Review: Various Artists ‘Marc Urselli’s Ramones Redux’
Magnetic Eye Records famed Redux series returns, this time featuring a band that I would argue is as important as Black Sabbath, if not more so, in terms of overall influence. That band would be Ramones. If Ramones didn’t actually invent punk rock, it’s beyond a doubt that they codified it. Rising in an era that was known for grandiose, stadium-packing, rock acts like Led Zeppelin, Yes and Fleetwood Mac, Ramones self-titled debut was a loud, primitive, abrasive, feral kick in the collective ass of the ‘70s rock establishment.
Dinosaur, classic rock, eclectic prog-rock, and soft rock dominated the rock consciousness, as well as the airwaves of the time and Ramones showed every kid with a rebellious streak, an interest in loud music and playing electric guitar that, no, you, didn’t need to have the chops and skill of Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton to play rock ‘n’ roll.
Johnny Ramone’s attitude and playing were the very antithesis of ‘70s guitar-god extravagance, as he attacked his instrument with a crude aggression that was all at once fast and heavy, but also, irresistibly catchy. Ramones brought rock ‘n’ roll down to its most primal, and in turn influenced countless bands, while continuing to do so to this day. Additionally, in Joey Ramone, every weird, awkward misfit kid now had a living, breathing champion. If Joey could overcome all the shit he had to deal with between his physical and mental health, while going on to front one of the most important bands of the last century, then they too could follow their own dreams.
This is the first of two Ramones Redux albums following Magnetic Eye’s usual format that were curated by Italian-Swiss audio engineer and producer Marc Urselli, who attacked the project with enthusiasm. I’ve mostly enjoyed these releases, while also falling into old-man, music-curmudgeon mode with others. Ramones Redux is an eclectic mix of artists, some I was familiar with, while others I’d never heard of, presenting both fairly straightforward versions of these tracks, with other artists choosing to warp them to cool, yet unrecognizable states.
Mondo Generator is the perfect choice for kicking the record off as Nick Oliveri’s well-known love of Ramones is the catalyst for their fuzzy, rumbling, manic take on Blitzkrieg Bop. Next up are one of Urselli’s eclectic choices for this project with Mortiis (yes, that Mortiis) pairing with Icelandic, neo-goth musician Daníel Hjálmtýsson for a very different take on Beat On The Brat. Crawling forward with a much-slower tempo than the original, the musicians craft a dark, eerily melodic, and at times, industrial-ish version, where nonetheless the pair’s love of the original material shines through the grayness with creativity and melody.
Up next is Los Angeles Deathchant who blast out a lovingly distorted, stoner-psych version of Judy Is A Punk followed by Boots Electric teaming with the late, great MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer for I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, which sounds exactly what one would think Jesse Hughes covering Ramones would sound like. However, it’s bolstered by Kramer’s legendary playing, and his presence makes it a sentimental, fun listen.
Ramones Redux was a fun, weird, interesting take on one of the all-time classic American rock ‘n’ roll albums, and arguably the first true punk record…
Italian, crushing, psychedelic portal openers Ufomammut are joined by Motorpsycho bassist and vocalist Bent Sæther for an asteroid-heavy, swirling, cosmic version of Chain Saw, which is undoubtedly a favorite of this reviewer, as is the jaw-dropping, yet totally perfect pairing of Napalm Death and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore as they take on Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue which actually sounds exactly like one would expect from this coupling, and I mean that in the best of ways.
Up next is a truly unusual, creative and weird take on I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement from another Icelandic musician GlerAkur, who is joined by Swiss vocalist Andromeda Anarchia, which, although points for creativity and originality, is not necessarily my aural cup of tea. New York musicians Imperial Triumphant and Kilter team up for a wild take on Loudmouth that features some seriously nasty chugging guitar work, as well as some free-jazz and horn skronks that somehow work together perfectly.
Havana Affair gets an organ-infused, Latin-music dipped take courtesy of Zapato 3, with Toxic Tito and old school, Italian-born, Venezuelan musician Rudy La Scala. The stoner rock seen on most of the Redux series returns with Volume’s rumbling, desert-baked, stoner-punk take on Listen To My Heart. Swedish occult-psych merchants Altareth are joined by eclectic New York underground musician Max Vanderwolf for a grimy, noisy, spaced-out take on 53rd And 3rd, while Desert Roamers featuring such Palm Desert luminaries Alain Johannes, John Stanier and Dave Catching serve up a fun, surfy, desert rock take on Let’s Dance.
Arthur Brown, yes, as in The Crazy World Of, is joined by GWAR’s The Berserker Blóthar for I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You which is one of the stranger parings you will ever encounter, but it works really well, especially the duo’s back-and-forth weirdness. Domkraft join forces with Entombed’s Ulf Cederlund and Solace’s Justin Goins and Tommy Southard for an epic, fuzzy, doomy take on Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World.
Ramones Redux was a fun, weird, interesting take on one of the all-time classic American rock ‘n’ roll albums, and arguably the first true punk record. Marc Urselli’s pairings of these artists were all at once bizarre, creative and daring. I haven’t always been a fan of band’s ‘putting their own stamp’ on such classic material, but in this case, it mostly works to great effect as Ramones Redux is certainly a well-crafted, worthy addition to this series.
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Scribed by: Martin Williams
