Ramones-It's Alive 40th Anniversary

IT'S ALIVE 40TH ANNIVERSARY
by RAMONES


How much is too much Ramones?

By Rick Hines, June 20, 2019

First off, I love the Ramones. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this.

The remaster of the "It's Alive" is great to have alongside all the other Ramones re-issues coming out. Most fans are probably aware of the original album, so the question is, do you need three other concerts recorded just before the released show, playing virtually the same playlist each time?

In my opinion, you can never have too much Ramones. That being said, I expect most people will find this a bit redundant. The main difference in the three earlier concerts is that the band knew the fourth show was going to be "the one." Hence the earlier shows have a bit more looseness to them, with the band apparently playing to the crowds and not to the tape recorder. The boys are a bit more ragged, Joey plays around more with his vocals, and you get a couple songs not played at the "It's Alive" show. The three early shows are similar and of interest in comparison with the more carefully played final concert.

If you are a true Ramones maniac, you know you want this set. If you just want a good live Ramones CD, you might want to buy the original single disc of "It's Alive." 1-2-3-4, cretins want to hop some more.