Review: Ramones – “The Sire Albums 1981- 1989”

Sire / Rhino – 23 Apr 2022

Ramones remind us that the middle part of their catalog is worth celebrating too.

After taking a couple of months to digest it, I’m finally ready to talk about Ramones’ latest and greatest Record Store Day offering, The Sire Albums 1981-1989. 

The first three Ramones records are stone cold classics. On this point almost all punks (and serious music fans in general) agree. After that, things get a little stickier. Still, the first five studio and the first live album, all from the ‘70s, have previously been remastered and are relatively easy to find on wax. The six ‘80s records have never been reissued on vinyl, and the original presses can get pretty expensive. The Sire Albums 1981-1989 finally remedies that situation. 

The Sire Albums 1981-1989 collects the six albums of the Ramones’ middle period, and adds an extra disc of bonus tracks. It’s worth saying that all the Ramones’ proper records are worth owning. (With the possible exception of the 1993 covers album Acid Eaters.) Every single one has at least a couple of amazing songs. So even if these albums have flaws, they’re probably still better than whatever you’re currently listening to. Anyway, I’ll try to keep it brief, but here it is, the good, the bad and the ugly truth. 

Pleasant Dreams (1981). The Good: “We Want the Airwaves”, “The KKK Took My Baby Away” and “She’s a Sensation” are top shelf Ramones songs. “Don’t Go”, “You Sound Like You’re Sick” and “Sitting In My Room” are great too. The Bad: Not really any lackluster songs on this one, but the production leaves something to be desired. Unfortunately, this is a common theme among these six albums. The Ugly truth: Over the course of a 22 year career, any band is bound to have peaks and valleys. After the disastrous End of the Century (1979), Pleasant Dreams feels like a bit of a comeback. Overall, it’s a solid record that probably deserves more credit than it gets. 

Subterranean Jungle (1983). The Good: “Outsider” and “Psycho Therapy” are the only big winners here. The Bad: Covers of “Little Bit O’ Soul” and “Time Has Come Today” are uninspired, as are a handful of the originals. The Ugly Truth: At this point, Ramones were a band on the brink of falling apart, and it sounds like it. Soon, Marky would be gone and the Fast Four would be entering a new era. This is the worst of the ‘80s records. 

Too Tough To Die (1984). The Good: The three song opening salvo of “Mama’s Boy”, “I’m Not Afraid of LIfe” and “Too Tough To Die” was the strongest beginning to a Ramones record since Rocket To Russia (1977). “Wart Hog”, “Danger Zone”, “Howling at the Moon” and “Endless Vacation” are really strong too. The Bad: Not much to complain about with this one (with the exception of some cheesy keyboards). It’s pretty much rock solid all the way through. The Ugly Truth: Richie replacing Marky on drums seemed to revitalize the band when they really needed it. They started playing faster and the songwriting was more focused. They were bound and determined not to be shown up by a new breed of (hardcore) punks. 

Animal Boy (1986). The Good: “Somebody Put Something In My Drink”, “Animal Boy” and “Love Kills” are a great opening trio of tunes. “Apeman Hop”, “Crummy Stuff”, “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)” and “Something To Believe In” are all minor classics. The Bad: The songs are all solid, but the production and synthesizer, especially on “She Belongs To Me” and “Something To Believe In”, are just brutal. The Ugly Truth: Animal Boy is almost as good as Too Tough To Die, but the production has a clunky, very 80’s, almost heavy metal quality that would continue throughout the decade. It was also becoming increasingly obvious that Joey’s voice had changed significantly. Years of touring had robbed him of the tenderness that once accompanied the toughness. 

Halfway To Sanity (1987). The Good: “I Wanna Live”, “Bop ‘Til You Drop” and “Garden Of Serenity” get things off to a great start. “I Know Better Now” rips. “A Real Cool Time” and “I’m Not Jesus” are side two highlights. The Bad: Not bad as much as just not great. See “Go Lil’ Camaro Go” or “I Lost My Mind”. The Ugly Truth: The third and final Richie album was also their third in four years, and wasn’t able to measure up to the first two. Fun fact – Halfway To Sanity was the only Richie album that didn’t feature a title track, while Too Tough To Die and Animal Boy were the only two Ramones albums that did.

Brain Drain (1989). The Good: “I Believe In Miracles”, “Zero Zero UFO”, “Punishment Fits The Crime”, “Palisades Park” and “Pet Sematary” are all later classics. “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)” might be the greatest punk holiday song of all time. The Bad: I hate it when a band puts a single Christmas song on an album. It’s a petty grievance about a generally great album. The Ugly Truth: Brain Drain is kind of a strange one. It features the return of Marky on drums, but sadly is the last record with Dee Dee on bass. Overall it’s very good, despite clunky production. (The drums are ridiculously loud.) It holds its own with the best of the Ramones later stuff.

Still More Stuff: Rarities 1981-1989 (2022). The Good: “Touring” (1981 version), which would later be rerecorded for 1992’s Mondo Bizarro, the dark “Can’ Get You Out of My Mind”, the Richie penned “Smash You”, and the lost gem “Indian Giver” (remix) lead the pack. “Chop Suey” with Debbie Harry and the ladies from B-52s, a cover of Rolling Stones’ “Street Fighting Man” and “Go Home Ann” are great fun too. The Bad: Once again, too many of these songs have a dated, ‘80s feel. The Ugly Truth: There are some real gems here, even if it feels more like a collection of odds and ends then a proper LP. Some of these songs will be familiar, while others will be a pleasant surprise. 

The bottom line is that you need this. It’s hours of entertainment, and helps to paint a more complete picture of the most important punk band of all time. 

For vinyl fiends: Obviously, the whole point of The Sire Albums 1981-1989 was to make these records available on wax again. With 10,000 copies pressed, and a retail price around $150, it shouldn’t be too expensive or hard to find. The studio LPs are 140 gram reproductions of the originals, with printed inner sleeves. The bonus tracks come on clear vinyl with black and pink splatter. The whole thing comes in a rigid slipcase. My only disappointment is the complete lack of liner notes. Even some archival stuff or an essay or two would have been nice.