JOEY RAMONE
Don't Worry About Me (Sanctuary Records Group)
Reviewed by Melanie Campbell

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He was the Original Punk-- a social misfit who, along with his three buds in the Ramones, jump-started a musical revolution in the mid-seventies that gave rock a much-needed shakeup. Now, a year after his death, Joey Ramone has given us what amounts to a fabulously feedback-laden epitaph. Most of the songs here capture the same kind of vibe that the Ramones were best known for: the three-chord power-pop-slam-fest with fun, simple lyrics that are easy to sing along to. The boisterous "Spirit in My House" sports the sharpest of hooks that would have sounded right at home on the band's '92 release, Mondo Bizarro. Meanwhile, the joyously sloppy "Mr. Punchy" could have been one of their bigger hits back in the day, when they were kings of the Rock 'n' Roll High School. Considering most of this was completed while Ramone was in the latter stages of lymphoma, the tone of Don't Worry About Me is unbelievably positive. The sheer will he displayed in continuing to make his music in the face of such uphill circumstances shows how much he loved his chosen profession. It's a testament to the true spirit of rock-n-roll that one of it's truest champions could go out musically in such a satisfying fashion. RIP, Joey...

© 2002 - Melanie Campbell