It's Alive

Wickedly old school, this one... I first listened to this album just out of high school, maybe current at the time but it felt like a classic already. The friend who gave it to me told me it was an import, not available in the US. I believed him, for a very long time, until I came across it recently at Borders, for nine dollars and ninety-nine cents.

If you don't like the Ramones, you don't like punk rock. If ever there were a litmus test for a genre, this is it. The Ramones defined the American punk rock movement, and anything that came afterwards was a pale imitation, not necessarily lacking but not living up. This is part of the canon, and if you can't see that you should just hang it up and devote your life to Brittany Spears worship.

It's Alive is a live album, as you might have gathered, opening with an inspired version of "Rockaway Beach". The beauty of this album is that it focuses on the bands strengths - heavy guitar, catchy songs, and absolutely nothing else. There are 28 songs on the disc, most less than two minutes long. There's very little excessive banter between songs. For the most part they just finish and plow into the next tune. This is particularly effective during the jaunt between "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker", "Havana Affair" and "Commando", or between "Pinhead", "Do You Wanna Dance", "Chainsaw" and "Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World". There is no break between these songs, other than Dee Dee's shouted "1-2-3-4" - they simply roll from each to the next. The result is about as heavy as you could ever ask for, all within the confines of the "simple is better" format. It's sheer musical energy encountering zero resistance. These excursions abound on this album and the above examples are just some of my favorites.

"Sometimes simple is better". My buddy Keith, a chef, and I sometimes say this to each other, regarding food. The Ramones prove it's true for music as well. These are very simple songs, but, continuing the food metaphor, it's how they are presented that counts. The guitar is hot in the mix, way up front but restrained just enough so as not to drown out the rest of the band. Three chord riffs (and by chord, I mean two-note power chord, harmonically ambiguous) dominate, producing catchy sing-along songs. The vocals are by no means technically skillful yet loaded with charm. The bass never strays from the guitars root and I don't think there is a single drum fill. Somehow it all manages to hit you with the emotional equivalent of a sledgehammer to the face.

The album was recorded on December 31, 1977. It includes songs from their first three albums, Ramones, Leave Home, and Rocket To Russia. At one time I had all of the Ramones albums on cassette, but so far my transition to CD (and iPod) has been limited to All The Stuff, Volumes 1&2, comprising their first four albums, and It's Alive. It's enough, I think - they managed to create an enduring legacy in a very short time on the basis of that work. It's extraordinarily honest music, whereas the later stuff showed more willingness to compromise in an attempt to achieve commercial success.

Sadly, The Ramones are gone forever, with the deaths of Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee shortly after the "end of the century". But if you're looking for an introduction or just a rocking example of the band at it's finest you won't find a better option than It's Alive.