THE
SONG RAMONES THE SAME: A TRIBUTE TO THE RAMONES - Various Artists (White
Jazz)
Just in time for the Forest Hills bruddazzz' induction into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame, here are 19 bands both famous (Nomads, Hellacopters, Dictators,
Wayne Kramer, Backyard Babies) and unknown (at 
least
to me), doffing their lids to Joey and the boys. Comps 'n' tribs are usually
a hit or miss affair, but this one's an exception...the BEST one, in fact,
I've heard since the second volume of the "Flattery" Radio Birdman
trib on No Mango a coupla lifetimes ago.
What made the Ramones great (and as I say almost incessantly these days, they've
come a long way from when they were laughingstocks to claim the distinction
of being, with Black Sabbath, THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BAND IN ROCK'N'ROLL TODAY)
wasn't their most obvious trait (loud dumb guitars), but rather their most
subtle (brilliant pop songcraft). What these guys were, in their way: THE
BEACH BOYS OF THE SEVENTIES. It wasn't their fault that it took 25 years for
their noise to seep down into the universal consciousness (it takes a hell
of a lot of baseball games to brainwash the public to chant "Hey, ho,
let's go," y'know). And the toons are simple enough that it's easy for
a properly-motivated cover artist to put a distinctive stamp or two on 'em.
Thankfully, few of these versions are rote copies, and even the ones that
hew pretty close to the originals have something to distinguish them (f'rinstance,
the absolutely BRUTAL bass on Sahara Hotnights' opening blast of "Rockaway
Beach"). The aforementioned Sahara Hotnights and Satirnine (who essay
"Mama's Boy") can't imitate Joey's distinctive adenoidal delivery
because, well, because they're GURLS. Cool Millions adds cheesy Farfisa to
"The KKK Took My Baby Away" to good effect. And sure, Sort Sol's
"Blitzkried Bop" and Per Gessle's "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"
don't stray very far from the 'riginals (except for the former's mistranslating
the line "all revved up..." as "all RAVED up and ready to go"),
but then, why mess with perfection? The most terrifying ones are Whale's Europop
deconstruction of "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" and Wolf's over-the-top,
Pat Benatar-ish "I'm Not Afraid of Life." (So you'll know, they
appear back to back, tracks 11 and 12. You've been warned.)
The best ones are obvious: the Nomads, with their female auxiliary the Kissettes
handling voxxx on "I Remember You" (Nick Vahlberg only SEEMS to
be present vocally on this trib due to the similarity of some other singers'
voices); the Hellacopters, applying their typically energetic attack to "What'd
Ya Do?" (after all, what was "Hopeless Case of a Kid in Denial"
if not Nick Royale's attempt at tapping into Everykid's Ubermind the way Joey
and Dee Dee did routinely for 20 years?); the Dictators essaying "I Just
Wanna Have Something To Do" as if they wrote it (which they could have).
Brother Wayne Kramer RECITES "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg" over a hip-hop
riddim track, discovering the reggae potential in the chorus (what else would
you expect from the man who recast "The Harder They Come" as a rock
song?). The Barman's faves (NOT!) the Toilet Boys render a version of "Carbona
Not Glue" which ISN'T the worst thing I've ever heard. (ED'S NOTE:
You should have seen 'em play with the Dragons in San Diego - you might have
changed your mind.)
Venerable but obscure Scandis Wilmer X do a credible "I Can't Make It
On Time" with a harp solo, while the apparently Canadian Danko Jones
do the same for "The Return of Jackie and Judy." (At this point,
I'll confess to harbouring a special affection for the "End of the Century"
album, probably because it was the current release the one time I saw the
bruddazzz live, at the Dallas Palladium, ca. '79.) My own favourite piece
on the album is the last: Jesse Malin's heartbreaking take on "Questioningly,"
on which the singer realizes every bit of pathos inherent in the toon. (I'm
further reminded of the winter of '79-'80 I spent trying to make a band in
Aspen, Colorado, with "Road To Ruin" as the soundtrack. Bruce, John,
Jay: What in the hell were we thinking?)
Whether or not you were a major Ramones fan, you're sure to listen to this
more than the usual run of tribute discs. If you were, consider it essential.
Kudos to White Jazz honcho Kalle Schewen for putting it together! - Ken
Shimamoto
