Adios Amigos

The final Ramones album features several smart choices befitting a group of their caliber. Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan’s “I Don’t Want to Grow Up” seems perfectly tailored to the group’s eternal-youth image, and Dee Dee Ramone makes a vocal appearance (via phone) for the closing track, “Born to Die in Berlin.” In fact, Dee Dee contributes six tracks (many of which appeared on his previous solo outings) cowritten with producer Daniel Rey; new bassist CJ handles vocals on “Makin’ Monsters for My Friends,” “The Crusher," and “Cretin Family,” and contributes his own “Scattergun” and “Got a Lot to Say.” Truth is, though, The Ramones don’t feel quite like The Ramones without Joey leading the charge—and here, it’s Joey’s “She Talks to Rainbows” and his underrated “Life’s a Gas” that come closest to nailing that classic Ramones sound. The cover of Johnny Thunders’ “I Love You” brings The Ramones back to the days when they covered “Chinese Rocks.”