RAMONES
Too Tough To Die (Sire/Warner/Rhino)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson

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By 1985, The Ramones sound had gone through changes from its original "WunTuFreeFow" speed trip format and some fans were starting to look elsewhere for their adrenalin rush. Tommy Ramone (Erdelyi) had left the drum throne in 1979, but he returned in the capacity of producer for this album with the idea of helping The Ramones bring back the original power and spark. Together, they succeeded somewhat, though the rediscovered hypertempos and bludgeoned chords didn't end up serving the songs in the same way as they once had because there was a thin layer of gloss over most of the album. I guess working with Phil Spector on Rock & Roll High School had given them a taste for production values. There's something to be said for the fact that history has already sorted out the first four Ramones albums as their greatest, and the production values on those were "Uh, turn it up and let's go."

Judged on its own merits, and begrudgingly accepting that we must all get over ourselves and let bands evolve, for better or for worse, Too Tough To Die was as good or better than anything being put out in the punk field in 1985. About half of the tracks fed the speed freaks. "Humankind" and "Warthog" freakin' fly in the old tradition, and "No Go," though not a surf tune, has that "California Sun" feel that once served them so well. "Endless Vacation" has tempo changes back and forth, horrible vocals and doesn't feel like a Ramones song. I never did figure out what that was all about.

There are a dozen bonus tracks, all in high quality sound, including a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man" that comes off rather well, versions of "Too Tough To Die," "Danger Zone" and "Planet Earth 1988" with Dee Dee on vocals and a handful of demos. It's a nice package, as long as you know it's not gonna bop your blitzkrieg or beat on your brat.

© 2002 - DJ Johnson