There are certainly no shortage of Ramones covers out there. When a band is as influential and enduring as they were, it's just bound to happen. So why the need to pull together a tribute disc? Partly to raise to money for cancer research and partly to pay tribute. Unlike previous attempts, this one pulls together a diverse collection of artists who reveal their secret (or not so) affections for the Bowery bashers. Hearing Tom Waits bash out "The Return of Jackie and Judy" is worth the purchase price alone. But the Red Hot Chilli Peppers relaxed version of "Havana Affair," Rob Zombie's doomsday interpretation of "Blitzkrieg Bop" and U2's "Beat On the Brat" are nothing to scoff at either. Of course there have to be some more faithful tracks as well, which come in the form of Rancid's "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," the Offspring's "I Wanna Be Sedated" and Green Day's "Outsider."
(Sony)Various
We're a Happy Family: A Tribute To the Ramones
BY Stuart GreenPublished Mar 1, 2003