The Ramones - Live: January 7, 1978 at the Palladium (NYC 1978) [2003] RESTORED

NYC 1978 is a half-official live album by the Ramones. It was recorded at the Palladium in New York City on January 7, 1978, for use on the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio program. The album was originally released by King Biscuit on August 19, 2003 as part of the King Biscuit Flower Hour Archive Series. In 2004 the album was re-released on Sanctuary Records with the title "Live: January 7, 1978 at the Palladium, NYC", and with new cover-art…

Originally recorded for a King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show and taken from a decent stereo board mix, this set chronicles The Ramones at their peak before an adoring home audience. The group had just returned from a triumphant European tour during which It's Alive had been recorded at the Rainbow Theatre on New Year's Eve just a week before. It's a blistering 27 song set accomplished in less than an hour, and taken at ultra-high energy even for The Ramones! While the band was hot in Europe, back in the USA they couldn't fill a big venue anywhere but their hometown of NYC. The Palladium was a fabulous downtown venue-a fading glorious theater with great acoustics, and while this board mix features little of the natural acoustic, it clearly contributed to the clarity of the sound-especially the drums, which have a nice crack about them. The overall sound is bright however, and the bottom end is somewhat limited, but still this is a surprisingly good live recording of one of the greatest Rock and Roll bands of all time! Even if they only knew three chords and all the songs sounded the same. Who cares?

This live document from the archives of the King Biscuit Flower Hour dates from January 7, 1978, a week after the Ramones' landmark New Year's Eve gig in London that later became It's Alive. Playing to a rabid hometown crowd packed into the Palladium, Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny, and Tommy run through exactly the same set, with the same attention to brevity over bombast. Joey even uses the same gag to introduce "I Wanna Be Well", switching out "chicken vindaloo" for "dressing room food". The album is also a sonic cousin to It's Alive; its mix is dominated by the slashing treble of Johnny's guitar, and the rhythm section is fuller. NYC 1978's first three songs are a Rock & Roll history lesson, while the stopping and starting bassline of "California Sun" helps the track sizzle with anticipation. Joey's fake British accent is particularly satisfying over the initial crunch of "I Don't Care", and the set ends strong with more furious guitar from Johnny on "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" and the anthem "We're a Happy Family". Of course, it's over too quickly. The Ramones' two chords and the truth defined punk rock. Now that the band is officially defunct, another document of its influential sound – especially one recorded in the heady days of its first three albums – is like a present gift-wrapped in torn Levis.

~ Johnny Loftus, all media guide

Tracklist:

01. Rockaway Beach
02. Teenage Lobotomy
03. Blitzkrieg Bop
04. I Wanna Be Well
05. Glad To See You Go
06. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
07. You're Gonna Kill That Girl
08. I Don't Care
09. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
10. Havana Affair
11. Commando
12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
13. Surfin' Bird
14. Cretin Hop
15. Listen To My Heart
16. California Sun
17. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You
18. Pinhead
19. Do You Wanna Dance?
20. Chainsaw
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World
22. Now I Wanna Be A Good Boy
23. Suzy Is A Headbanger
24. Let's Dance
25. Oh Oh I Love Her So
26. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
27. We're A Happy Family


Executive Produced by Steven Ship and Kelvin Clain
Recorded January 7, 1978 at the Palladium, NYC
Mixed & Mastered by Glen Robinson.

• Joey Ramone – lead vocals
• Johnny Ramone – guitar
• Dee Dee Ramone – bass, backing vocals
• Tommy Ramone – drums

Original Release Date: August 19, 2003
Re-Release Date: March 15, 2004
Format: Official Bootleg
Label: Sanctuary Records
Catalog No.: SMQCD 009