Maps of Music

End of the Century (1980)

Where the lyrics of End of the Century take you, and where it was really made.

The first Ramones album produced by Phil Spector was also the first without Tommy Ramone, and it became the band's highest-charting record.

Key places

Where the sessions began (1979)

Recording site Track Record Studios — Recording sessions for the album began on May 1, 1979 at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles. The studio was already known for earlier artists such as Eddie Cochran and the Beach Boys. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

One of the recording studios (1980)

Recording site Devonshire Sound Studios — The album credits list Devonshire Sound Studios among the Los Angeles studios where the album was recorded, alongside Gold Star Studios and other facilities. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• End of the Century: fifth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones
• Released February 4, 1980, through Sire Records
• The band's first album produced by Phil Spector
• First release without Tommy Ramone, who had left in 1978 but produced the previous album Road to Ruin
• Songs written mainly to widen the fan base, moving toward a more pop-oriented sound
• Lyrics cover drug addiction and life on tour
• Includes a cover of the Ronettes' song Baby, I Love You

Background

• Spector offered help after a Los Angeles concert in February 1977; the band declined at first
• Management later asked Spector to help because the band's popularity and sales were low
• Spector known for the Wall of Sound, built on high-quality overdubbing and echo chambers
• Budget of around $200,000, far above the band's earlier album sessions

Recording

• Sessions began May 1, 1979 at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles
• The band was used to a fast, low-budget recording process, which led to conflict with Spector's slower methods
• Ed Stasium joined at the band's request as musical director, playing extra guitar and singing backing vocals, but did not engineer
• Mixing took nearly six months
• Described as the most expensive album in the Ramones' career

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

• Reviews were generally positive, but less favorable than for the band's earlier releases
• Reviewers cited Spector's production quality and the band's growing desire for mainstream success
• Kurt Loder, reviewing for Rolling Stone, called it Phil Spector's finest and most mature effort in years
• Loder said the Ramones were still spotlighted rather than their producer

Reappraisal

• Robert Christgau gave the album a B+ but described the band as tired
• Christgau felt Spector's production made little difference to the band's overall sound
• AllMusic editor T. Donald Guarisco noted the album is quite controversial among Ramones fans

Records

• Highest-peaking Ramones album on the US Billboard 200, reaching No. 44 over a fourteen-week chart stay
• Reached No. 14 on the UK Albums Chart, the band's most successful there
• First Ramones album to chart in Norway (VG-lista) and New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)
• Singles Baby, I Love You (reached No. 8 in the UK) and Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The band declined Spector's first offer in 1977, but management later asked him to help.
• The band stayed at the Tropicana Motel, where they had also stayed while filming Rock 'n' Roll High School.
• Reportedly Spector held the band at gunpoint early in the sessions, but in 2008 Marky Ramone gave a different account and said no guns were pointed at anyone.
• Dee Dee Ramone later wrote that he had no idea who actually played bass on the album.
• For the cover, the band gave up their traditional leather jackets for colorful T-shirts, to Johnny's dismay.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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