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Mondo Bizarro

The Ramones - Mondo Bizarro Audio CD

A fair review of the The Ramones "Mondo Bizarro" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Ramones reviews here, or go back to the The Ramones tabs.

Band: The Ramones
Title: Mondo Bizarro
Rating:

Release Date: 1992-09-01
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Censorshit 2: Job That Ate My Brain 3: Poison Heart 4: Anxiety 5: Strength to Endure 6: It's Gonna Be Alright 7: Take It as It Comes 8: Main Man 9: Tomorrow She Goes Away 10: I Won't Let It Happen 11: Cabbies on Crack 12: Heidi Is a Headcase 13: Touring

The Ramones' Last Great Stand.
This was, after some real dreck LPs, a true return to form from the most important band since The Beatles, maybe ever. I can't believe this album went out of print. It's terrific almost completely, not counting Cabbies on Crack and Heidi Is A Headcase (that title alone is unintentional self-parody), two tracks in a row to bring it down.
Songs like Strength to Endure, It's Gonna Be Alright (co-written by the great Andy Shernoff!!), Tomorrow She Goes Away, and Censors--t sound as great today as when they were released. The standouts, definitely.
Censhors--t was outdated at the time of the release, for in '92 Bush was not the choice of many, it was Clinton, Joey clearly had shown himself to be totally liberal, and this song against the PMRC was a bit too late, a second Bush administration was the real danger (sound familiar?). (Another REAL irony with this song is it probably couldn't have pleased Johnny, Mr. Conservative, more, for a vote against Clinton was one for Bush).
Take It As It Comes is a great Doors cover, excellent. Touring, a Beach Boys-style number, was of course a leftover from Pleasant Dreams. I Won't Let It Happen is a wonderful poppy number, also co-written by Andy Shernoff (of the world's greatest band of all time, The Dictators). The Job That Ate My Brain was always a fun number; Anxiety and Poison Heart BOTH sound much better now than years ago. Poison Heart in particular has really great lyrics.
Still, choosing it as the single? Didn't exactly work. Neither did the promo CD with interview and live tracks I used to have, "Talkin' Mondo Bozarro", released MONTHS after the release!! The reason this failed to be the success it deserved to be was Radioactive's fault entirely.
Even the cover is a mess, the real choice is so obvious: inside the booklet, used as an import cover for the two-part Poison Heart CD-singles, a photo collage of the Ramones (inside back cover of booklet) done (ahem) psychedelic-style (for serious lack of a better term!), it is not unlike a photo I saw for the original Revolver cover. (the lyrics were also only available in their entirety in the Japanese release, which came with a cool sticker, I can remember; maybe the import of this has corrected there only being lyrics to 5 songs of the 13).

Their best album after Too Tough To Die, better than that even, their best after Pleasant Dreams, maybe even their best after End Of The Century.
It never picked up after this for them; any bad reviews of this were and are nonsense. I know because I know Everything!
Seriously, I Am Right about this one.
If you like or love the Ramones (How can you NOT love, LOVE the Ramones?) -- you will enjoy this CD BIG-TIME!!
It was their last great moment in the sun, a real shame it didn't give them the break they deserved.

I just want to walk right out of this world.
It's not a classic Ramones album by any means, but it does have it's moments. This was the first Ramones album released after they left Sire Records, and also the first studio album recorded after Dee Dee quit the band. Even without Dee Dee in the band, he still contributed the best songs on the album; "Poison Heart", "Strength to Endure" and "Main Man". Joey wrote seven songs for the album, most of which are decent, but none of them are all that memorable. Marky Ramone also contributed his first two songs to this album, which are okay. There is one cover song on the album, which is the Doors' "Take It As It Comes", and it's actually one of the better songs on the album. While this isn't one of the Ramones' best albums, Ramones fans should enjoy it.

Still plenty of life in them...
) This is another prime example of how production was right on and not hollow with too many of the band's other releases. Louder guitars than any other Ramones record (almost like arena-rock. Angrier sound here. . . I think that's why I like this one so much.

A very great, but over looked Album
While they still made good rock music, relations in the band were dwendling and they were constantly changing thier sound in hope for that lucky break. By the late 80s the Ramones where starting to burn out.

I have to say that Dee Dee being replaced by CJ did wonders for the band. The new young bassist brought back alot of the energy for the band and this album is a return to the classic Ramones formula.

And it shows. Joey hasnt sounded this desperate/energized/pissed off since Road to Ruin. The Ramones sound so full of life and ready to take on the world. It's a shame that more people havent heard about this album.

It kicks off to a perfect start with Censorsh*t, an anti- censorship rant; one of the Ramones most well written tunes.
The Job that Ate my Brian and Anxiety are punk classics written by Marky.

Dee Dee contributes Poison Heart, Strength to Endure and Main Man, all great songs with very honest lyrics.

It's Gonna be Alright is a dedication to the Ramones fans for sticking with them for so long.
-"Got good feelings about this year,
-All is very well CJ is here
-92 spells more fun lets get into gear"

Tommorow she Goes Away and Hiedi is a Headcase are both warped love songs. I won't let it Happen is an acustic ballad good enough to compete with I want you Around.
The album closes with Touring, a rip off of thier own "Rock n Roll High School" dedicating another song to the love of playing music and being on the road.

This isnt just one of the best Ramones albums, its an underated classic that all punkers need to listen to.

Best of the later albums...
This is a really good, and under-rated album though. After the amount of albums the Ramones released, some of the later albums are obviously going to sound a little recycled. It's defifitely better then some albums that preceded it. 'Touring' and 'Poison Heart' are 2 of my favourite Ramones songs. This whole album is very strong though.

You can see a complete list of all The Ramones discography, or go back to the The Ramones tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.