The Ramones - End Of The Century (1980/2002) [Japanese Mini-LP Reissue '2007] FULLY RENEWED

On May 1979, the Ramones entered legendary Gold Star Studios in East Hollywood, CA, with producer Phil Spector… (The week before they flew to Los Angeles for these famed Spector sessions, the band recorded several demos with Ed Stasium, five of which are included on this remastered reissue). When the record was released, it received great acclaim from much of the mainstream press (notable Rolling Stone and Time, which deemed it one of the best rock albums of the year) and would go on to become the Ramones' biggest chart success. Though punk fans remain divided on the album's merits, there is a growing cult of admirers who embrace it.

According to Martin Banner of Flipside (Los Angeles longest-running punk zine):
The best thing about End Of The Century for me is that they stayed true to their heroes. The Ramones loved the bass-guitar-drum churn of the early Beatles, the Wall of Sound of the Spector girl groups, the Beach Boys' perfect, three-minute pop gems, and the roar of the '60s garage bands. They fused them all into one amazing, underrated record. It's a Rock & Roll car-crash of Spector-sized ambition and Ramones' energy that sounds better and better with each passing year.

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The Ramones - End Of The Century (1980/2002) [Japanese Mini-LP Reissue '2007] FULLY RENEWED

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This has always been the Ramones most controversial album, thanks to the characteristically over the top production by '60s legend Phil Spector. Some longtime fans hold that the band is overwhelmed by Spector's trademark Wall of Sound, and the Ramones themselves have expressed some reservations with the album over the years, although that may have been a result of Spector's personal eccentricities during the recording sessions - at one point he reputedly held a gun on them. In retrospect, however, Spector's sound and the Ramones' buzzsaw guitar attack make an excellent match, and with the exception of a pleasant but pointless cover of Spector's "Baby, I Love You" there isn't a weak track on the album. Highlights include a Spector-ized version of the theme to "Rock 'N' Roll High School" (markedly different from the cut on the movie soundtrack), "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?" (their ode to '60s Top 40 radio), "Danny Says" (their ode to manager Danny Fields), and "Chinese Rocks" (Dee Dee Ramone's often-covered ode to copping heroin).

Read detailed review on Rolling Stone Magazine.com

Tracklist:

01. Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?
02. I'm Affected
03. Danny Says
04. Chinese Rock
05. The Return Of Jackie And Judy
06. Let's Go
07. Baby, I Love You
08. I Can't Make It On Time
09. This Ain't Havana
10. Rock 'N' Roll High School
11. All The Way
12. High Risk Insurance
13. I Want You Around [Soundtrack Version]
14. Danny Says [Demo]
15. I'm Affected [Demo]
16. Please Don't Leave [Demo]
17. All The Way [Demo]
18. Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio? [Demo]
19. End Of The Century [Radio Promo, Unlisted Track]


Originally Produced by Phil Spector. Engineered by Boris Menart and Larry Levine
Recorded in May 1979 at Gold Star Studios, Excalibur Studios, Devonshire Studios,
Salty Dog Studios and Original Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California
Remastered by Dan Hersch and Bill Inglot at Digiprep.

• Joey Ramone - lead vocals
• Johnny Ramone - guitar
• Dee Dee Ramone - bass, b-vocals
• Marky Ramone - drums

additional musicians:
- Barry Goldberg - piano and organ
- Steve Douglas - saxophone
- Sean Donahue - disc jockey on "1".

Original Release Date: February 4, 1980
Japanese Re-Release: September 5, 2007
Format: Original Recordings Remastered
Label: Warner Music Japan/Rhino Entertainment
Catalog No.: WPCR-12726

See also: Rhino Remaster '2002
The 1st Japanese CD-pressing
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