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Customer Review
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2013
Well, what can I say? How could I possibly give this DVD anything less than five stars? OK, here's a disclaimer: I'm a Ramones fan and have been ever since the "End of the Century" LP in 1978. Surely, this is one of America's greatest rock 'n' roll band and there's relatively little info about them available, particularly in their formative years. They're monumentally influential in the history of popular music. Their mere presence in England in the mid-70s started the whole Punk Rock/New Wave revolution with the Ramones getting little of the credit, at least at the time. Now, here's a wonderful tribute in the form of their concert recordings from 1974-1996. It's a wonderful DVD. Note that 96 out of 105 rankings are five stars. Well, that's probably the effects of Ramones fans.
Here's over 20 years of concerts. They're all pretty much alike. Joey Ramone stands in the middle and leans forward on his mike as he sings with his hair draped over his face. Johnny, the guitarist, is typically on his right and Dee Dee, the bassist, is to his left. Both are hyper-active in their playing. The drummer (variable) is behind the three. Their songs are short, fast, loud and simple. They all have a certain generic similarity. There usually is little break between songs. A concert is like a musical onslaught. It's repeated with only minor variations year after year and venue after venue. The DVD goes on and on and on and repeats and repeats and repeats the limited selection of songs. To a Ramones fan, it's wonderful. To someone who doesn't care for the Ramones, it would probably be deadly. Well, what can I say? Who but a deep-dyed Ramones fan would ever order this DVD, or even know about it?
The selections by the Ramones are the same, no matter what. But the quality of the video and sound recordings is highly variable. I prefer to listen to the Ramones loud, as it was meant to be. The sound quality on the DVD is not particularly good, however, and I seem to end up with a headache after about 30 minutes. On some of the selections, the sound is just awful, on others fairly good. You might keep in mind that the recordings are a compilation from many different sources, not a planned project. As such, I'd have to give the compiler high marks and an excuse for the variable quality. So, anyway, enjoy as best you can. It's the best stuff available for this monumentally influential musical group.
I'd guess you're probably wondering what my favorite songs are. Well, they include (in no particular order) Teenage Lobotomy, Blitzkrieg Bop, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Pinhead, Rock 'n' Roll High School, Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?, I Wanna Be Sedated, Beat On The Brat, and Do Yo Wanna Dance? For a special treat, you might watch the Ramones with a string section on "Baby I Love You" (disc 2) or with Sha Na Na on "Rock 'n' Roll High School" (disc 2). Enjoy, and turn up the volume. Don't expect everyone to like it as much as you do.
Gary Peterson
Here's over 20 years of concerts. They're all pretty much alike. Joey Ramone stands in the middle and leans forward on his mike as he sings with his hair draped over his face. Johnny, the guitarist, is typically on his right and Dee Dee, the bassist, is to his left. Both are hyper-active in their playing. The drummer (variable) is behind the three. Their songs are short, fast, loud and simple. They all have a certain generic similarity. There usually is little break between songs. A concert is like a musical onslaught. It's repeated with only minor variations year after year and venue after venue. The DVD goes on and on and on and repeats and repeats and repeats the limited selection of songs. To a Ramones fan, it's wonderful. To someone who doesn't care for the Ramones, it would probably be deadly. Well, what can I say? Who but a deep-dyed Ramones fan would ever order this DVD, or even know about it?
The selections by the Ramones are the same, no matter what. But the quality of the video and sound recordings is highly variable. I prefer to listen to the Ramones loud, as it was meant to be. The sound quality on the DVD is not particularly good, however, and I seem to end up with a headache after about 30 minutes. On some of the selections, the sound is just awful, on others fairly good. You might keep in mind that the recordings are a compilation from many different sources, not a planned project. As such, I'd have to give the compiler high marks and an excuse for the variable quality. So, anyway, enjoy as best you can. It's the best stuff available for this monumentally influential musical group.
I'd guess you're probably wondering what my favorite songs are. Well, they include (in no particular order) Teenage Lobotomy, Blitzkrieg Bop, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Pinhead, Rock 'n' Roll High School, Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?, I Wanna Be Sedated, Beat On The Brat, and Do Yo Wanna Dance? For a special treat, you might watch the Ramones with a string section on "Baby I Love You" (disc 2) or with Sha Na Na on "Rock 'n' Roll High School" (disc 2). Enjoy, and turn up the volume. Don't expect everyone to like it as much as you do.
Gary Peterson
