Ramones - We're Outta Here

We're Outta Here was the very first Ramones album I bought. It was actually a special box set containing one CD and VHS about the very last Ramones concert. The disc is the concert itself. It's thirty-two live tracks of Ramones history jammed into one big final fairwell. Recorded at The Palace in Los Angeles, California on August 6, 1996, this was their 2,263rd and final concert.

I had a friend by the name of Varg, I may have mentioned him before, that had over played a couple of albums so badly that it turned me off the Ramones for a while. Then when I stumbled across this set at Dr. Disc a few years later, I figured why not. I picked it up and discovered this band starting from their ending.

There are two things that I want to mention right from the start. To start, these songs come at you at a blistering pace. Normally I am able to write a paragraph for each song, while the song is on. That is almost impossible with this album. By the time I start discussing The K.K.K. Took My Baby Away, it's already Rockaway Beach and I'm wondering where the last three songs went.

The second thing I want you to know is that I'm going to kind of clump songs together. That's how it feels for me, when I listen to this album. Some songs honestly pop out of a pack, while others just kind of blend into the mix. For example the album's opening track Durango 95 turns into Teenage Lobotomy at such a blazing speed that you'd think it was just a longer version of the same song. The fact that the first song is an instrumental probably helps with that.

What I'm really trying to stress is that these songs are fast, I mean real fast, blistering fast, and delivered with the rapid fire side sweeping barrage of a machine gun in All Quiet On The Western Front. And now I've already gone through Psycho Therapy, and didn't even notice.

Then it's on to Blitzkrieg Bop, and I'm a little shocked this is so early in the set. I will say that this song feels rushed. Like they can't wait to get it over.

The first time there's any real address of the crowd is in Do You Remember Rock And Roll Radio, and it really isn't much. That's one thing I really notice on this album over the years. There's isn't much crowd interaction. You can't hear any singing, the band doesn't say much, it's almost like they recorded this entire album to an empty venue. I mean I really would have thought you would hear people on the choruses of this song.

Now I'm not sure if Joey was already starting to suffer the ill effects of his cancer, but I notice that he falters a bit vocally for the first time on I Believe in Miracles. It could have also been he was trying to hit notes that you need to warm up a little more for first.

Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment is another song where I wonder why you can't hear the crowd, but then during the 20 second drum into Rock 'n' Roll High School you can clearly hear them shouting. I guess it's a Punk thing. Or trying to show that you don't have to be a fancy drummer to be in a famous band.

Then the drum beat actually changes for the first time in a couple of songs, for I Wanna Be Sedated. This begins my favourite block of tracks on the CD. All of them are just great, fun times. I mean you want to sing along with all of them. Bop up and down, letting all that energy out, and how can you not love the theme song to the 1960's cartoon for Spider-Man?

Then Joey actually talks to the crowd, in a way to introduce the next song. "Heyyyyy! A funny thing happened on the way to Simi Valley today. Is that how you say it? The KKK took my baby away." I'll bet you can guess what they break into next.

It's while listening to The KKK Took My Baby Away (sorry if you hadn't figured it out yet) that I noticed why I like this section so much. It's the change in the dynamics of the songs. Well, at least the drum pattern changes.

I absolutely love I Just Wanna Have Something to Do. It's one of the Ramones darkest sounding songs. There's just something sexy and sinister about this one. Then it's pretty much a total blur of songs that I either don't have any real love for, or I'm not a fan of. Commando belongs to the first catagory and Sheena Is a Punk Rocker and Rockaway Beach belong in the second. Even these live versions do nothing to improve my opinion of the classics. Not to say they aren't great songs. They are just great songs for someone else.

Pet Sematary Is one of the few times when there is any real contact between the band and the audience. Which is to basically introduce one of my favourite Ramones songs. I love hearing the crowd sing along on the choruses as well.

The block of tracks that make up my favourite section of the album ends here.

The Crusher follows that up and and it's an interesting track, that flows right into Love Kills which features Dee Dee Ramone former Ramones bassist, and you would have thought the crowd would have gone nuts for this, but I don't hear it.

Then it's on to Do You Wanna Dance? In which I'm not entirely sureif it's actually Joey Ramone calling Dee Dee back out for a scrap, but that's sort of how it sounds to me.

Then it's on to Somebody Put Something in My Drink, which I only know from this album, and has me thinking that I need to go find the studio version. I'm really kind of digging on it, my only complaint is that it moves so perfectly into I Don't Want You that I barely notice the switch. Even in the dark sounding undertones. However there is a clear change in sound when we hit Wart Hog. To be honest this is one of those Punk songs I can't stand. It's pretty much noise. Also once I get to Cretin Hop I'm a little bored of the now constant feeling drum pattern. Especially considering how clear it is in the mix.

I'd have to go and double check the story for the song R.A.M.O.N.E.S. which was writen by Motorhead and is played live here featuring Lemmy of Motörhead. It's a fun song, and pretty much bridges the gap from the last cluster of songs and the next track, Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World. The latter is used to create a clear change of feel and tempo, when the band kicks into one of my favourites, Pinhead. This is really a fun song, which I love.

Then there is a clear break and it allows for Tim Armstrong and Lars Frederiksen of Rancid to come out for the next three tracks which are, 53rd & 3rd, Listen to My Heart, and We're A Happy Family. It's been a while since I've had this disc in, and I'm just noticing 53rd & 3rd is on here for the first time. Actually that's probably not true, but it feels like it. I barely notice Listen To My Heart except as a song playing the background and then it's on to We're A Happy Family, which is one of those songs that's a little goofy, and yet depending on you hear it, maybe even a little Rap-ish in vocal delivery.

Then there's another break while another change up happens and the break into Chinese Rock which features Chris Cornell and Ben Shepherd of Soundgarden. I've always enjoyed this song since I first picked up this disc, and once again find myself thinking I need to find a studio copy of this track and check it out.

Then it's on to Beat On The Brat, which is a decent enough song. It's just not one of my favourites.

Anyway You Want It, featuring Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam fame, finishes off the show and the final page of Ramones history. It's a great and solid finish.

The beauty of this disc is that it really gives the vibe of a real Ramones concert. It doesn't sound like a last show, and there's none of that silly nastalgia feel. It's just one last fast and furious Ramones concert.

To this day I'm still glad I picked up this disc. While I do bitch about some of the more overly Punk sounding songs, I love the Rock tracks that much more. This was a great personal introduction to this band for me. It allowed me to see where I would like to branch off in my explorations of this great American Punk band.

My biggest problem with this album is the production. The drums are too loud in the mix. It's like they are right out front. Most of the sections where you can hear the crowd, it sounds like they were just thrown in there, and the bass and guitar sound muffeled together almost like they were put on the same track.

My best description for the sound of the album is that they recorded it by mic'ing the stage at the monitors. Actually that's the perfect way to describe listening to it. It's like you are front row, right up against the security baracade, dead center. If it weren't for that slightly uniqueness to it, I'd probably knock the production down more.

7/10 - content

6/10 - production

8/10 - personal bias