It's Alive

by Ramones

Overview

No band so richly deserved the adjective "unrelenting" as the Ramones, especially on-stage. On their studio albums, the Ramones occasionally threw in some overdubs and production niceties to mix things up, but in concert, they were like a big-block hot rod thrown into fifth gear -- your best bet was to hold on tight, because they weren't slowing down any time soon. There is no better recorded document of the Pride of Forest Hills showing an audience what's what than 1979's It's Alive, recorded at London's Rainbow Theatre on the last day of 1977 as they wrapped up a U.K. tour. If you're looking for nuance or variety, you're going to be let down, but that was never what the Ramones were about. Their purpose in life was to provide high-energy fun fueled by downstroked guitar, a loud snare on the two and four, and lyrics that could have been lifted from Mad Magazine, and It's Alive has those goods in plentiful supply. The set list collects the highlights from the group's first three albums, with the arrangements stripped to the essentials and played with the taut authority and sweat of a seasoned band hitting their marks. The performances on It's Alive are tight enough to harness the full power of the Ramones and their songs, but with just enough flexibility to make this stuff swing hard. This was the last Ramones album to feature the original lineup of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy, with Marky Ramone taking over on drums in 1978. With It's Alive, they went out in style -- it's not only the best Ramones live album, it's one of the best and most effective live albums in the rock canon, and every bit as essential as Ramones, Leave Home, or Rocket to Russia. ~ Mark Deming

Product Details

Release Date:	10/10/1995
Label:	Warner Bros.
UPC:	0093624604525

Tracks

1. Rockaway Beach
2. Teenage Lobotomy
3. Blitzkrieg Bop
4. I Wanna Be Well
5. Glad to See You Go
6. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
7. You're Gonna Kill That Girl
8. I Don't Care
9. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
10. Havana Affair
11. Commando
12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
13. Surfin' Bird
14. Cretin Hop
15. Listen to My Heart
16. California Sun
17. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You
18. Pinhead
19. Do You Wanna Dance
20. Chain Saw
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
22. I Wanna Be a Good Boy
23. Judy Is a Punk
24. Suzy Is a Headbanger
25. Let's Dance
26. Oh Oh I Love Her So
27. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
28. We're a Happy Family

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ramones   Primary Artist
Tommy Ramone   Drums
Joey Ramone   Vocals
Dee Dee Ramone   Bass,Guitar,Guitar (Bass)
Johnny Ramone   Guitar

Technical Credits

Al Frazier   Composer
Bill Inglot   Engineer,Remastering Engineer
Thomas Erdelyi   Producer
Turner Wilson   Composer
Tommy Ramone   Composer,Producer
Henry Glover   Composer
Don Berman   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Alfred Frazier   Composer
Sonny Harris   Composer
Daniel Hersch   Engineer,Remastering Engineer
Ed Stasium   Engineer,Producer
Carl White   Composer
Joey Ramone   Composer
Dee Dee Ramone   Composer
Greg Calbi   Engineer,Mastering Engineer
Johnny Ramone   Composer
John Harris   Composer
John Earl Harris   Composer
Jim Lee   Composer
Ramones   Composer
Morris Levy   Composer
Tony Bongiovi   Producer
Bobby Freeman   Composer