This is my entry in the Helping Hands write off [my first w/o entry, someone hold me] hosted by the lovely and talented Bgoodday. Every cent earned by you reading an entry is given to the charity of the participant’s choice. My Epinions earnings go directly to the American Cancer Society. There are plenty of great causes receiving aid from this and you can help by simply reading entries in this write off. The other participants are listed at the bottom.

I’d like to take a moment to share my inspiration for this review. Almost everyone likes music, right? Here is a list of just some music people who helped influence this review. Bold facing is used here to make the list more readable, and for no other purpose.

Nat “King” Cole
Eddie Kendricks (The Temptations)
Sterling Morrison (Velvet Underground)
Lawrence Payton (Four Tops)
Junior Walker
Bob Marley
Mick Ronson (David Bowie and others)
Carl Wilson (Beach Boys)
William Powell (O’Jays)
Eric Carr (Kiss)
Glenn Hughes (Village People) Leather man
Frank Zappa
John Wolters (Dr. Hook)
Joey Ramone (The Ramones)

Music industry name-dropping? Not at all, just a small sampling of people you may have heard of, who are dead – from cancer. The last name on that list was the singer of the band I am reviewing.

Joey Ramone was a hero of mine because he was real and because he was an underdog. I instantly took to Joey because I saw so much of myself in him. He was a shy, but straight forward person, who was awkward when put on the spot in social situations, but never took any crap. Just another person caught in the hamster wheel of life, working hard and pouring your soul into something – to get little or nothing in return. Meanwhile, people around him were taking the shortcuts and getting all the breaks. On August 6, 1996 the Ramones played their farewell concert at The Palace in Los Angeles, CA and recorded it for fans around the world to see. The result is called, Ramones “We’re outta here!” and includes a CD and a VHS tape – a must for any true Ramones fan.

Not even a full five years later on 4/15/01, Joey Ramone (born Jeffrey Hyman) died of lymphatic cancer at the age of 49. I so rarely took in any news source at this point in my life that I didn’t even know he was sick. By some bizarre chance happening on the 15th, I switched to MTV to see if they were actually playing music (they weren’t) and when the commercial was over they had the news bulletin that Joey Ramone “died earlier today”. The news shocked me, the event shocked me, the victim shocked me – but unfortunately, the cause did not.

Six moths earlier, on 10/7/00 I was on my knees in a Florida hospital, holding the hand of my biggest hero – the most important person I will ever have in my life, my mother. It was 12:40 am (just 40 minutes after my fathers 63rd birthday ended) and I was saying the first of many goodbyes, due to her passing just seconds earlier. The best teacher, friend and bickering partner I will ever have, was lying there in front of me – beautifully peaceful, giving not the slightest hint to the incredible amount of disease she was hosting that destroyed her. She was 66 and yet another victim in my family tree to cancer.

The rant continues…
Think about it, how many friends and relatives have you lost because of cancer? I would guess plenty. My own list seems to have a snowball effect, and with the instances of cancer in my family, I will very likely be on that list too. Nearly 5 million lives have been lost to cancer since 1990, making it the second leading cause of death in the United States (the first is heart disease) which gives each and every one of us living in this country a 1 in 4 chance of dying from cancer. Fact is, the collective “we” need a clue and quick – not just with cancer either. The odds are just too great against us that you and I specifically will be a victim to at least one of the things these charities are working with. There are just too many disabilities, diseases and forms of abuse working against us, people need to act when and how they can. This Helping Hands write off is a no brainer, use a little of your time and read – that’s it! By simply sitting on your butt at your computer you can do a little something to help find another answer, medication or cure.

Rant conclusion
You get the idea – cancer is bad, charity is good. This write off (along with everything I write on Epinions) is for charity, you can help by simply reading. Easy enough? On with the review..

[The Ramones]
I don’t know many people personally who have never heard of the Ramones, yet the band never had as much as a gold record (one that sells over 500,000 units). How can a band be so famous and still sell so few records? Because when fans get what they ask for, they don’t appreciate it. People are always looking for something new - when they get it, they want it to stay the same. Be careful what you wish for.

The Ramones wanted to do something different with their music. At the time, arena rock bands ruled with lengthy guitar solos and a polished sound. But, with one guitar playing minimal chords at maximum speed, and bass player who knew more about catching a buzz than his instrument, and a drummer like the Energizer bunny on speed – the Ramones became something different indeed. Something that grabbed the attention of the people. But there was more, there were songs that dared to have melody like bubblegum pop and every tune had catchy lyrics which held the attention of the people – just not very many of them.

For a band that was so raw and unpolished, they maintained a uniformity that stands unrivaled to this day. While R&B and pop groups wore matching outfits as their uniform the Ramones opted for leather jackets, t-shirts and jeans as their trademark look. But it went beyond that. The entire time the Ramones existed their music never changed, which proved fatal for record sales. Often when a band has a popular song, people will rate the rest of their music on that one song – saying things like, “why couldn’t this be more like the first one”. Well unfortunately, when you give those people what they want, the result is you become predictable and the masses ignore you, the Ramones are the proof of that. Another mark of their unity was that every member used the last name Ramone. There were 7 official band member Ramones over their 22 year history. Once adopting the last name Ramone, initiation required severing the smallest toe on the right foot and storing it in the same pickle jar as a symbol of dedication to the band. I’m sorry, I made the toe part up - just to make sure you were still awake after reading my charity rant, everything but the toe part is true.

Here is a list of the band members over the years along with their real names, time in the band and instrument:

Joey Ramone [Jeffrey Hyman] (1974-forever) Vocals
Johnny Ramone [John Cummings] (1974-end) Guitar
Dee Dee Ramone [Douglas Colvin] (1974-1989) Bass
C.J. Ramone [Christopher Joseph Ward] (1989–end) Bass
Tommy Ramone [Thomas Erdelyi] (1974-1978) Drums
Marky Ramone [Marc Bell] (1978-1983 & 1987-end) Drums
Richie Ramone [Richie Reinhardt] (1983-1987) Drums

A band that respected their fans, maintained their integrity and had the decency to say goodbye instead of just fading away. Here is their final word.

[We’re Outta Here!] Part 2?
“We’re Outta Here” is actually the second time the band said goodbye. In 1995 they recorded their final studio album that was titled “Adios Amigos”, and even with the telling title, sales were dismal. We’re Outta Here, is an overview of the bands career in both music and behind the scenes footage. The package (CD & Video) was $27.00 when I bought it at a local retailer. From what I understand it’s pretty hard to find now.

[The CD]
The quality of sound on this live recording is very reasonable. It gives you the feeling of imperfection and raw live energy, yet is mixed and produced well. The CD covers the entire final concert, the 2,263rd Ramones show and as always begins with the theme from Clint Eastwood’s movie “The Good the Bad and the Ugly”.

The Songs:

01) Durango 95 (1:26)
02) Teenage Lobotomy (1:30)
03) Psycho Therapy (2:10)
04) Blitzkrieg Bop (1:36)
05) Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio (3:00)
06) I Believe in Miracles (2:41)
07) Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment (1:14)
08) Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (1:50)
09) I Wanna Be Sedated (2:04)
10) Spider-Man (2:11)
11) The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away (2:12)
12) I Just Want To Have Something To Do (2:09)
13) Commando (1:21)
14) Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (1:48)
15) Rockaway Beach (2:11)
16) Pet Sematary (3:01)
17) The Crusher (2:09)
18) Love Kills (1:58)
With guest Dee Dee Ramone (who left the band in 1989)
19) Do You Wanna Dance (1:28)
20) Someone Put Something in My Drink (2:31)
21) I Don’t Want You (2:01)
22) Wart Hog (1:33)
23) Cretin Hop (1:22)
24) R.A.M.O.N.E.S. (1:17)
With guest Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead)
25) Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World (1:40)
26) Pinhead (2:57)
27) 53rd & 3rd (1:56)
With Guests Lars Frederiksen and Tim Armstrong (Rancid)
28) Listen To Your Heart (1:19)
29) We’re A Happy Family (1:59)
30) Chinese Rock (2:32)
With guests Chris Cornell and Ben Shepard (Soundgarden)
31) Beat On The Brat (2:14)
32) Any Way You Want It (3:12)
Dave Clark Five cover with guest Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)

The band sounded good and this performance is pretty evenly comparable to how they sounded on other live albums or any of the times I’ve seen them live. Since most of their songs are favorites of mine, I won’t go into detail on them all. Here are a few of the songs, chosen for no particular reason:

Psycho Therapy
An easily recognizable Ramones song that has been covered by several bands. This song feels looser live than many of the others over the studio versions. Here’s a sample of the lyrics from the song:

I like takin' Tuinal it keeps me edgy and mean
I'm a teenage schizoid I'm a teenage dope fiend

I'm a kid in the nuthouse I'm a kid in the psycho zone
Psycho Therapy I'm gonna burglarize your home

I Believe in Miracles
This song (off the Brain Drain album) is one of my favorites because it fits me well. It’s not a particularly great song musically but lyrically it’s very meaningful and real. If you’re on fairly stable ground now and had a reckless past, this one is for you too.

I used to be on an endless run.
Believe in miracles ‘cause I'm one.
I’ve been blessed with the power to survive.
After all these years I'm still alive.

Says it pretty well for me. The last two lines of another verse I’ve included below really strike me as brilliant, and say so much with so little.

Tattoo your name on my arm.
I always said my girl's my good luck charm.
If she could find a reason to forgive,
Then I could find a reason to live.

I Wanna Be Sedated
This has got to be one of the most easily recognized and sung Ramones songs. The end of the song has one of those singable parts like “Hey Jude” by the Beatles that isn’t particularly easy to spell for my purposes here (so I won’t even try) but everyone seems to know it even above the other lyrics of the song.

Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do nowhere to go I wanna be sedated

We’re A Happy Family
This is a great example of how silly some of the bands lyrics are. But in typical Ramones fashion, it’s fast, loud and comes at you like a train.

Sitting here in Queens, eating refried beans
We're in all the magazines, gulpin' down thorazines
We ain't got no friends, our troubles never end
No Christmas cards to send, daddy likes men.

Daddy's telling lies, baby's eating flies
Mommy's on pills, baby's got the chills
I'm friends with the President, I'm friends with the Pope
We're all making a fortune selling Daddy's dope.

R.A.M.O.N.E.S.
Not a Ramones song, but a tribute song by Motorhead. I like the song, and I think it’s cool that Lemmy would like the band so much that he’d write a song about them.

New York City, N.Y.C.,
Pretty mean when it wants to be,
Black leather, knee-hole pants,
Can't play no high school dance,
Fuzz tone, hear 'em go, hear 'em on the radio,

Misfits, twilight zone,
R-A-M-O-N-E-S, R-A-M-O-N-E-S
RAMONES!

[The Video]
This alone is worth the purchase price in my opinion. It has footage from the same show (not in it’s entirety though), interviews, clips of live shows from around the world, home movies and more. There are also testimonial / comments about the band from various artists including:

Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys & others)
Rob Zombie (White Zombie)
Richard Hell
Jesse Malin (D Generation)
James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins)
Slim Jim (Stray Cats)
Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads)
Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads)
Chris Frantz (Talking Heads)
Debbie Harry (Blondie)

Appearances range from general comments on the band like Debbie Harry saying, “They’re like a machine”, to others recalling Ramones memories like Jello Biafra on the first time he ever saw the Ramones. Also included on the tape are several comments and stories from the band members themselves (individually).

Some of the clips and home movie highlights on the tape include:

Joey hanging out with some kangaroos

Goofing around in the van, outside of a hotel, in Italy.

Seconds after they had an accident in the van.

Footage of a CBGB’s show from August, 1974.

Clips from The Simpsons, The Uncle Floyd Show and others.

The remainder of the 150-minute video is packed with songs, both from the final show and various other times and places. I will list them in the order shown and only explain footage that wasn’t from the final show.

Beat On The Brat

Blitzkrieg Bop

Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment (from 1996)

Teenage Lobotomy

Loudmouth Baby (1975 where Joey is faking an English accent before the song starts)

Pet Sematary

Chinese Rock

Psycho Therapy

Pinhead

Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (from the Sha Na Na show, additional backing vocals and echo added, sounds cheesy)

She’s the One (from the “Old Grey Whistle Test”) [whatever that is]

The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away (from final show, but in grainy black and white video)

Cretin Hop (mostly with footage of when fans mobbed the van in Argentina)

I Wanna Be Sedated

Judy is a Punk (from CBGB’s)

Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

Rockaway Beach (from London Rainbow Theater 1977)

53rd & 3rd

Blitzkrieg Bop (again, but this time from Argentina)

Any Way You Want It

At the end of this song Joey says, “Thanks a lot, goodnight” and the band leaves the stage. That’s it – plain, simple and to the point like the band themselves.

I purposely left out a few song clips from the video so you won’t know every second of it already, should you decide to purchase it. Of course I realize how unlikely that is for most of you, but it’s my fantasy. The video and sound quality is good overall, with the exception of the older clips, which are somewhat poor.

It would have been ideal if they just had the entire last show on video with the clips and left the CD out of it – or at least sold them separately. The two combined are redundant, but for less than 30 bucks – who can really complain.

[It’s hard to say goodbye]
So with this package you get a little history, insight and entertainment with the “godfathers of punk”, the Ramones who share their final moments as a band. There is a piece of the tape that since Joey’s passing is even more touching that I would like to share with you now. It’s at the end, right before the last song.

Keep in mind when Joey Ramone is on stage he is king, but offstage when he’s on the spot in front of a camera he is shy and awkward – the following contained many pauses of, “ummm”, “you know” and “I don’t know” which I left out in my typed version to keep the message and feeling intact. Otherwise this is word for word. Joey is sitting alone, talking to the camera and says:

”I was pretty convinced that, the Ramones, when we call it a day, it’s a day. Because we’ve always maintained our credibility and integrity – that’s the kind of band we are. You know, we don’t say one thing and do something else, you know what I mean?

But, I kind of feel like we did our own thing. Umm, I can’t really say. I mean I can say I’m done and all, that I’ve had it…. it was fun – but I’m moving on, I don’t know. (the following is said with Joey sounding shaky like he’s sad)

It’s hard to say goodbye ya know, and I don’t know how to say farewell…

…but farewell” (laughs).


[[ End of review ]]

Again, my reviews (especially this one) are written to help benefit the American Cancer Society.

Please take whatever time you can and read the entries in “Helping Hands” by the following people. They are all for some pretty great causes:

adjensen | adnetim | Ainsleyjo | Alwaysstubborn
Alwoolcott | amysmum | AshleyA | Bgoodday
bluehawq | bmcnichol | bops_mom | CANS4US
Char.mike | Cartman_2k | cntaur5 | dearladyb
disartain | eplovejoy | fallyn96 | Fostrmom2mny
FraggleMom | Frazzledspice | ggrimes1221
jankp | jdhauer | jennica | jo.com | kelly60 | kminer
lildev | MariaEkaterina | nwinston | mimi369
mom2girlz | mridula | mrsocko316 | PacBayStat
Pambo | quasar | rbradford | rosalyce | rugged14
shanny21 | shantel575 | Stephen_Murray
Sunkah | Suzer | Viper1963 | Vormancian
Wanbli_Gleska | willeftk

The Helping Hands web page can be found at http://63.200.217.166/

For additional info and some good reviews check Bgoodday’s Epinions area at http://www.epinions.com/user-bgoodday/tk_~RB005.1.125

Thank you for reading!
-Dennis (Dee67)



Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Waking up