Brain Drain/Adios Amigos by The Ramones (CD - 03/14/2006)

"Brain Drain/Adios Amigos" (03/14/2006) Rock & Pop Ramones (The), EMI Music DistributionThe Ramones: Joey Ramone (vocals); Johnny Ramone (guitar); C.J. Ramone (vocals, bass); Marky Ramone (drums). Recorded at Baby Monster Studio, New York. Rumored to be The Ramones' final album, ADIOS AMIGOS isn't so much a summing up as it is a quick trip down memory lane, a farewell message or two, and a whole bunch of parting gifts from the kings of American punk rock. You didn't expect them to get all teary-eyed, but then you probably never figured them for the smart guys they are either. The Ramones have always ha...d a way of sounding brainless no matter how clever they were, and now they manage to slip some sentimentality into the act as well. ADIOS AMIGOS includes an ode to a pro wrestling loser ("The Crusher") and a brilliantly dumb anthem for burn-outs ("Got A Lot To Say"), along with such classic Ramones-isms as "I don't wanna open a can worms and I don't want any Spaghetti-O's," which newest Ramone C.J. utters during "Makin' Monsters For My Friends." Dee Dee Ramone, whom C.J. replaced, emerged from the shadows to co-write six of these songs. Johnny Ramone's guitar hammers along joyously--his punk and hardcore riffs constantly running up against pop changes in classic Ramones style. But here The Ramones save their biggest pop moments for pointedly life-affirming messages: "Life's A Gas," for example, consists of Joey la-la-la-ing and crying out the title over and over in his thick Queens accent, while Johnny power-chords his way through innocent 1950s pop changes. But, hey, these are still The Ramones, and elsewhere on ADIOS AMIGOS they warn you not to believe anyone who tells you to "Have A Nice Day." And Dee Dee's seemingly final message about a lonely drug death, "Born To Die In Berlin," turns out to be a false serious ending. After fifteen seconds of silence comes an unlisted punk-pop ode to Spiderman that doesn't seem to say "good bye" so much as it seems to say "gabba gabba hey."