Maps of Music

Animal Boy (1986)

Where the lyrics of Animal Boy take you, and where it was really made.

The cover photo exists because the Bronx Zoo would not lend a chimp, so the photographer hired Zippy the Chimp, a baby chimp that had appeared on Late Night With David Letterman.

Key places

Main recording sessions in New York City (1985)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The band recorded most of the album with producer Jean Beauvoir at Intergalactic Studios in New York City in December 1985. The point marks the city center, not the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Lead vocals recorded and album mixed in Stockholm (1986)

Recording site Polar Studios — In winter 1986, Beauvoir and Joey Ramone flew to Stockholm to record the lead vocals at Polar Studios, which also mixed the album. The point marks the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Animal Boy: ninth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones
• Released 19 May 1986 through Sire Records
• Joey Ramone performs and writes less than on earlier albums; Dee Dee Ramone wrote and sang more than before
• Richie Ramone became the first drummer to write songs for the band since Tommy Ramone
• Four singles released; all charted on the UK Singles Chart
• The video for Something to Believe In parodied Live Aid and Hands Across America

Background

• By 1985, conflict among band members was considerable
• Joey Ramone withdrew from the writing process
• Dee Dee Ramone alleged that Johnny Ramone refused to play many songs Joey wrote
• Richie Ramone stepped up to writing, resulting in the hit Somebody Put Something in My Drink
• Producer Jean Beauvoir was selected by the label, not by the band

Recording

• Recorded at Intergalactic Studios, NY, USA
• Most of the album recorded with Beauvoir in New York City in December 1985
• My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down was recorded earlier in 1985 and released as a UK-only single
• Winter 1986: Beauvoir and Joey Ramone flew to Stockholm to record lead vocals at Polar Studios
• The album was also mixed at Polar Studios

Cover

• The band wanted a photo with a monkey from the Bronx Zoo
• The zoo would not allow the band to borrow a chimp, so photographer George DuBose hired Zippy the Chimp
• No flash was used, giving a lowlit, warmer-colored photo that became the cover

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• An American punk rock band formed in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, in 1974.
• Founding members Jeff Hyman, John Cummings, Douglas Colvin and Thomas Erdelyi took the stage names Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone.
• The name was inspired by Paul McCartney's pseudonym Paul Ramon from his Silver Beetles days.
• The band made its CBGB debut on August 16, 1974, and became regulars at the club.
• Sire Records signed them in late 1975.

Members

• Joey Ramone (lead vocals, 1974–1996; died 2001).
• Johnny Ramone (guitar, 1974–1996; died 2004).
• Dee Dee Ramone (bass, 1974–1989; died 2002).
• Tommy Ramone (drums, 1974–1978; died 2014).
• Marky Ramone, Richie Ramone, Elvis Ramone and C. J. Ramone joined as later drummers and bassists.

Career

• The debut album Ramones was released in April 1976 and helped spearhead punk; its influence on British and American punk is widely cited.
• The band performed 2,263 concerts and released fourteen studio albums.
• Rocket to Russia (1977) was its highest-charting album, reaching number 49 on the Billboard 200.
• The band broke up after a farewell show at the Palace in Hollywood on August 6, 1996, following the Lollapalooza tour.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Reception

At release

• The album received mixed reviews from critics
• Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "B+", called Something to Believe In an anthem, and praised My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)
• Rolling Stone critic David Fricke called the album a "reductionist masterpiece" and said it rivaled the earlier albums Leave Home and Rocket to Russia
• Some critics were quick to point out that the band had strayed far from its original style and was experimenting with several genres
• Predecessor Too Tough to Die was more acclaimed than this album

Reappraisal

• AllMusic editor Eduardo Rivadavia criticized the album's modern commercial conventions and heavy use of synthesizers and keyboards
• Rivadavia said the polished synthesizer backing wasted Joey Ramone's aggressive vocal on Somebody Put Something in My Drink
• He called Something to Believe In unbearably soft
• He concluded the album was a career low for the Ramones, yet still rated it three out of five stars

Records

• US Billboard 200: entered 21 June 1986 at No. 146, peaked at No. 143, six weeks on the chart
• UK Album Chart: entered 31 May 1986, peaked at No. 38, two weeks on the chart
• Canada: entered 7 June 1986 at No. 96, rose to No. 94 a week later
• Sweden (Sverigetopplistan): entered 11 June 1986, one week at No. 37
• All four singles charted on the UK Singles Chart as well as other charts

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The cover used Zippy the Chimp, a baby chimp who had appeared on Late Night With David Letterman
• Without flash, the cover photo came out lowlit and warmer in color
• The single's jacket showed Reagan at Bergen-Belsen before Bitburg; the image was removed from later pressings
• Melody Maker claimed the image was removed under pressure from the Moral Majority, the Patriotic League of the Alamo, and the SS
• The Something to Believe In video featured guests including X, The B-52's, Weird Al Yankovic, Spinal Tap, and Ted Nugent
• Johnny Ramone disliked the Reagan song and resisted playing it live

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact