Tuesday, March 5, 2019

The 1984 Listening Post - The Ramones - Too Tough to Die

The Ramones - Too Tough to Die

#253
October 1 1984
The Ramones
Too Tough to Die
4.25 out of 5

Highlights:
Mama's Boy
Too Tough to Die
Howling at the Moon (Sha La La)
Daytime Dilemma


Take The Ramones, force them to listen to the Cramps for a week, put them in the studio and you get "Mama's Boy" & "Afraid of Life" and even the title track.
It's hard to say they are back when Subterranean Jungle was really the only misstep in their catalog to this point.

I remember when this came out. My roommate, Alex, who became the bassist for Raging Slab, had it. He wouldn't stop playing it. Extolling it. I didn't get it. And then I heard a bunch of the tracks on the Anthology and boy did I get it.
This is the first time in a while that the boys seem to be having a good time ("Chasing the Night", "Howling at the Moon) and world aware "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)", with it's almost too cute attempt at a piano glide. Like when I tried to play harmonica on a Sparky track. Alllllmost good. But the effort is the reward.
Right about the end of the second side the boys run out of steam, but that's always the case. 75% of a good Ramones record is the exact amount one needs, gets or, possibly, deserves.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/too-tough-to-die/847630406

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