It's Alive [LIVE]

Ramones

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 10, 1995)
• Original Release Date: May 1979
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002N2N
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (72 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,818 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording
When the Ramones left the confines of CBGB's in 1976--where they had developed their earmark three-chord speed delivery--and took the show on the road to England, they set the punk-rock juggernaut rolling. It can't be stressed enough how influential these boys from Forest Hills, Queens, were on Britain's emerging punk-rock scene, but a few seconds into It's Alive and it's easy to tell why. It's Alive captures the phenomena of the Ramones at their peak and in their element: live and sweaty.

You've barely blinked before you realize that the first half-dozen songs have already raced past, their backdraft sucking the oxygen out of your lungs. "Rockaway Beach," "Teenage Lobotomy," "Blitzkrieg Bop," and "I Wanna Be Well" practically melt together in a three-chord melange, Tommy never letting up on the frantic beat and Joey pausing barely long enough to breathlessly shout, "Onetwothreefour!" before launching into the next set. The longest song here clocks in well short of three minutes, and many are hardly longer than one. Twenty-eight songs clock in under 48 minutes. Talk about a land-speed record. No subtleties of production or tweaking are needed here to capture the Ramones' live sound. Plug 'em in, turn everything up to 10, and let it rip. The sound of the manic crowd is practically organic. It's Alive is not just the best Ramones album, it is easily the best live punk-rock album of all time, and perhaps one of the best live albums ever set to wax. --Tod Nelson

Product Description
Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "1,2,3,4!!!", October 14, 2003

By	M. R. ZOGLIO (CROFTON, MD) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Pound for pound, this is one of the best live albums ever released. I bought it on import vinyl back in 1979 and it was one of the first CDs I bought upon upgrading my stereo system. The Ramones smoke through their set list like there's no tomorrow. Recorded on New Year's Eve in 1977 at the Rainbow Theatre in London, this set sounds much better (probably because of Tommy's co-producing) then the recently released "Ramones - NYC 1978" CD which was recorded at The Palladium in New York City just a week later. It also includes "Judy Is A Punk" which is absent from the NYC show. All in all, a must have CD for any Ramones fan. 2 notes to Tod Nelson : it was Dee Dee (not Joey) who shouted out "1,2,3,4!!!" before each song and this CD clocks in at just under 54 minutes not 48 (you may have been cheated). R.I.P. Joey, Dee Dee, and Johnny.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Playtime with the Ramones, February 21, 2005

By	Derrick Peterman (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This CD provides an unlikely source to help me bond with my two young children when I drive them places. With the CD player blaring away, my two year old daughter will sing "Go go go" and "Whoa-oh-oh" and other snippets of the lyrics, and my four year old son with autism will crack a smile, which is pretty expressive for him. Simple chord progressions, repetitive lyrics, and energetic singing is pretty typical in childrens music, and this works for my kids. Yes, some people might claim this is about the maturity level of this band. Daddy bouncing up and down in the drivers seat probably helps the kids get into to it.

Why does Daddy like this CD? It's just pure rock and roll energy. There's barely a pause between songs and the band is in top form. They express a real joy with mindless songs like "Surfin' Bird". There's probably nothing that's been said about the Ramones that I could add here, and most people's opinion of the band is firmly made up, but this CD is a great value for anyone in the "like/love/worship the Ramones" camp.

ONE TWO THREE FOUR!!!!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Bop Heard Round The World, March 26, 2003

By	Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I was one of those die-hards who bought "It's Alive" as a double lp import, and remember having the Deadheads in my college dorm constantly complaining that I should turn it down. Over 20 years later, I am proud to still love this one LOUD. If you're looking for a clue as to why The Ramones led a revolution, this is the live album to start with.

This is, by far, the best of The Ramones' several live albums. It catches them in London 1977, between the brilliant "Rocket To Russia" and "Road To Ruin" records and launching a sea of imitators in their wake. It also sees them still loud fast and rough, barely pausing for breath between the end of each song and the ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! rapid-fire count of the next. It's twenty-eight songs in barely an hour, and you still wish there were more. How many records can you say that about?

The band was still inexperienced enough to be ragged but right, and it shows if you do a couple comparisons between this and other Ramones' live discs. Compare the supersonic version of "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" here to the one on "Loco Live" and you'll realize that there was still a little time left before their early vitality would be sapped by too many years of middling success, grinding tours and rock life excesses. That's not to say that The Ramones were ever less than killers live; they were probably rock's best night out for the entire duration of their career.