Customer Reviews

We're A Happy Family - A Tribute To The Ramones

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have a rather Complete Music Collection, and sometimes it's difficult to find new music to add, so when I was out shopping and saw this CD I was a bit excited. The cover art is wonderful. The artists contained within are some of my favorites. I quickly removed the packaging and plopped it in my car stereo. I instantly loved the first track, The Chili Peppers, sound like themselves, but do "Havana Affair", great justice. I think Joey and Dee-Dee would have been proud. It's the best track on the CD and for diehard Ramones fans, it's worth getting for this cover.
I had hoped the rest of the album would live up to this song, but it falls short. Rob Zombie totally removed the spirit and fun from "Blitzkrieg Bop", Edde Vedder's work was OK, but not standout. Metallica sounds great musically, but again doesn't have the attitude that makes 53rd and 3rd one of my favorite Ramones songs. I love U2 and thought they might have something interesting, but they basically stuck with the original music and Bono's vocal just doesn't work. They should have picked a song more suited to their style. Kiss does a good job on "Rock and Roll Radio". Marilyn Manson's verson of "KKK..." is interesting, but in it's complexity it loses the humour that makes the original a really good track. Garbage does well with "I just want to have something to do", but like most other songs on this record, it made me long for the original. Green Day does great with "outsider", but I guess I somehow resent that band for copying what the Ramones did and making the money that they never did. Pete Yorn and Rooney's covers were both pretty decent and the rest of the album is kind of lukewarm. After listening, I pulled out the real Ramones's Cd's and they put a smile on my face. I guess what I had wanted from this CD was totally unrealistic. I wanted to be back in the late 70's, buying real Ramones Albums. I wanted to feel like I was getting something daring and exciting. It was a mistake in judgement on my part. The experiance reminded me again of how much I love this band and those days. It's good that their memory is kep't alive by tribute album, but only bittersweet.

Rob Zombie co-produced (along with Johnny Ramone) this "all-star" tribute to one of the most recognized punk rock bands in history. Zombie turns in his re-working of "Blitzkrieg Bop", and the results are nothing spectacular, but before that track we get a great cover of "Havana Affair" courtesy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Eddie Vedder and Zeke's version of "I Believe in Miracles" is rousing to say the least, and Vedder doesn't embarass himself as much as he did when he sported a mohawk during the presentation of the Ramones induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Metallica offers a rocking "53rd & 3rd" which sounds like a leftover cover from "Garage Inc.", but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. U2 could have done a good cover of "Beat on the Brat", but Bono's overzealous vocals pretty much ruin any chances of that. The Pretenders' cover of "Something to Believe In" is heartbreaking, while Garbage, Green Day, Rancid, and The Offspring turn in covers that remain true to the originals. Marilyn Manson attempts to make "KKK Took My Baby Away" into one of his own industrial dirges, and it is an interesting listen, but it's nothing special. All in all, for the most part I really like this tribute album, but as another reviewer previously stated, I would have rather seen other artists such as Jello Biafra, Frank Black, Bad Religion, Iggy Pop, or even Danzig as opposed to Manson, Kiss, and U2. Get it if your a fan of the bands featured here and are a casual fan of the Ramones, but hardcore Ramones fans probably won't like it that much.

This CD is a mixed bag. My favorites are the Red Hot Chili Peppers doing a Latin influenced version of "Havana Affair", Eddie Vedder doing solid versions of "I Believe In Miracles" & "Daytime Dilemma", Metallica doing "53rd & 3rd" as heavy punk, Kiss did a good party-rock version "Rock N Roll Radio", and my favorite track is "I Just Wanna Have Something To Do" by Garbage.

Also included is an annoying cover of "Blitzkrieg Bop" by Rob Zombie, a light poppy "Beat on the Brat" by U2 that grows on you, Marilyn Manson ruined "The KKK Took My Baby Away" by doing it slow, creepy and Goth like. Green Day does a good version of a weak song with "Outsider". The Pretenders do a gloomy and forgettable version of "Something to Believe In". Rancid was the wrong choice to cover "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" (I think this should have been covered by Green Day). Pete Yorn does a pretty good "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" but anyone could do a pretty good "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend". The Offspring sound like a tribute band on "I Wanna Be Sedated". Rooney does a tribute to U2 doing a tribute to the Ramones on "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow". And lastly, Tom Waits does a bizarre, garbled drunken version of "Return of Jackie & Judy". Overall, this was a good tribute but it could have been much better. It includes some excellent Ramones photos and a very amusing 4 page introduction by Stephen King.

Don't know what's with the revisionist reviews -- I've had this album for years and have loved songs from it for years. Yeah, you can pass on Marilyn Manson and some of the others, but U2, Garbage, The Pretenders, Kiss, and The Offspring KICK IT! I'm not much into Rob Zombie, Metallica, or Green Day, but they do a good job too. Bottom line: this is a great album for some of the songs. Covers are just that -- they don't replace the original, so what do you expect? Here U2 puts a new spin on "Beat on the Brat" (had to grow on me, but the guitars rock), Garbage is just fantastic, KISS rule the world as usual, and Offspring make a pretty good replication of "I wanna be sedated," with enough variation to make it memorable. Oh, and I forgot -- Red Hot Chili Peppers (another band I don't listen to) do a GREAT job on Havana Affair.

Buy it for some fun. I love the Ramones, and I'm sure they would probably love it too, though Johnny would probably grumble about some of the arrangements.

I saw this on a listening station at a CD store, and thought I'd give it a shot. I'll premise this by saying that I am a HUGE Rob Zombie fan; but Zombie's version of "Blitzkrieg Bop" has got to be one of the worst things I have ever heard in my life. I mean, it was simply terrible. Then Bono trying to pull off "Beat on the Brat" was simply embarrassing. Metallica? Yeah, o.k....

All in all I could not find too much to salvage on this album. Rancid is good. I didn't listen to the Offspring track, so maybe that one's o.k., but the rest is terrible, so why buy a whole CD for one or two good tracks?

A proper tribute would have at least had X, Iggy Pop, Jello Biafra, Henry Rollins, Social Distortion, Bad Religion, Bad Brains, Frank Black, and many other people who actually wrote music that either inspired or was inspired by the Ramones.

The Ramones are the greatest Punk band of all time, "We're A Happy Family" gathers some of the top names in the rock world today to compile an exhilarating, sometimes stylish tribute. Tribute albums will always have great moments and disappointing lows, this one is no different, what makes it different is that it stands out by being so damn good compared to other albums of its type. The Red Hot Chili Peppers open with a great "Havana Affair" that's very stylish (this is right up there with their "Search And Destroy" from the Iggy Pop tribute). Rob Zombie adds his usual crunching new metal feel to "Blitzkrieg Bop" which isn't bad at all, a very fresh take on the song, but Joey Ramone remains the superior vocal. The true Ramones feeling starts with "I Believe In Miracles" where Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder delivers a wonderfully Punkish vocal that still retains his identity with some fast guitars that are true to the Punk spirit. Metallica (a long over-due good return) show up with a crunching "53rd & 3rd" that maintains the spirit of the original but spiced with Metallica's classic brand of hard rock energy. One of the album's shining cuts appears with U2's "Beat On The Brat," it's an excellent and catchy performance with The Edge and Bono not over-doing it and simply playing some great rock music. Kiss surprisingly does not disappoint here, their "Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio" is fun and energetic, it sounds plainly put, like Kiss playing a Ramones song. One major disappointment here is Marilyn Manson's rendition of "The KKK Took My Baby Away," one would expect a burning fast, shock rock homage (as was the case with his Doors cover of "Five To One"), but instead we get a somber, slow, boring and mostly techno (no guitars credit) crawl where Manson loses the fun energy and cacthiness of the original. Garbage follow with their exhilarating "I Just Wanna Have Something To Do," this is a really good cover where Shirley Manson delivers a convincing, femme fatale vocal. Green Day, as expected, deliver an "Outsider" that stays close and faithful to the Ramones sound. The Pretenders are emotional and comfortable with "Something To Believe In," very moody. If The Pretenders are comfortable, then Rancid breaks that with a sometimes annoying "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker," it simply sits there as an example of the distorted evolution Punk has taken since The Ramones appeared. Pete Yorn gives us a pleasant, sweet and romantic "I Wanna Be Your Boyfrind," the vocals and playing are completely in the spirit of the original, one of the album's most convincing covers. The Offspring are also convincing, but deliver nothing new considering they sound almost just like The Ramones. Rooney is moody, but in a good, dreamy way with "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow," a neat song a Punker should sing for his girlfriend. Tom Waits sounds like he snorted too much coke before recording "Return Of Jackie & Judy," in a weird way it sounds like entertaining rock/blues. Eddie Vedder returns with "Daytime Dilemma (Dangers Of Love)," another great cover with a nice blend of Punk and hard rock touches. There's a nice hidden track by the Chili Pepper's John Frusciante, a really mellow, semi-dark rendition of "First Your Love, Then The World." All in all, this is a really good tribute album, the liner notes by Stephen King are especially funny and entertaining. However, the booklet has some nice photos but next to nothing about the artists, this is the only weak area of the packaging. The album is certainly more convincing than the good but not so great "Stoned Immaculate: The Music Of The Doors," which took track space for remixes that were uneeded (we want to hear the bands play!). Here we get all Ramones covers and some memorable rock n' roll.

There have been several Ramones tribute albums, but this is the first one to feature "big name" acts. The results are varied, of course, like on any tribute album. The young "pop punk" acts Green Day, Rancid and the Offspring perform good faithful versions of the songs. Most of the other acts try to put their own spin on the songs. The most interesting variations are, to me, by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Garbage, The Pretenders, Tom Waits (Grammy nominated for his song on this album) and John Frusciante (unlisted bonus track). Most of the songs are at least decent, except for Marilyn Manson's dirge-like version of "The KKK Took My Baby Away", which is god-awful. This CD should be of interest to Ramones fans who don't mind hearing their heroes songs played in different styles.

When i first heard about this CD i thought it would be interesting, which can be good, but this CD is horrible. After listening to it once i hated it, there are truly only 2 good tracks on this entire CD. Joey is rolling over in his grave as people play this CD.

I know that Rob Zombie had the best of intentions in releasing this record. I really do. This fact does NOT save this record from being an utter trashpile with few memorable moments. The Kiss and Rob Zombie covers surge well enough, but overall this record is a tired retread by bands paying tribute to a band who probably would have loathed them had they been in the same era and league.

Skip it.

This review is for the KISS fan's looking at this. If your a diehard Ramones fan, U2 fan etc then I'm not going to pretend to know if you'll like this. It's a proud moment for KISS. Their's is the best. You'll also like every song other than Manson's and Waite's which are just too dreary and dorky.

It's a great intro to the Ramones if you are fairly unfamiliar with their work. Let's face it, radio never played them and still don't. How many tributes albums are comprised of so many artists who sold so many more records than the group they were tributing? If you like this, don't worry about splurging for the Ramones anthology, it's worth it.