Album review: RICHIE RAMONE – Live To Tell

Cargo/Livewire [Release date 21.04.23]

If you think of the famed Ramones logo, amongst the four names around the outside you wouldn’t find Richie, however, a Ramone he was, on drumming duty between 1983 and 1987. In fact, the story is bigger than that as Joey Ramone himself hailed Richie as the savior of the Ramones at the time and credited him with putting the spirit back in to the band (he also wrote my favourite Ramones song “Somebody Put Something In My Drink”).

Richie has been busy working as an actor and soundtrack composer over recent years but has just released new, and 3^rd solo album, “Live To Tell”, and if you’re a fan of the Ramones formula of short, punchy and easy to sing along to songs, then you are gonna love this.

“Live To Tell” is a great album from start to finish, but for me “When The Night”, “Not Afraid” and “Cry Little Sister” are my go to tracks. Since it was popularized in the soundtrack to 1987’s The Lost Boys, there have been several covers of “Cry Little Sister”, and this is one of my favourites.

There are a handful of songs on the album that are very Ramonsey in feel, “Find Our Place”, title track “Live To Tell”, the superbly bounce along “Master Pan” and “The Last Time” (which features some guitar work that I swear could be Sex Pistol Steve Jones).

“Who Stole My Wig”- great song, greater title, that is all I need to say. There is another side to the album though, with tracks “Other Things”, “Old Ways” and “I Sit Alone (Yeah Yeah)” bringing a darker side, almost with gothic undertones, into the mix and it works very well.

With “Live To Tell” Richie Ramone is keeping the Ramones traditions alive and this very enjoyable album will hopefully be accompanied by some live dates. *****

Review by Nikk Gunns

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