The Real Ramona

Throwing Muses

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 12, 1991)
• Original Release Date: March 12, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sire / London/Rhino
• ASIN: B000002LO7
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #64,503 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
"My mouth is full of demons / I swear to God," Kristin Hersh sings with escalating fury in the middle of "Ellen West." The image is apt. The Real Ramona marked a high point for the Throwing Muses, whose debut was the first-ever American recording issued on the hip British label 4AD. The quartet excels in two largely different veins, the first a glistening, poppy one with Hersh's unnervingly crisp voice edging the guitars, and the second a more frantic, revved-up version of the first, where the drums pound harder and the vocals veer into referential terrain that's almost sublimely opaque. The key to the Throwing Muses at any stage in their career is Hersh's emotional frankness and unflinching conveyance of her schizophrenia-tinged lyrics. She makes the band magnetically frenzied, even when they're being lovely. And with Ramona, Hersh and the Muses perfected their mix. This is their last recording with band cofounder Tanya Donelly, who continued on with the Breeders and Belly. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best music releases of the 90's, December 30, 2003

By	giovanni (Greece) - See all my reviews

It's been more than a decade since " The Real Ramona " was released and the Throwing Muses are certaintly not kids anymore . David Narcizo , Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly are all enjoying a quiet family life nowadays while rarely do they perfom live anymore . Even though both Donelly ( with Belly's million-selling debut " Star " ) and Hersh ( with the acoustic ballad album " Hips And Makers " ) have experienced stardom during the 90's , their band somehow managed to remain all this time an underground secret for the few .

The Muses had always been adored by critics and there'll be a certain core of fans who will follow them forever but they haven't yet reached a wider audience and ...never really seemed to care in doing so anyway . Their music is an exciting , unpredictable mixture of raw pop and rock . 1991's " The Real Ramona " is arguably their best offering yet . Hersh's tortured vocals and wonderfully psychotic lyrics result in some truly gripping and addictive songwritting ( " Counting Backwords " , " Graffiti " ) while Donelly reveals a more sensitive , ethereal side of the Muses' music . From a generally great tracklist the songs which stand out are the moody rock lullaby of " Two Step " and the twisted , haunting storytelling of " Honeychain " .

The thing with " The Real Ramona " is that even though it's clearly a first - class pop and rock release , still it has remained largely unheard . That's so unfair for a record as good as this one - a record that all people who like good music can enjoy and not just fans of the Throwing Muses . A must-have withought doubt .

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Huge album, April 2, 2001

By	Chel Micheline "gingerblue.com" (SW Florida) - See all my reviews

This cd a standout for me. A lot of other Muses fans can't understand why I love it so much, but there's something about it that just gets to me every time I listen to it. I guess it's more 'catchy' than their other stuff, although I thought 'Hunkpapa' covered that description better. I find this album a lot less disorienting than other Muses stuff, which has always been why I liked them. It was always an easier album for me to get into, and really be able to listen to. But it's a GOOD departure.

If you aren't a Muses fan, this is still a great album. If you've heard some of their stuff and not liked it, there's a chance you will love this cd. I've read that Tanya Donnelly had a lot of influence on this recording, and it is evident. I will admit that is has more in common to her work with Belly, but Kristin Hersch's thumbprint is on many of the songs, and that's always a good thing (the one essential thing Belly lacked).

The best way to write this review, I guess, is to not defend it but just glow about it.

It's an amazing, beautiful cd. There are so MANY songs on this album which just hit you right in the gut. 'Ellen West' ("That last one messed me up, things look bad, things look tragic") and 'Not Too Soon' ("He's just a walker, and he'll never stop walking away") are both sort of historical for me as I used them to illustrate rocky times in life.

This cd is in my "top 5 of all time" list. It may be because I heard it right after it came out (I was 16 at the time), and at that time it was some of the greatest music I had ever heard in my life. Or maybe it is because of the way it's been like a soundtrack for me as a I was growing up. I have no idea. All I know is that I love it a whole lot, and that hasn't faded at all in the last 10 years, although a lot of the music I listened to back then has completely lost it's appeal to me. An album that holds the test of both time and maturity is definitely worth noting.

Just buy it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "This one messed me up..", April 28, 2001

By	Allan Ostermann "allan" (Portland (the one on the left)) - See all my reviews

Sometimes there are albums that, if you were browsing the bins of your local CD place, you'd actually want to re-buy; even if you already own them.

This is one of those CDs. Music to listen to for years. It's powerful and haunting. Kristin is at times almost too real. Tanya is a bit more ethereal, rising above the pathos that pervades the album. Not that it's depressing; like The Smiths or anything. It's just a state of mind; an exciting, scary, yet at the same time melancholy feeling. The melodies stick in your head, lyrics pop into your consciousness. It stays with you.

"Two Step" and "Honey Chain" are my favorites; which is not a slight to Kristin. They just seem to have a calming effect; a pause in the madness.

You may see something totally different in this album. But it's music to think about. To hum. And to re-buy once the plastic gets worn down.