, after that it became a standard in their live set.
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Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Blitzkrieg Bop
2. Beat on the Brat
3. Judy Is a Punk
4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
5. 53rd & 3rd
6. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
7. Glad to See You Go
8. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
9. I Remember You
10. California Sun
11. Commando
12. Swallow My Pride [Sire Single Version]
13. Carbona Not Glue
14. Pinhead
15. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker [Original ABC Single Version]
16. Cretin Hop
17. Rockaway Beach
18. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
19. Teenage Lobotomy
20. Surfin' Bird
21. I Don't Care
22. I Just Want to Have Something to Do
23. I Wanna Be Sedated
24. Don't Come Close
25. She's the One
26. Needles and Pins
27. Rock & Roll High School
28. I Want You Around
29. Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio?
30. Chinese Rock
31. I'm Affected
32. Danny Says

Disc: 2

1. KKK Took My Baby Away
2. She's a Sensation
3. It's Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 World)
4. We Want the Airwaves
5. Psycho Therapy
6. Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)
7. Mama's Boy
8. Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)
9. I'm Not Afraid of Life
10. Too Tough to Die
11. Endless Vacation
12. My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)
13. Somebody Put Something in My Drink
14. Something to Believe In
15. I Don't Want to Live This Life (Anymore)
16. I Wanna Live
17. Garden of Serenity
18. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)
19. Pet Sematary
20. I Believe in Miracles
21. Tomorrow She Goes Away
22. Poison Heart
23. I Don't Wanna Grow Up
24. She Talks to Rainbows
25. R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

It's ironic that the Ramones never quite achieved the fame they deserved, although the plaudits finally started to arrive once they dissolved. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their contribution to modern music is finally being recognised, it's only sad that the untimely deaths of Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee meant they didn't live to reap the rewards.

Ramones fans will love this album, even if they probably own the whole back catalogue anyway. If you're not already a fan, then this will go a long way to showing you why they were so influential, and why they still command the most loyal fan base on the planet.

This isn't just a collection of their best songs, it's a piece of Rock and Roll history and as such deserves a place in any true music lovers collection.