The less said about
remasters and anniversary re-issues the better.
Essentially, the record companies are pissed that the future is digital
music and illegal downloading. They
reaped in shitloads of money after the initial vinyl-to-CD conversion, and now
they’ve been left sucking hind teat (which still involves more money than you
or I will ever see). Boo hoo.
Most of the obscure b-sides and out-of-print
catalogs by all of our favorite oddball bands have been repackaged in fancy CD
box sets and whatnot (The Banshees, The Cure, Jesus & Mary Chain, Screaming
Blue Messiahs), and I appreciate that.
Now, though, we’re down to the scrag ends, the useless shit like umpteen
anniversary re-issues of SGT PEPPER and the endless recycling of Pink Floyd’s
catalog. Gah.
So, let me take this opportunity to fully endorse
the 40th anniversary edition reissue of ROCKET TO RUSSIA. Great songs, but that radio-friendly production
(and what a joke that idea is, trying to make the Ramones palatable to top 40
listeners) was just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too tame.
The remaster on this edition is (like the one 15 years ago) neither here
nor there, but the bonus tunes of the original tracking mix and the demos kick
ass and give a much better idea of what the album should have been if the
Ramones hadn’t been so damn willing to compromise their vision for a shot at “stardom”.
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