It's New To Me: Pleasant Dreams by the Ramones (1981)

Image from the "Lulu and Leander" comic strip by F.M. Howarth, August 19, 1906

I've always liked the Ramones, but my interest has primarily been in their early years, before the lineup changes and weirdness that came from surviving as a band in the early '80s. I always figured that End of the Century, the album they recorded with Phil Spector, was where I needed to draw the line. They look so sad in their color-coordinated t-shirts on the cover of that one. I was surprised to hear some good things recently about Pleasant Dreams, the record they recorded after their experience with Phil Spector. My interest increased when I found out that Pleasant Dreams had been produced by Graham Gouldman, who wrote many of my favorite '60s classics ("Bus Stop", "For Your Love", "Heart Full of Soul") and founded 10cc. I'd read some negative things about Pleasant Dreams - allmusic.com panned it, calling it an attempt at a "heavy metal" record. To the contrary, I think it might now be my favorite Ramones record, and it couldn't be further from heavy metal - I think it's actually the Ramones' one true power-pop record.

To my ear, Gouldman is a good match for the material written for the record by Joey and Dee Dee. The vocals sound great, and Gouldman pushed the band to use more harmonies, which was a good call. Some Spector-ish touches linger in the production, which is not surprising considering Gouldman's background, but the record doesn't sound dated and has a nice, muscular sound. Opening single "We Want the Airwaves" is the only track that is even vaguely "metal"-ish, and even that track has a great pop hook (and a weird reference to Donovan's "Mellow Yellow" with the whispered "that's right" on the chorus). Many of the other tracks, like "She's a Sensation" and "Come On Now" walk the line between punk and bubblegum, another Gouldman specialty. Some of Joey's songs are deliberate early-rock throwbacks, like "The KKK Took My Baby Away", "7-11", and "Don't Go", and they provide a good contrast to Dee Dee's more aggressive punk numbers. Johnny Ramone famously disowned this record as a crass attempt to "go pop", but I think it plays to the Ramones' strengths all the way through.

My favorite song on the album is "It's Not My Place (in the 9 to 5 World)", and it may be my favorite Ramones song ever. It's all over the place in the best possible way, and it has some real nice Gouldman touches that bring it to life (like the use of sound effects to open the track and the way the call-and-response backing vocals are layered on the chorus). The bridge is a little jarring in the way it slows things down - it took me a couple listens to realize that it is pulled directly from the Who's "Whiskey Man". Marky's drumming is a highlight throughout Pleasant Dreams, but he's especially great on this track. Basically, though, its all about that chorus hook, which is so fun to sing along to. Give it a try.

"It's Not My Place (in the 9 to 5 World)" by the Ramones