This is Punk Rock, straight and simple, served… with serious delay, but this is surprisingly fresh, definitively genuine, not taste like plastic and sounds like fake. Probably Rock ‘n Roll Is The Answer.
BMG has scooped the worldwide rights to an unreleased posthumous solo album from former Ramones frontman Joey Ramone, who died 11 years ago aged 49. “…ya know?”, Joey’s second solo album, will be released in the US on May 22, in Continental Europe on May 25 and in the UK on May 28.
The album represents the very best of recordings Ramone left behind on his death which were later assembled by his brother Mickey Leigh, manager Dave Frey and trusted producer Ed Stasium. It features contributions from a stellar cast of Ramone’s friends and collaborators, including Joan Jett, Little Steven Van Zandt, former Ramones drummer Richie Ramone, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, Dennis Diken of the Smithereens, Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye and members of the Ramones’ punk-era contemporaries The Dictators.
Joey Ramone was the voice of punk rock in America. Sporting a leather jacket and torn jeans – just like his bandmates – and hiding his face behind a pair of sunglasses and a thick shock of dark hair, the lanky Ramone helped define punk’s early image as well and his two-decade-plus tenure as frontman of the Ramones made him a countercultural icon.
The Ramones were named among Rolling Stone’s 50 Greatest Artists of All Time and Mojo’s 100 Greatest Albums. In 2002 – the same year they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – the Ramones were ranked #2 in Spin’s 50 Greatest Bands Of All Time, second only to The Beatles.
Joey Ramone co-founded the Ramones in 1974 with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin, upon which point all three adopted Ramone as their stage surname. Joey Ramone initially served as the group’s drummer before switching to vocals.
He died of lymphoma at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on April 15, 2001, after a seven-year battle.
His first solo album “Don’t Worry About Me” was also released posthumously in 2002, and features the single “What a Wonderful World”, a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard.
On November 30, 2003, a block of East 2nd Street in New York City was officially renamed Joey Ramone Place. It is the block where Hyman once lived with bandmate Dee Dee Ramone, and is near the former site of the music club CBGB, where the Ramones got their start.
The album was originally announced to contain 17 songs, but due to a last minute glitch, two songs had to be cut. Two of the songs, “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)” and “Life’s a Gas”, are re-recordings of songs originally recorded by the Ramones.
Tracklist:
01 – Rock ‘n Roll Is The Answer
02 – Going Nowhere Fast
03 – New York City
04 – Waiting For That Railroad
05 – I Couldn’t Sleep
06 – What Did I Do To Deserve You
07 – Seven Days Of Gloom
08 – Eyes Of Green
09 – Party Line
10 – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
11 – 21st Century Girl
12 – There’s Got To Be More To Life
13 – Make Me Tremble
14 – Cabin Fever
15 – Life’s A Gas
R.I.P. Joey!
Joey Ramone – Official Site
Joey Ramone @ Facebook
BMG – News
Pre-Order “…ya know?” on iTunes
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IoO5nkxT_4&w=545&h=399]
