ROAD TO RUIN 40TH ANNIVERSARY
by RAMONES

Missing Ramones album uncovered

By Rick Hines, Dec. 28, 2018

Being a Ramones fanatic, I purchased all the anniversary box sets. The live material alone was worth it, and the bonus material was interesting, if not essential. As for the remixes? The first album was re-done in mono. Personally I liked the extreme stereo of the original. "Leave Home" was mixed a bit hotter with some of the pop luster removed and Johnny's guitar pushed up. Good enough. "Rocket to Russia" removed most of the overdubs for a more first album feel. Good idea, but it didn't change the overall album vibe much. Then comes "Road to Ruin."

I remember being let down by the sound of this album when it came out originally. It wasn't stripped down punk anymore, and to my dismay, it was headed in a pop-friendly direction. The band was transitioning from being inspired amateurs to becoming professional musicians. According to the booklet notes, many of the songs were over-dubbed to the extent that a lot of the original parts were not used. Acoustic guitars reared their ugly heads! Well, this release addresses all this with a vengeance. The original live-in-studio performances of the Ramones are restored, and, lo and behold, a Ramones album was hidden under all that overdubbing! The band sounds crisp, and while lyrically the writing isn't quite up to previous remarkable standards, the music will remind anyone of their classic first three albums. The album rocks, with new drummer Marky showing why he got the job. Meanwhile, they took the songs subjected to acoustic guitar overdubs and remixed them to get separate acoustic versions of those songs. In this context, it works much better than as overdubs to the Ramones tracks.

I assume that "End of the Century" is up for remixing next. Considering what producer Phil Spector did to that album, I'm very eager to hear what the remix will uncover. This "Road to Ruin" remix certainly points in the right direction.

If you enjoyed the previous reissues, don't hesitate with this one, like I did. This is that rare remix that makes you completely re-evaluate an album for the positive. There's also a chuckle to be had with the Ramones-on-45 mix of "I Wanna Be Sedated." And the live show included shows the band at a ferocious peak. Highly recommended.