Published on Mar 29, 2001
Sometimes, I don’t like to talk about what I do for a living…
only because the explanations of some of the day’s actions might
sound like something out of
The Twilight Zone. Imagine this:
WIFE: So, what did you listen to today, dear?
HUSBAND: Oh, just a Croatian death metal band covering The
Ramones.
WIFE: Was that all?
HUSBAND: Well, there were some German and Spanish renditions as
well.
WIFE: You been hitting the cough syrup again?
Does anyone not understand why my wife no longer asks what I’m
listening to?
It might sound like I’m being flippant towards
Blitzkrieg Over You!: A Tribute To The Ramones, but it
actually is a pretty well put together compilation of punk acts
from around the world covering the seminal New-Yawk band – with one
main exception. We’ll talk about that soon enough.
This 26-song disc assumes the listener is well-schooled in all
things Ramone, and that they will understand what song is playing
even if they don’t speak a foreign language. While I don’t
understand German, I know enough about the Ramones to recognize
“Export” (by Hass) to be “California Sun” and “Judy Ist Ein Punk”
(by Schliessmuskel) to be “Judy Is A Punk”. But I’m not schooled
enough in either Ramones or German to recognize every song – but
then again, does one really need to in order to enjoy this disc? I
think not.
Despite the fact this is a German-released album and most of the
bands are unheard of in the States, there will be a few glimmers of
recognition. Motorhead and crew check in with “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” (off
their
1916 release), and Die Toten Hosen (who had a wonderful
album,
Learning English Lesson One, out about ten years ago) turn
in a killer version of “Blitzkrieg Bop,” complete with a guest
appearance from one Joey Ramone. And old-school punks will
recognize the name of Nina Hagen as she checks in (with Dee Dee
Ramone in tow) with “Lass’ Mich In Ruhe”.
There are even originals on
Blitzkrieg Over You! that sound close enough to the original
that someone not reading the liner notes might take them to be
Ramones tunes. From “Dee Dee Took The Subway” (by Badtown Boys) to
“I Wanna See The Ramones” (by Dirty Scums), these tracks capture
the power of the Ramones while hanging on to the real bands’
identities. It’s a difficult trick to pull off, but they do it
well.
So what was the mistake I talked about? Actually, we touched on
it earlier – the Croatian death metal band, Patareni, covering
“Endless Vacation”. I have nothing against death metal or
grindcore, but putting this on a Ramones tribute album sounds out
of place, and it sticks out like a Wall Street Broker at a biker
rally.
Still,
Blitzkrieg Over You! is an entertaining disc that should
please fans of both the Ramones and punk rock in general. Even with
the occasional difference in language, this is a disc that proves
that music can indeed cross over any barrier.