Joey Ramone's signature bleat was the voice of punk rock in America. Sporting a leather jacket and torn jeans (like his band mates) and hiding his face behind a pair of sunglasses and a thick shock of dark hair, the lanky Ramone helped define punk's early image as well, and his two-plus-decade tenure as front man of the Ramones made him a counter cultural icon.
Ramone was born Jeffrey Hyman on May 19, 1951 (though he frequently claimed the year was 1952) in Forest Hills, part of the Queens section of New York City. Rock & roll gave the teenaged Joey Ramone an escape from his parents' divorce and he began playing in glam-influenced bands in the early '70s. He co-founded the Ramones in 1974 with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin, upon which point all three adopted Ramone as their stage surname. Joey Ramone initially served as the group's drummer before switching to vocals and having his former spot taken by manager Tommy Erdelyi. The Ramones quickly became regulars at the Bowery club CBGB, and their brief, rapid-fire concert style became the stuff of legend.
When the Ramones recorded their debut album in 1976, it heralded the true birth of punk rock; although groups like the Stooges, MC5, and New York Dolls laid the groundwork, the Ramones' hooky, three-chord songwriting, cheerfully dumb humor, and boundless energy created the blueprint that countless punk bands would follow in the decades to come. Their 1976 tour of the U.K. helped ignite that country's punk scene as well, and their impact on American music was never more apparent than in the '90s, when a legion of punk-pop bands who never could have existed without the Ramones' music took that sound to the top of the charts.
Despite their enormous influence, a career that spanned two decades, and a handful of indisputably classic albums, the Ramones never became stars in their own right -- even though the sound they'd pioneered came to dominate popular music during most of the '90s and even though the band recorded during that decade with a newly clean and sober focus. After touring with the 1996 Lollapalooza festival, the Ramones concluded that the stardom they'd always coveted was never to be and they disbanded before the end of the year.
Although he had released the collaborative EP In a Family Way with his brother Mickey Leigh in 1994 (under the name Sibling Rivalry), Joey Ramone largely shunned the spotlight following the breakup. He did make occasional public appearances and worked for a time as a radio DJ; toward the end of the decade, he also began working sporadically on a solo record. He assembled a band featuring guitarist Daniel Rey, bassist Andy Shernoff (ex-Dictators), and drummer Frank Funaro (Cracker) and played several gigs in the New York area. Sadly, before the record could be completed, Ramone succumbed to lymphatic cancer on April 15, 2001; he was 49 years old.
Shortly after Ramone's passing, his last studio recordings were finished and made available as Don't Worry About Me. In 2012, a posthumous collection of unreleased demos titled ...Ya Know? was completed by the Ramones' producers and Joey's former musician friends. - Steve Huey
In the wake of the sad passing of Joey Ramone, Don't Worry About Me is the first posthumous release to come from his estate. Consisting of pop-punk anthems along the lines of '60s garage rock and very early punk, Don't Worry About Me is a sad reminder of how good Ramone really was. With a brilliant ear for melody, a songwriting skill based in simplicity, and the most unpretentious lyrics this side of Chubby Checker, Ramone didn't care about making groundbreaking music when he had mastered the art of pop-punk to a degree most of his disciples will never understand. "What a Wonderful World" and "1969" are excellent covers that do their source material justice, although Louis Armstrong probably never expected his torch song to be rocked out à la Sid Vicious' "My Way." But the two best tracks are "Searching for Something," his Beatlesque tribute to a girl, and "Mr. Punchy," a gorgeous pop song that features a guest appearance from the Damned's Captain Sensible. The anti-cancer anthem "I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up)" is a heartbreaking stance on his condition that is pure punk rock all the way ("I want my life/I want my life/It really sucks/It really sucks") that only goes to show how even toward the end, he refused to give into sentimentality. Nothing new to see here, and that's a good thing, as Ramone's trademark whine never sounded so sincere as it did in his last studio recordings. - Bradley Torreano
This listing is for a rare, out of print DUALDISC CD - a USED / OPENED, in Near Mint minus overall condition DualDisc CD PRESSED and ISSUED by SILVERLINE Records of a highly collectible title, featuring -
Joey Ramone
DualDisc CD Title -
Don't Worry About Me
Track Listing -
CD-1. What A Wonderful World - 2:23
CD-2. Stop Thinking About It - 2:57
CD-3. Mr. Punchy - Vocals – Captain Sensible, Helen Love, Veronica Kofman - 2:35
CD-4. Maria Bartiromo - 3:58
CD-5. Spirit In My House - 2:02
CD-6. Venting (It's A Different World Today) - 3:17
CD-7. Like A Drug I Never Did Before - 2:04
CD-8. Searching For Something - Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals – Al Maddy - 4:12
CD-9. I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up) - 3:42
CD-10. 1969 - Bass – Jerry Only Drums – Dr. Chud - 3:40
CD-11. Don't Worry About Me - Guitar, Backing Vocals – Mickey Leigh Mixed By – Joe Blaney - 3:55
DVD-1. What A Wonderful World - 2:25
DVD-2. Stop Thinking About It - 3:03
DVD-3. Mr. Punchy - Vocals – Captain Sensible, Helen Love, Veronica Kofman - 2:40
DVD-4. Maria Bartiromo - 3:57
DVD-5. Spirit In My House - 2:03
DVD-6. Venting (It's A Different World Today) - 3:18
DVD-7. Like A Drug I Never Did Before - 2:04
DVD-8. Searching For Something - Guitar, Bass, Backing Vocals – Al Maddy - 4:13
DVD-9. I Got Knocked Down (But I'll Get Up) - 3:41
DVD-10. 1969 - Bass – Jerry Only Drums – Dr. Chud - 3:34
DVD-11. Don't Worry About Me - Guitar, Backing Vocals – Mickey Leigh - 3:56
DVD-Video. "What A Wonderful World” Video - 3:03
Credits on this item include -
• Authoring [DVD Authoring] – Kristian Storli
• Bass, Backing Vocals – Andy Shernoff
• Coordinator [Production, DVD] – Melinda Pepler
• Coordinator [Project, DVD] – Marc McLean
• Design [Graphic, DVD] – Chuck Ybarra
• Design [Package] – George DuBose
• Drums – Frank Funaro (tracks: CD-2, CD-5, CD-9, CD-11, DVD-2, DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-11)
• Engineer – Daniel Rey, Jon Marshall Smith
• Engineer [Assistant] – Noah Simon
• Executive-Producer – Charlotte Lesher, Mickey Leigh
• Executive-Producer [DVD] – Bob Michaels, John Trickett
• Guest [Special] – Marky Ramone (tracks: CD-1, CD-3, CD-4, CD-6 to CD-8, DVD-1, DVD-3, DVD-4, DVD-6 to DVD-8)
• Guitar, Backing Vocals – Daniel Rey
• Keyboards – Joe McGinty (tracks: CD-1, CD-5, CD-9, CD-11, DVD-1, DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-11)
• Lead Vocals – Joey Ramone
• Liner Notes [DVD] – Andy Shernoff, Daniel Rey
• Management – Dave Frey, Silent Partner Management, Wes Kidd*
• Management [Assisted By] – Shannon Casey
• Mastered By – Howie Weinberg (tracks: CD-1 to CD-11)
• Mastered By [5.1] – Charlie Watts (2) (tracks: DVD-1 to DVD-11)
• Mixed By – Daniel Rey (tracks: CD-1 to CD-10), Jon Marshall Smith (tracks: CD-1 to CD-10)
• Mixed By [5.1, Assisted By] – Ken Ramos (tracks: DVD-1 to DVD-11), Luis Martinez (14) (tracks: DVD-1 to DVD-11)
• Mixed By [5.1] – Gary Lux (2) (tracks: DVD-1 to DVD-11)
• Photography By – Allan Brooks, Bob Gruen, George Seminara, Stephanie Chernikowski, Tina Paul
• Photography By [DVD Photography Provided By] – Ebet Roberts, GODLIS, Ian Dickson (4)
• Photography By [Photo Editor] – Charlotte Lesher
• Producer – Daniel Rey
• Research [Consultant, DVD] – Andy Shernoff
• Voice [Voice-Over Talent, DVD] – Jannelle Guillot
Other Information -
CD side: Album audio
DVD side: Entire album in 5.1 surround sound
"What A Wonderful World" Video
Artist Biography
Joey Ramone Tribute by Andy Shernoff
Producer's Notes on recording of the album
ROM Content
Artist Biography, Joey Ramone Tribute by Andy Shernoff and Producer's Notes on recording of the album are all text-based extras
Album Credits:
Recorded at The Magic Shop, Water Music, Baby Monster and Loho
Mixed at Green Street Studios, NYC except "Don't Worry About Me" mixed at Jarvis Studios, NYC
Mastered at Masterdisk, NYC
DVD Credits:
5.1 mix at 5.1 Studios
5.1 mastering at 5.1 Studios
Authoring at 5.1 Production Services
Captain Sensible courtesy of Nitro Records
℗2002 Sanctuary Records Group
©2004 5.1 Label Group L.L.C.
Manufactured and produced under license from Sanctuary Records
The DUAL Disc CD is from the SILVERLINE series of audiophile Discs (out of print).
-
Catalog # 284562-2
- Dual Disc made in the USA
- Dual Disc issued in 2004
The DualDisc CD, Outer CASE AND INSERTS are all in Near MINT minus overall condition! The jewel case comes with an outer plastic sleeve (O-card). Both the jewel case and plastic sleeve show a bit of shelf wear, nothing serious. The Disc was play tested in our audio system and performed perfectly. There are no serious marks on the reflective side of the discs - this is a top notch collector's grade item!!
This CD is an audiophile quality pressing (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).
Do not let this rarity slip
by!