Subterranean Jungle

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Subterranean Jungle
Ramones studio album

Publication
(s)

July 1983

Label (s) Sire Records

Format (s)

LP, CD

Genre (s)

punk

Title (number)

12

running time

33:33 (CD)

occupation
  • Walter Lure - electric guitar

production

Ritchie Cordell, Glen Kolotkin

Studio (s)

Kingdom Sound , Syosset, Long Island

chronology
Pleasant Dreams (1981) Subterranean Jungle Too Tough to Die
(1984)

Subterranean Jungle ( English for "subterranean jungle") is the seventh studio album by the American punk band Ramones, first released in 1983 .

History of origin

When Subterranean Jungle came into being and appeared, the band was in a creative and personal crisis, which manifested itself in addiction problems as well as in conflicts between the band members and with the producer Ritchie Cordell. The height of the crisis was when drummer Marky Ramone was kicked out while he was recording in the studio. Quote from singer Joey Ramone :

"After End of the Century we couldn't stand
the sight of each other anymore."
(German: "After [the album] End of the Century ,
we could no longer bear the sight of the other [each].")

The studio recordings for Subterranean Jungle began in October 1982. The recording studio was not the media sound studio in Manhattan that the band is used to , but the Kingdom Sound studio outside of Syosset, Long Island . Since the Ramones had had bad experiences with the producers of their two previous albums - Phil Spector and Graham Gouldman respectively - and were dissatisfied with their work, the beginning of the studio work was marked by the band's distrust of the new producer.

At the time Subterranean Jungle was created , both singer Joey Ramone and drummer Marky Ramone had alcohol problems , bassist Dee Dee Ramone was using cocaine and marijuana and was receiving psychotherapy . When the drummer was no longer up to the studio work and also couldn't get along with the producer, session drummer Billy Rogers had to help out on the piece Time has come Today . After Marky Ramone was kicked out, he was replaced by the new band member Richie Ramone , who also worked on two promotional videos for the album. From an interview with Marky Ramone:

"I hated the production, I hated the producer. [...] I didn't care at that point
because I was drinking. After that I got a call. 'We don't want you in the band anymore'. "
(German: "I hated the production, I hated the producer. [...] At that point I did
n't care because I was drinking. Finally I got a call." We don't want you in the band anymore. ")

Due to the addiction problems of the other three band members, guitarist Johnny Ramone gained artistic influence. His intention was to move the Ramones' music away from pop influences and to strengthen the orientation towards hardcore punk - a development that would continue with the following studio albums by the Ramones. Examples include Time Bomb (the first song in the group to be sung entirely by Dee Dee Ramone) and Psycho Therapy . Quote from the guitarist:

"I wanted to do a hardcore song to show the hardcore people that we
can play as fast or faster than they can. [...] Nobody plays faster than us. "
(German: "I wanted to do a hardcore piece to show the hardcore people that we can play
as fast as they or faster. [...] Nobody plays faster than us.")

What is unusual for a Ramones album is that the first two tracks are not their own material, but cover versions. In total, Subterranean Jungle contains three cover versions - more than on any of their previously released studio albums. Unlike earlier works, singer Joey Ramone only contributed three of his own compositions, half of the pieces on the album were written by Dee Dee Ramone.

Reception, criticism

In his Ramones biography Hey Ho, Let's Go - The Story of the Ramones , author Everett calls True Subterranean Jungle a "frustrating album". He describes it as "over-produced" and criticizes the band's lack of passion for musical commitment as well as the fact that the album starts with two cover versions. The US music magazine Rolling Stone came to a more positive verdict and found the album to be “another masterful outbreak of the kind that will one day give the Ramones a special place in the rock pantheon.” Critic Cynthia Rose also judged Subterranean Jungle positive: "[...] this is triumphant music. Why is that possible? Mainly because the Ramones have remained humble and still just love what they do. "

Subterranean Jungle reached number 83 on the Billboard charts in February 1983 .

Track list

First edition 1983

  1. Little bit o 'Soul (Kenneth Hawker / John Shakespeare)
  2. I Need Your Love (Bobby Dee Waxman)
  3. Outsider (Dee Dee Ramone)
  4. What'd ya do? (Joey Ramone)
  5. Highest Trails Above (Dee Dee Ramone)
  6. Somebody Like Me (Dee Dee Ramone)
  7. Psycho Therapy (Dee Dee Ramone / Johnny Ramone)
  8. Time has come today (Joseph Chambers / Willie Chambers)
  9. My-My Kind of Girl (Joey Ramone)
  10. In the Park (Dee Dee Ramone)
  11. Time Bomb (Dee Dee Ramone)
  12. Everytime I eat Vegetables it Makes Me Think of You (Joey Ramone)

Additional, previously unpublished titles in the extended new edition 2002

  1. Indian Giver (Original Mix) (Bobby Bloom / Ritchie Cordell / Bo Gentry) 1)
  2. New Girl in Town (Ramones) 1)
  3. No one to Blame (Demo) (Ramones) 2)
  4. Roots of Hatred (Demo) (Ramones) 2)
  5. Bumming Along (Demo) (Ramones) 2)
  6. Unhappy Girl (Demo) (Ramones) 2)
  7. My-My Kind of Girl (Acoustic Demo) (Joey Ramone) 2)

1) Produced by Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin,
2) Demos produced by Ed Stasium , recorded at Daily Planet Studio, New York.

Single releases

  • Time has come Today / Psycho Therapy

literature

  • Hey Ho Let's Go. The Story Of The Ramones by Everett True. Omnibus Press, London / New York 2002. ISBN 0-7119-9108-1 . (English)
  • On the Road with the Ramones by Monte Melnick, Frank Meyer. Sanctuary Publishing Ltd., London 2003. ISBN 1-86074-514-8 . (English)
  • Ramones - The Complete Twisted History by Dick Porter. Plexus Publishing Ltd., London 2004. ISBN 0-85965-326-9 (English)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Interview with Joey Ramone, quoted from Porter: Ramones - the Complete Twisted History , p. 117
  2. ↑ a b c d e True: The Story of the Ramones , pp. 177 ff.
  3. ↑ a b c Porter: Ramones - the Complete Twisted History , p. 115 ff.
  4. ↑ a b True: The Story of the Ramones , pp. 180 ff.
  5. ↑ Interview with Marky Ramone, quoted from Everett True: The Story of the Ramones , p. 180
  6. ↑ Johnny Ramone in an interview with the music magazine Rolling Stone . Quoted from Everett True: The Story of the Ramones , p. 178
  7. ↑ Music journalist Kurt Loder, quoted from Porter: Ramones - the Complete Twisted History , p. 116
  8. ↑ Quoted from Porter: Ramones - the Complete Twisted History , p. 117

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