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Aug 03, 2016 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

There is very little left to say about Ramones’ 1976 debut LP that hasn’t already been written thousands of times elsewhere. Suffice it to say that if you’ve somehow never heard it, you most definitely should, not just to hear the roots of much of the guitar music of the last 40 years, but mainly because it’s a great, fun album by one of the greatest bands ever.

Such a storied album, though taking decades to go gold, fittingly has a comprehensive reissue history as well. Fans were able to purchase it on CD starting with the 1991 collection All the Stuff (and More) Volume One (which also includes 1977’s Leave Home and bonus material), which was then left rather useless by Rhino’s 2001 reissues. The single-disc reissue of their debut included the album itself alongside some demos and a single version of “Blitzkrieg Bop.”

All of which brings us to this jaw-droppingly comprehensive 40th anniversary set. The first disc features both a newly remastered stereo version of the album alongside a newly unearthed mono mix (which like most mono mixes past 1970 or so is hardly essential). The second disc includes every known single mix, outtake, and demo from this period, including a few demos that have never been released before.

The real attraction here, though, for those who already have the previous reissue is the inclusion of both live sets at the Roxy in Los Angeles on August 12, 1976. While the first set was included on the 2001 Rhino CD reissue of Leave Home, the second set has never been available. This (like 1978’s It’s Alive) is the band at the very peak of their formidable live powers, one song bleeding right next to the other, faster than the studio versions but not so fast like later on where it was just a blur and their very memorable songs were rendered unrecognizable.

At three discs and 78 tracks, the suspicion is that this set is for the truly hardcore fans for whom the previous reissues aren’t enough and who need everything they can get their hands on. As such, Rhino is providing a public service. And every note of this is great, of course. For everyone else, though, they can feel relatively comfortable staying with the various beautifully done vinyl reissues of the original album or the 2001 CD reissue. (www.ramones.com)

Author rating: 9/10