To celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Ramones classic live album, It’s Alive, Rhino is releasing a massive 4CD/2LP version, featuring THREE PREVIOUSLY-UNRELEASED concerts from the same time. From EXACTLY the same time, actually. The edition will include the original It’s Alive album, recorded at the Rainbow Theatre in London on New Year’s Eve, 1977, plus the previous three UK concerts they played (Birmingham on December 28, Stoke-On-Trent on December 29, and Buckinghamshire on December 30).
I hate to be a Pinhead, but do I smell the distinctive whiff of overkill with this one? Perhaps, but this IS The Ramones, there ARE classic archival recordings; and although Da Brudders are synonymous with routine and precision, I’m sure there will be some goodies to extract from the 1-2-3-4 presented below.
It’s Alive: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will be released in a limited and numbered edition of 8000 copies on September 20 and comes packaged in a 12 x 12 hardcover book, with new liner notes written by Steve Albini and It’s Alive producer and engineer (and remaster-master of this deluxe edition) Ed Stasium.
All this info above is good and all, but let’s get to some choons! Here’s a previously-unreleased live version of “Blitzkrieg Bop” from the Birmingham Top Rank show:
It’s Alive: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition tracklisting:
Disc One: The Rainbow Theatre, London, December 31, 1977
01. Rockaway Beach
02. Teenage Lobotomy
03. Blitzkrieg Bop
04. I Wanna Be Well
05. Glad to See You Go
06. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
07. You’re Gonna Kill That Girl
08. I Don’t Care
09. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
10. Havana Affair
11. Commando
12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
13. Surfin’ Bird
14. Cretin Hop
15. Listen to My Heart
16. California Sun
17. I Don’t Wanna Walk Around with You
18. Pinhead
19. Do You Wanna Dance
20. Chainsaw
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
22. I Wanna Be a Good Boy
23. Judy Is a Punk
24. Suzy Is a Headbanger
25. Let’s Dance
26. Oh Oh I Love Her So
27. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
28. We’re a Happy Family
Disc Two: Top Rank, Birmingham, Warwickshire, December 28, 1977 (Previously Unreleased):
01. Rockaway Beach
02. Teenage Lobotomy
03. Blitzkrieg Bop
04. I Wanna Be Well
05. Glad to See You Go
06. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
07. You’re Gonna Kill That Girl
08. I Don’t Care
09. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
10. I Can’t Give You Anything
11. Commando
12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
13. Surfin’ Bird
14. Cretin Hop
15. Listen to My Heart
16. California Sun
17. I Don’t Wanna Walk Around with You
18. Pinhead
19. Do You Wanna Dance
20. Chainsaw
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
22. I Wanna Be A Good Boy
23. Suzy Is a Headbanger
24. Let’s Dance
25. Oh Oh I Love Her So
26. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
27. We’re A Happy Family
Disc Three: Victoria Hall, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, December 29, 1977 (Previously Unreleased):
01. Rockaway Beach
02. Teenage Lobotomy
03. Blitzkrieg Bop
04. I Wanna Be Well
05. Glad to See You Go
06. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
07. You’re Gonna Kill That Girl
08. I Don’t Care
09. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
10. I Can’t Give You Anything
11. Commando
12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
13. Surfin’ Bird
14. Cretin Hop
15. Listen to My Heart
16. California Sun
17. I Don’t Wanna Walk Around with You
18. Pinhead
19. Do You Wanna Dance
20. Chainsaw
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
22. I Wanna Be A Good Boy
23. Suzy Is a Headbanger
24. Let’s Dance
25. Oh Oh I Love Her So
26. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
27. We’re A Happy Family
Disc Four: Friars, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, December 30, 1977 (Previously Unreleased):
01. Rockaway Beach
02. Teenage Lobotomy
03. Blitzkrieg Bop
04. I Wanna Be Well
05. Glad to See You Go
06. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
07. You’re Gonna Kill That Girl
08. I Don’t Care
09. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
10. Havana Affair
11. Commando
12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
13. Surfin’ Bird
14. Cretin Hop
15. Listen to My Heart
16. California Sun
17. I Don’t Wanna Walk Around with You
18. Pinhead
19. Do You Wanna Dance
20. Chainsaw
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
22. I Wanna Be A Good Boy
23. Suzy Is a Headbanger
24. Let’s Dance
25. Oh Oh I Love Her So
26. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
27. We’re A Happy Family
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