Ramones, The - Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits

Year of Release: 2002
Label: Rhino
Catalog Number: 081227610128
Format: CD
Total Time: 92:41:00

The Ramones were the true Godfathers of NYC punk. They characterized a generation and jump-started a musical revolution. I had a friend in high school that loved these guys, and everyone made fun of him, including yours truly. Little did we know how far ahead of us he really was by listening to this great rock 'n' roll band now did we? Now more than ever we need to hear great groups of the past. When times are tough nostalgia is popular, and we are living in some very hard times now. As much as everyone misses Joey Ramone (Jeff Hyman) since his untimely passing, we all know that we can always turn to the music that has so fittingly immortalized his voice for eternity.

This music is so full of the punk attitude and energy and everything that is NYC that it literally oozes with the concrete, smells, brashness, and in-your-face screw-you-if-you-don't-like-it-attitude of their cab drivers, that you tend to forget that these guys grew up on The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. Well, after all, none of the members in any of those groups was saintly by any stretch of the imagination. There are more than just hints of the 60's mindset found in the lyrics of these songs.

Even though "Blitzgrieg Bop" still sounds as good as it did when it first came out, "Beat On The Brat" holds an entirely different meaning currently, and anyway ... it still made me laugh. They had a great sense of humor while spitting in the face of the status quo. The anthem of innocence(?), "Rock 'n' Roll High School," is mild compared to the angst and irony of "Psycho Therapy" and the punk swagger of "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment."

Oh what fun this all was, even though there was a dark and sick side to their humor. It was all easily forgiven once you put on the music and could not stop bopping your head and banging your feet on the ground. These boys made big noise, and how could they ever become a piece of forgotten history after giving us the music and entertainment that they produced year after year? Believe me that will not happen.

Disc 1 is jam packed with 30 of their best high-speed rockers while disc two is a special live bonus disc. It was recorded in 1985, which was years after the peak of their popularity. Regardless of that they sounded great, they always did.

This is a great package well worth looking into. If you love to rock and have not had the gratification of hearing this great band, then bang your head and get yourself all revved up and ready to go! Its time you got tough and got some Ramones.

Tracklisting:
Disc One: Blitzkrieg Bop (2:14) / Beat On The Brat (2:32) / Judy Is A Punk (1:32) / Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment (1:43) / Commando (1:52) / Glad To See You Go (2:13) / Pinhead (2:44) / Rockaway Beach (2:06) / We're A Happy Family (2:31) / Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (2:48) / Teenage Lobotomy (2:01) / I Wanna Be Sedated (2:29) / I'm Against It (2:07) / I Wanted Everything (3:18) / I Just Want To Have Something To Do (2:41) / Rock 'N' Roll High School (2:14) / Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio? (3:51) / The KKK Took My Baby Away (2:30) / Psycho Therapy (2:34) / Outsider (2:10) / Highest Trails Above (2:09) / Wart Hog (1:54) / Mama's Boy (2:10) / Somebody Put Something In My Drink (3:20) / I Wanna Live (2:36) / Garden Of Serenity (2:35) / I Believe In Miracles (3:18) / Main Man (3:29) / Strength To Endure (2:59) / The Crusher (2:24)

Ramones Smash You! - Live '85: Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? (3:14) / Psycho Therapy (2:04) / Suzy Is A Headbanger (1:17) / Too Tough To Die (2:10) / Smash You (2:11) / Chinese Rock (2:06) / Howling At The Moon (Sha-La-La) (2:58) / I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement (1:37)

Musicians:
Joey Ramone - lead vocals
Dee Dee Ramone - bass
Johnny Ramone - guitar
Tommy Ramone - drums
Marky Ramone -drums
Richie Ramone -drums
C. J. Ramone - bass

Discography:
The Ramones - Ramones (1976/2001)
The Ramones - Leave Home (1977/2001)
The Ramones - Rocket To Russia (1977/2001)
The Ramones - Born To Run (1978/2001)
The Ramones - Rock N' Roll High School (1979)
The Ramones - It's Alive (1979)
The Ramones - End Of The Century (1980)
Pleasant Dreams (1981)
The Ramones - Subterranean Jungle (1983)
The Ramones - Too Tough To Die (1985)
The Ramones - Animal Boy (1986)
The Ramones - Halfway To Sanity (1987)
The Ramones - Ramones Mania (1988)
The Ramones - Brain Drain (1989)
The Ramones - All The Stuff (1990)
The Ramones - All The Stuff - Vol 2 (1990)
The Ramones - Loco Live (1991)
The Ramones - Mondo Bizzaro (1992)
The Ramones - Acid Eaters (1993)
The Ramones - Adios Amigos (1994)
The Ramones - Greatest Hits Live (1996)
The Ramones - We're Outta Here (1997)
The Ramones - Hey Ho Let's Go - Anthology (1999)
The Ramones - Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits (2002)
Don't Worry About Me (2002)

Genre: Rock

Origin US

Added: October 20th 2002
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck
Score:
Artist website: www.officialramones.com
Hits: 2311
Language: english