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Rating:
We all know the Ramones, there's no need to continue celebrating a band that simply founded the true Punk Rock by pushing forward a discourse already started by MC5, partly the Who, and especially Iggy & Stooges, major influences on the group. The Ramones turned the world of rock upside down, revolutionizing and shaking it like no one else, perhaps not even Elvis. Ramones: the word says it all. But the roots of the group, as is known, were not only rooted in the wild rock n roll of the aforementioned bands but also in Surf, Bubblegum pop, and in general the broad world of sixties pop.
After the first three unmatchable albums, the turning point, if we can call it that, had already arrived with "Road to Ruin," the fourth splendid album produced by the departed Tommy, further highlighting the great 60s pop influences already present before. After the Phil Spector overproduced but excellent "End of Century" to open the new decade, which would be the most challenging for the band, came this sixth studio album by the legendary brothers from Queens that continued in this vein, yet without completely renouncing the original punk. This time produced by the less renowned but also less despotic and tyrannical multi-instrumentalist from 10cc, Graham Gouldman, described by Marky Ramone as "the group's pop album" and "one of my favorites", this album is one of the most overlooked by critics and the public, and also somewhat underrated because there aren't any bad tracks, there are anonymous tracks but also great pieces that hold their own compared to those from previous albums, even if they do not reach those peaks. The first "We Want the Airwaves" is a small masterpiece of catchy punk and would become a classic of the band from here on out, as even more so the grandiose third track "The KKK Took My Baby Away" with lyrics dedicated to the well-known Joey/Johnny/Linda affair, Joey's ex-girlfriend "stolen" by the guitarist who later followed through and married her, one of the finest pieces in the quartet's repertoire sadly also covered in an atrocious way by Marilyn Manson. "It's Not My Place(In the 9 to 5 World)" and "She's a Sensation" respectively in sixth and seventh place the other most known tracks, excellent even if quite inferior to the previous ones.
The others never drastically lower the general level, "All Quiet On The Eastern Front" starts well and remains good despite Dee Dee's avoidable choruses, "Don't Go", an excellent brief and melodic song, "You Sound Like You're Sick", "You Didn't Mean Anything To Me", "Come On Now", "The Business Is Killing Me" and "Sitting In My Room" smoothly complete the picture without too much excitement or anything particularly noteworthy, in short, neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy like the album itself.
Closing with "7-11": a splendid eighth track, certainly the best of the work, the longest and most emotional in telling a tender and sad love story through the magnificent voice of the great Joey.
An album not essential unless you are a Ramones fanatic like myself, but not an album to despise or completely ignore either, an album that fits well in the repertoire of a band that never released bad or undignified albums. It doesn't belong to the drive of the early days, but the feeling is that of a light yet enjoyable, well-arranged and well-made work as a whole, a very honest album in conclusion.
Recommended for those who want to taste the more melodic side and at times romantic and melancholic side of the band. Even if it doesn't reach the heights of their best works, it's an album that between highs and lows flows smoothly without any dull moments. The Ramones are a band to be known, discovered, and savored for every single note of every single album.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 We Want the Airwaves (03:22)
9 to 5 and 5 to 9
Ain't gonna take it
It's our time
We want the world and we want it now
We're gonna take it anyhow
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves, baby
If rock is gonna stay alive
(2x)
Oh yeah
well alright
Let's rock
tonight
All night
Where's your guts and will to survive
And don't you wanna keep rock'n'roll music alive
Mr. Programmer
I got my hammer
And I'm gonna
Smash my
Smash my
Brain!
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves, baby
If rock is gonna stay alive
(2x)
Oh yeah
well alright
Let's rock
tonight
All night
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves airwaves
We want the airwaves, baby
02 All's Quiet on the Eastern Front (02:14)
Watch the watch the way I walk
Can't you think my movements talk
Watch the watch the way I walk
Can't you think my movements talk
See me silently quietly creep I am too
amped up to sleep lamp rays shining down
Street lamps make the bussing sound subway
Creaking down below garbage piled up and ready to go
Lock the windows the gates on taxi in the
Distance coming along stalking the streets
Till the break of day New York beauty take my
Breath away near some cats but dog's don't
bark cool cats strolling after dark
Watch the watch the way I walk
Can't you think my movements talk
Watch the watch the way I walk
Can't you think my movements talk
Shaky lock and kicky door smokey air that
I adore down in the alley is where I hunt
All is quiet on the eastern front
Stalking the streets till the break of day
New York beauty take my breath away
Watch the watch the way I walk
Can't you think my movements talk
Watch the watch the way I walk
Can't you think my movements talk
Can't you think my movements talk
Can't you think my movements talk
03 The KKK Took My Baby Away (02:32)
She went away for the holidays
Said she's going to L.A.
but she never got there
She never got there
She never got there, they say
She went away for the holidays
Said she's going to L.A.
but she never got there
She never got there
She never got there, they say
The KKK took my baby away
they took her away
away from me
The KKK took my baby away
they took her away
away from me
HEY, HO, HEY, HO,
I don't know
Where my baby can be
they took her from me
they took her from me
I don't know
where my baby can be
they took her from me
they took her from me
ring me, ring me, ring me
up the President
and find out
Where my baby went
ring me, ring me, ring me
up the FBI
and find out if
my baby's alive
yeah, yeah, yeah
o-o-o-o-o-o
yeah, yeah, yeah
o-o-o-o-o-o
She went away for the holidays
Said she's going to L.A.
but she never got there
She never got there
She never got there, they say
She went away for the holidays
Said she's going to L.A.
but she never got there
She never got there
She never got there, they say
The KKK took my baby away
they took her away
away from me
The KKK took my baby away
they took her away
away from me
The KKK took my baby away
they took her away
away from me
The KKK took my baby away
They took my girl
They took my baby away
05 You Sound Like You're Sick (02:43)
Well I can't understand
Anything about you
Help you if I can
What can I do
Here's your new home
That's where you must be
In the institution
'Cause you're so lazy
But if you must act up
Again & again
'Cause everybody knows
You're a hopeless problem
Here's your new home
That's where you must be
In the institution
'Cause you're so lazy
You sound like you're sick
You look like your sick too
You sound like you're sick
But if you must act up
You sound like you're sick
Well I can't understand
Anything about you
You sound like you're sick
You look like you're sick too
You sound like you're sick
You sound like you're sick
You look like you're sick too
Well you sound like you're sick
You sound like you're sick
07 She's a Sensation (03:29)
She's a sensation
She's a sensation
She looks a so sweet
She's a sensation
She's a sensation
Good enough a to eat
She's a sensation
oh-oh-oh
She looks a so fine
She's a sensation
She's a Sensation
I'm gonna make her mine
No matter what you do (you do)
I give my heart to you (to you)
And oh-oh-baby
I will give to you
no matter What they say (they say)
yeah, we can find a way (a way)
And oh-oh-baby we can find a way
I didn't know it till I walked you home
That, I feel the way I do
and I don't care
What the neighbors say
I always will be true
I always will love you
love you a-wo-wo-wo-wo
(repeat all)
08 7-11 (03:38)
I met her at the 7-11 now I'm in 7th heaven
Tell me, tell me can this be true
I never thought I'd ever meet a girl like you
She was standing by the Space Invaders so I said
Can I see you later yeah we went for a little spin
Down to the holiday inn
We was young and in love
We was young and in love
And you're the only girl I'm ever thinking of
We went down to the record swap the kids were
Dancing to the Blitzkrieg Bop
Bop-shoo-wop, shoo-wop shoo-wop
Bop-shoo-wop shoo-wop shoo-wop
What ever happened to the radio
and where did all the fun songs go
Summer fun, with the Beach Boys on
But we all know what went wrong oh-wo-wo
We was young and in love
We was young and in love
And you're the only girl I'm ever dreaming of
And so we went down to the dance
Which turned into a whole romance
And after just one night, I never knew things could be so right
Oh-no-no-no-no-no-no-no
I kissed and hugged her and I said good-bye
Last thing I knew she wouldn't make it alive
Oncoming car went out of control it crushed
My baby and it crushed my soul
Now all I've got is sorrow and pain
standing out here In the rain
the crash, the shattering glass,
The sirens and pain is driving me insane oh-yeah
We was young and in love
We was young and in love
And you're the only girl I'm ever thinking of
12 Sitting in My Room (02:30)
Sitting in my room record player on
Sitting in my room humming a sickening tune
Sitting in my room something to do soon
We know what we think of them the problems just
Keep piling in they got complaints about everything
Its us against them its us against them
Its us against them
They just wanna worry thats not what any kid
Should have to do they just wanna be so lame
Maybe they should try and sniff some glue
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