Out today:-
WEIRD TALES OF THE RAMONES
You might not expect rock royalty to be sniffing glue and beating on
brats, but the Ramones earned their place in the musical pantheon by
confounding expectations. Thirty years after they single-handedly
created punk, the band's songs are now part of American popular
culture. So it's only fitting that the Ramones' first-ever boxed set
resembles that most American of pop culture collectables -- a comic
book. Check out the cover at
http://www.rhino.com/prod/74662
The final release compiled by the late Johnny Ramone, Weird Tales Of
The Ramones is a three-CD/one-DVD package featuring 85 action-packed
tracks from 1976's "Blitzkrieg Bop" to 1996's "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." The DVD
includes the complete Ramones music video output-the Lifestyles Of The
Ramones collection of all of the group's Sire Records videos plus
interviews, as well as all six of the videos they made while on the
Radioactive record label.
If all that wasn't enough, Weird Tales Of The Ramones includes a book
unlike any ever created for an audio boxed set. Rather than the usual
stuffy liner notes, Rhino commissioned 25 top graphic novel/comic
artists (including Sergio Aragones, Bill Griffiths, Xaime Hernandez,
William Stout, and others) to create new works portraying the band.
Interspersed throughout are comic book-style ads for Ramones wigs,
Ramones rubber masks, and "Sea Markys."
Words really can't do this set justice-one look and you'll want to be sedated.
To celebrate the release of Weird Tales Of The Ramones, we've created a
new sweepstakes (see below for details) and new mobile content. Now you
can customize your cell phone with official Ramones ringtones! Just
text "BRAT" to 74466 (Fine print: works with most handsets on
participating carriers. Standard text messaging rates apply; see your
contract for details).
STOOGES REISSUES
It's fair to say the Ramones launched punk rock, but who launched the
Ramones? Among the band's many inspirations were Detroit proto-punks The
Stooges. With rock wildman Iggy Pop leading the propulsive attack of
bassist Dave Alexander and Ron & Scott Asheton (on guitar and drums,
respectively), The Stooges set the stage for a musical revolution with
their raging sounds and unpredictable shows. Now both of the quartet's
classic Elektra albums are available as expanded and remastered reissues
at
www.rhino.com/artists/stooges
The group's self-titled, John Cale-produced 1969 debut features such
favorites as "I Wanna Be Your Dog," "1969," and "Real Cool Time." The
band's 1970 follow-up Fun House went on to become an underground classic
powered by the unbridled energy of "Loose," "1970," and "L.A Blues."
Each deluxe edition two-disc set includes the original album along with
a bonus disc filled with rarities and unissued tracks as well as lavish
booklets with introductions penned by Detroit rock legends Alice Cooper
(on The Stooges) and Jack White (on Fun House). The White Stripes leader
calls that Stooges album "A milestone in rock 'n' roll so overlooked
it's despicable," and both of these blasts of raw power will have you
nodding in agreement.
