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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Middle chapter of the pop experiment, January 10, 2003
A very gossipy liner-note booklet by Ira Robbins accompanies this re-mastering of the Ramones' sixth albulm. Rhino has been packing a lot of goodies into these re-releases, including, in this case, a picture of the original, and far superior, cover to this albulm. That sleeve art depicts a darkly-shadowed image of the band in much the same pose as on 'End of The Century'. It's a more apt image, by far, for this lacking-in-covers moody pop effort.There are a number of Ramones gems on this albulm. "The KKK..." and "7-11" are classic Joey tunes. "All's Quiet on the Eastern Front" is the mature culimnation of the horror theme of the first four punk albulms. "It's Not My Place" is one of the most catchy, and yet complex, songs that the Ramones ever produced. "We Want The Airwaves" is top-notch rock, and foreshadows some of the brilliant excess of 'Too Tough To Die'. On the other end of the spectrum, Graham Gouldman's production on "She's A Sensation" and "You Sound Like You're Sick" will remind some of 'Century'. The re-mastering brings out some of the subtleties of the pop production to good effect. After listening to this version, the older release sounds flat and washed-out, an effect that does nothing to compenstate for the restraint Johnny (the guitarist) shows on this albulm. The bonus tracks are exciting for the serious fan. Early versions of "Touring" and "Can't Get You" are satisfying additions to the albulm. The real treat, however, are the Demos left over from the studio session (although it's not nearly all the material originally recorded). Two are Stasium efforts, and, as one would expect, have a classic Ramones sound to them. Debbie Harry's vocals on this version of "Chop Suey" are a great match for Joey's, and make one wonder why this idiosyncratic track should be as forgotten as it was. This is a not an albulm that is going to have a lot of appeal for the punk fan, who should look earlier, or even later, for a fiercer sound. It is much more a continuing experiment in the '60s-influenced bubblegum that the Ramones' were tearing up in the '70s. This produced some simple fun songs (like "Come On Now"), and those fans who have an appreciation for a surf or pop sound have a chance to enjoy this improved re-release with some valuable Rhino extras.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Pleasant Dreams," an Apology for "End Of the Century", November 29, 2003
The Ramones' 1981 album "Pleasant Dreams" followed "End Of the Century," released the previous year. Produced by Phil Spector, that album was one of the punk pioneers' most curious releases and was later labelled by some of the band members themselves as being their worst album. "Pleasant Dreams" however takes much of the departures in sound that were found on "End Of the Century," and puts them back in tune so that they broaden the Ramones' limited sound, while still appreciating their punk essence.
'We Want the Airwaves' is a perfect example; it finds that Johnny Ramone has forgotten the three-chord buzzsaw guitar hooks that were so evident on their debut. The song remains one of his best guitar moments. The album carries on in suitable form with 'All's Quiet On the Eastern Front' and the grin-inducing but repetitve 'The KKK Took My Baby Away.' Joey Ramones' vocals are most flexible on 'It's Not My Place,' while 'You Didn't Mean Anything To Me' and 'This Business is Killing Me' are worthy additions to the band's lexicon.
As with most of the recent re-issues, "Pleasant Dreams" contains a slew of bonus tracks that are surely worth having, while not overbearing the album's original content, which is worth having even on its own. On the bleaker side, "Pleasant Dreams" was a reminder at the time that proved the acts that they had inspired (i.e., the punk bands that ripped them off) were now unrightfully overshadowing their punk forefathers.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A sadly ignored gem, January 27, 2002
The years 1980-1983 were not kind to the Ramones. Struggling to find their niche in a sudden sea-change of musical direction known as New Wave, they tried to keep up without compromising themselves and the sound they were known for. Riding the high from their appearance in the film "Rock'n'Roll High School," and the accompanying hit of the same title, they entered into an alliance with legendary producer Phil Spector. Bad move! The resulting album was a dud (though I personally like it well enough), and the next two Ramones efforts struggled to correct their blunder by gaining back the fan base that had eroded."Pleasant Dreams" was the first of these efforts ("Subterranean Jungle" is the other). Unfortunately, this is/was the most ignored of all Ramones albums, which is a shame considering just how tasty it really is. Unlike the following "Jungle," which was dark and fierce, reflecting the Ramones' growing frustration, "Pleasant Dreams" is mostly light and well-humored. The Ramones vent some frustration here too, on "We Want the Airwaves" and "This Business is Killing Me." But on the whole, the album features some very mature, bubblegum rock. What I love most about "Pleasant Dreams" is its uniqueness. The album encompasses a style on to its own. This is very much a Ramones album when listened to carefully, but on the surface, the pop influences stand out boldly. Perhaps it shows the depth of the Ramones' desperation, considering they recruited 10cc'er Graham Gouldman to produce the album. The Ramones will tell you they formed in 1974 to counter the slavishly proudced fare of bands like 10cc; and here they were, conspiring with the art-rock bassist and even dropping a reference to the band on one of the album's songs ("It's Not My Place"). This is perhaps the funniest joke the Ramones ever played, though just how deliberate it was, I can't say. Other reviews have mentioned that there is a feel of British Invasion to this album, but that's because, even though they recorded it in New York, the Ramones allowed the album to be engineered and mastered in Gouldman's native England. Hence, the album's quasi-British sound. For many years, this album was unavailable on CD, and I was desperate to have gems such as "All's Quiet on the Eastern Front," "Don't Go," "It's Not My Place (in the 9 to 5 World),"
"She's A Sensation," "You Didn't Mean Anything to Me," and "This Business is Killing Me." It was worth the wait to replace what I'd previously enjoyed on vinyl. While performing bubblegum pop rock to almost scandalous levels -- at least by the Ramones' hard rock standards -- and granting almost free license to Dick Emerson's keyboards (Emerson provides some tasty piano licks in "This Business ..."), "Pleasant Dreams" is still a recognizable Ramones album. Although the songs are longer and more musically complex than normal for this lightning-fast playing band, the standard straight-forward guitar-bass-drums formula has not been diluted. It is simply sharing the spotlight with lush backing vocals and synths, but is not watered down by it. Witness the nasty feedback linking the songs "You Didn't Mean Anything to Me" and "Come on Now," or the heavy metal riffs of "We Want the Airwaves" or "You Didn't Mean Anything ...," and you will have no doubts. "Pleasant Dreams" deserved a lot more attention than it got. I was desperate for this album for many years. Other people should have been too.
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