Maps of Music

Leave Home (1977)

Where the lyrics of Leave Home take you, and where it was really made.

A month before release, the fifth track was pulled from the album because it was tied to the registered Carbona trademark.

Key places

Where Leave Home was recorded (1977)

Recording site Sundragon Studios — Leave Home was recorded in October and November 1976 in New York City at Sundragon Studios, through Sire Records. The album is the band's second studio album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Leave Home: second studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones
• Released 10 January 1977 on Sire Records; expanded CD released 19 June 2001 through Rhino Entertainment
• Front photo by Moshe Brakha; back cover drawing by Arturo Vega, which became the band's logo
• Three singles released; only "Swallow My Pride" charted
• Promoted with tour dates in the United States and Europe

Background

• Songs cover varied themes and tones; some lean pop, while Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment and Pinhead use distorted guitars and a harder punk sound
• Johnny Ramone: songs were recorded in the order they were written, to show a slight progression in song structure
• Most songs were written in the members' homes rather than in a studio; Suzy Is a Headbanger was written in drummer Tommy Ramone's loft apartment
• The title refers to the Ramones leaving New York City to tour around the world
• Sire set a budget of about $10,000 and hired Tony Bongiovi to produce; Tommy Ramone (credited as T. Erdelyi) co-produced
• The debut album had received only $6,400 to record and produce

Recording

• Recorded October and November 1976 in New York City at Sundragon Studios
• More emphasis on mixing and engineering than on the debut; sound quality increased through more advanced output methods
• Joe S. Harrington called the production brilliant, saying it put the band ahead of the run-of-the-mill garage band

Cover

• Front cover designed by Moshe Brakha, who had earlier worked with the Rolling Stones on the Black and Blue (1976) cover art
• Back cover drawing of a bald eagle by graphic designer Arturo Vega; the image soon became the band's logo

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

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

• Critical reception was generally favorable, with several reviewers noting a strong resemblance to the debut album
• Critics said the album was less groundbreaking than the debut but had humorous and enjoyable pieces
• Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone gave a favorable review in 1977, saying it was very similar to the debut yet sounded more experienced
• The Los Angeles Times deemed the songs "two-minute metal operettas for the Blank Generation"
• Robert Christgau wrote in Christgau's Record Guide (1981) that fans of the joke would be happy to hear it twice
• The year-end critics' poll at NME ranked it at No. 9 among the top albums of 1977

Reappraisal

• Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote for AllMusic that it was very similar to the debut and slightly more pop-oriented
• April Long from NME especially favored Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
• Adrien Begrand of PopMatters gave a favorable review and called it his favorite Ramones album

Records

• Peaked at number 148 on the Billboard 200, below the predecessor's chart performance
• Debuted at number 45 on the UK Albums Chart, the band's first album to chart in the UK
• Swallow My Pride peaked at number 36 on the UK singles chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The original release included Carbona Not Glue as the fifth track, but the song was removed to avoid a potential lawsuit because Carbona was a trademark
• Ramones manager Danny Fields told the band about the trademark a month before the album came out
• During a Marseille gig, the Ramones caused a power outage to a quarter of the city during a sound check, and the gig was cancelled when police arrived
• When the tour manager arranged a stop at Stonehenge, Johnny refused to leave the bus, saying he refused to see a bunch of old rocks
• The title Leave Home refers to the Ramones leaving New York City to go on tour around the world

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

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