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Saturday, March 02, 2002 ( 3/02/2002 05:23:00 AM ) Bill S. “EVERYBODY’S SCREWED UP IN THEIR OWN SPECIAL WAY” - When I read that Joey Ramone had completed his first solo album (Don’t Worry About Me, Sanctuary Records) just before his death, I had simultaneous fannish feelings of dread and anticipation. Those first four Ramones albums are close to my ideal of perfect pop rock, and while the group’s later works were never quite so divinely inspired, I’ve got all the studio ones and have found good moments in even the weakest (like Animal Boy). But solo albums are not group works, and I couldn’t help feeling anxious about a record cut by a singer in the last days of a lingering malady: there were several ways this could have gone, and most of ‘em weren’t pretty. Well, the album’s been released; I’ve had it for almost a week now and have played it at least once a day. I should have known if anyone could have avoided the pitfalls of bathos or high-minded final statements, it’d be the guy who wrote and sung, “I Wanna Be Sedated.” From the opening track – which fuses Sex Pistols guitar (courtesy producer Daniel Rey) to a respectfully non-ironic cover of the Louis Armstrong chestnut, “What A Wonderful World” – to Joey’s own reflections on modern life, maturity (yup!) and hospital life (always a Ramones motif), the disc works as a brisk celebration of rock styles (Who falsetto, Stooges rage, the inevitable piece of bubblegum) and a great collection of pop songs. A wonderful grace note: I’d call it Joey’s Love and Theft, but I know in the long run that I’ll be playing this disc much more than Dylan’s. # | |
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