Ramones - It's Alive: 1974-1996

Ramones
It’s Alive: 1974-1996
Rhino
Grade: A-

To put it in the simplest of terms, you are a fan of punk music or bill yourself a rock historian then you should buy this double-disc of live Ramones material immediately, if you don’t already have it on the shelf. The focus of the DVD is on the 1970s Ramones and their initial assaults in NYC before taking on the rest of the U.S. and then the world. Thus, the quality of the first disc especially is often suspect, but you can’t really blame the band or anything – for people to have their own cameras at that time was crazy on its own. There is a progression of quality throughout however, likely linked to how popular the band became. Most interesting from this early set of songs is how Joey Ramone looked the same as a youngster as he did right before he died. Since all the Ramones’ songs are like 2 minutes, the number of included songs on the DVDs is absurd and voluminous. The second disc is filled with late 70s and then 80s material with bits of 90s thrown in; well, up until 1996 as the title dictates. Much of this material on the second disc is from around the world including Germany, England, Sweden, Argentina, Spain, and Finland. And this second one is roughly 2-and-a-half hours of material so you’re set. So, again, pick this up now.