Mondo Bizarro
| Mondo Bizarro | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by the Ramones | ||||
| Released | September 1, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | February 1992 | |||
| Studio | The Magic Shop (New York, New York) | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 37:25 | |||
| Label | RadioactiveUS ChrysalisUK | |||
| Producer | Ed Stasium | |||
| Ramones chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Mondo Bizarro | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[2] |
| Q | [3] |
| Robert Christgau | A−[4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
Mondo Bizarro (a misspelled version of "Mondo Bizzarro," meaning "Weird World" in Italian) is the twelfth studio album by the American punk band the Ramones, released in 1992. It is the first to feature their new bassist, C.J. Ramone, who replaced departed member Dee Dee Ramone. The album was re-released in the UK by the Captain Oi! record label on August 10, 2004, with the band's cover of the Spider-Man theme song included as a bonus track.
Background[edit]
Mondo Bizarro was the Ramones' first studio album in three years, after the band left Sire Records for a new contract with Radioactive Records. The title was taken from the film of the same name, a 1966 sequel to the film Mondo Cane.
Although Dee Dee Ramone had left the band, he provided the songs "Poison Heart," "Main Man" and "Strength to Endure" as compensation for the band bailing him out of jail due to problems with his long drug addiction. "Poison Heart" and "Strength to Endure" were released as the album's singles, in June and October 1992, respectively.
In a 1992 interview for an Argentinian newspaper, Johnny Ramone said of the album, "Generally I always find two or three songs that I hate. From Mondo Bizarro, I really like almost all the songs and I am very satisfied with the result."[6] However, when he was interviewed about the album for the 2003 documentary End of the Century, he stated, "I don't like it. I don't like it at all." In Johnny's 2012 autobiography, Commando, he awarded the album (along with its predecessor, 1989's Brain Drain) a "C" grade, stating, "The songs are the weak spots on the album. [...] C.J. was in the band, but his writing wasn't up to par yet."
The album was certified gold in Brazil in 2001.[7]
Songs[edit]
The song "Censorshit" was written by Joey Ramone about how rock and rap albums were being censored by the Parents Music Resource Center, a group of politicians' wives who sought to put parental advisory warning labels on records, a practice which has since become standard. It has a reference to Ozzy Osbourne and Frank Zappa in the line, "Ask Ozzy, Zappa, or me, we'll show you what it's like to be free." The song is addressed to Tipper Gore, who was the wife of then-Tennessee Senator and eventual Vice President of the United States, Al Gore. In his book Commando, Johnny Ramone stated that he "didn't like the lyrics on 'Censorshit.' It was stupid. I liked the song, though. Joey wrote this song about Vice President Al Gore's wife, Tipper Gore, then he went on and voted for Bill Clinton."
"Heidi Is a Headcase" was written by Joey Ramone and Daniel Rey. According to an interview on the podcast "Ramones of the Day," C.J. Ramone stated that the song is about a girl named Heidi who both Joey and C.J. dated for a period of time.[8]
"Take It as It Comes" is a cover song, originally recorded by The Doors for their 1967 debut album. The 2004 CD reissue bonus track, "Spider-Man," is a cover of the theme song from the original Spider-Man animated series. It was originally released as an unlisted bonus track on initial releases of the Ramones' 1995 album ¡Adios Amigos! (omitted on later editions), and a slightly different version was available on the 1995 various artists compilation album Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Censorshit" | Joey Ramone | 3:13 |
| 2. | "The Job That Ate My Brain" | Marky Ramone, Garrett James Uhlenbrock | 2:17 |
| 3. | "Poison Heart" | Dee Dee Ramone, Daniel Rey | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Anxiety" | Marky Ramone, Garrett James Uhlenbrock | 2:04 |
| 5. | "Strength to Endure" | Dee Dee Ramone, Daniel Rey | 2:59 |
| 6. | "It's Gonna Be Alright" | Joey Ramone, Andy Shernoff | 3:20 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Take It as It Comes" (The Doors cover) | Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek | 2:07 |
| 8. | "Main Man" | Dee Dee Ramone, Daniel Rey | 3:29 |
| 9. | "Tomorrow She Goes Away" | Joey Ramone, Daniel Rey | 2:41 |
| 10. | "I Won't Let It Happen" | Joey Ramone, Andy Shernoff | 2:22 |
| 11. | "Cabbies on Crack" | Joey Ramone | 3:01 |
| 12. | "Heidi Is a Headcase" | Joey Ramone, Daniel Rey | 2:57 |
| 13. | "Touring" | Joey Ramone | 2:51 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Spiderman" | Bob Harris, Paul Francis Webster | 1:56 |
Personnel[edit]
Ramones
- Joey Ramone – lead vocals (tracks 1–4, 6–7, 9-14)
- Johnny Ramone – guitar
- C.J. Ramone – bass, backing vocals, lead vocals (tracks 5, 8)
- Marky Ramone – drums
Additional musicians
- Vernon Reid – guitar solo (track 11)
- Joe McGinty – keyboards (track 7)
- Flo & Eddie – backing vocals (tracks 3, 13)
Additional personnel
- Bryce Goggin – assistant engineer
- Joe Warda – assistant engineer
- Gary Kurfirst – executive producer
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Ed Stasium – mixing, producer
- Paul Hamingson – engineer
- Eugene Nastasi – assistant engineer
- Garris Shipon – assistant engineer
- George DuBose – art direction, photography, design
Charts[edit]
Album[edit]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Billboard 200 | 190[9] |
Singles[edit]
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Poison Heart" | Modern Rock Tracks | 6[10] |
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