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Mondo Bizarro (1992)

Where the lyrics of Mondo Bizarro take you, and where it was really made.

Considered a comeback for the Ramones, the album peaked at number 190 on the Billboard 200, the lowest chart position of the band's career.

Key places

Recorded at the Magic Shop, New York City (1992)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The album's recording credits name The Magic Shop in New York City as the recording location. The point uses city-level coordinates, so it marks the city rather than the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Mondo Bizarro: twelfth studio album by American punk rock band Ramones
• Title is a misspelling of "Mondo Bizzarro", Italian for "Weird World"
• Released 1 September 1992 by Radioactive Records
• First studio album with bassist C.J. Ramone, who replaced Dee Dee Ramone
• Dee Dee Ramone still credited as a songwriter on this album and the later ones
• Running time 37 minutes 25 seconds, the longest of any Ramones studio album
• UK re-release by Captain Oi! on 10 August 2004, with a Spider-Man theme cover as bonus track

Background

• First Ramones studio album in three years
• Recorded after the band left Sire Records for a new contract with Radioactive Records
• Title taken from the 1966 film of the same name, a sequel to Mondo Cane
• Dee Dee Ramone had left the band but sold the publishing for three new compositions to pay for a lawyer after a marijuana possession arrest
• Those three compositions were "Poison Heart", "Main Man" and "Strength to Endure"

Recording

• Produced by Ed Stasium, who also handled mixing
• Gary Kurfirst credited as executive producer
• Recording credits list The Magic Shop in New York City
• Johnny Ramone played guitar, Marky Ramone drums, and C.J. Ramone bass
• Vernon Reid played the guitar solo on "Cabbies on Crack"
• Joe McGinty played keyboards on "Take It as It Comes"

Sources: en.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

• Robert Christgau gave the album a positive review
• Robert Christgau, who gave it a positive review, stated: a comparison to an old country singer rather than the world's greatest rock and roll band
• Lead single "Poison Heart" reached number six on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart
• Johnny Ramone said in a 1992 interview that he really liked almost all the songs
• The album was considered a "comeback" after lineup and label changes

Reappraisal

• In 2003 documentary End of the Century, Johnny Ramone said: I don't like it. I don't like it at all.
• In his 2012 autobiography Commando, Johnny Ramone gave the album a "C" grade
• He wrote that the band needed more Dee Dee songs and that C.J.'s writing was not up to par yet

Records

• Billboard 200: number 190, the lowest chart position of the band's career
• Brazil: certified gold in 1994
• Running time: 37 minutes 25 seconds, the longest of any Ramones studio album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title was taken from a 1966 film, a sequel to Mondo Cane, and is a misspelling of an Italian phrase.
• Dee Dee Ramone sold the publishing for three new songs to pay a lawyer after a marijuana arrest, though he had already left the band.
• "Poison Heart" and "Strength to Endure" were released as singles in June and October 1992.
• The Spider-Man cover added to the 2004 UK reissue is a cover of the theme from the original Spider-Man animated series.
• Johnny Ramone's opinions shifted: he liked the album in a 1992 interview, said he did not like it in 2003, and gave it a C in 2012.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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