Shonen Knife, Osaka Ramones: Tribute To The Ramones

By Matt Keeley

Sometimes the redundant can be awesome. Shonen Knife‘s own music is quite Ramonesy, so some out there might not see the point of them doing a full album of Ramones covers. Those people who I may have just made up are stupid. Shonen Knife are awesome, as are the Ramones. How can you go wrong with an album of Shonen Knife—a band that was dubbed the “Osaka Ramones” by a Ramone himself—doing Ramones covers? You can’t. QED.

It’s a really good mix of classics, too—opening with “Blitzkrieg Bop” and ending with “Pinhead,” with songs like “We Want The Airwaves,” “Rockaway Beach,” “The KKK Took My Baby Away,” and “Beat on the Brat” along the way. Honestly, it’s hard to find a crappy Ramones song anyway -even the later albums that everyone disparages were still pretty damn good—but these songs are the creme de la creme.

As to be expected, Shonen Knife are pretty faithful to the originals; there aren’t any drastic re-arrangements or anything, but when you’re as solid as SK are at this sorta thing, why mess around with anything? The guitars are a little brighter—as Shonen Knife’s guitars usually are—but otherwise, it’s pretty much the standard sound that the Ramones perfected (and SK aren’t too shabby with themselves).

Perhaps the only thing I’d have liked to seen on this one is a re-issue of their classic cover of “I Wanna Be Sedated” from the early album Burning Farm. That’s likewise a great cover, and it’d be a neat show of how they’ve progressed and changed over the years—this is Shonen Knife’s 30th anniversary, and that was recorded near the very beginning of the band’s life. It could have been a cool way to bring things full-circle. At any rate, it’d show how amazing Shonen Knife were and how they continue to be amazing with no signs of stopping.

Sorta like the Ramones.

Osaka Ramones was released on July 19 from Good Charamel Records. To order a copy, visit the label’s website.

Tour Dates
with opener, Shannon and the Clams

October
20: Toronto, ONT: Horseshoe Tavern
21: Montreal: QC: II Motore
22: Brooklyn, NY: Public Assembly (CMJ)
24: Baltimore, MD: Otto Bar
25: Durham, NC: The Pinhook
26: Atlanta, GA: Masquerade
27: Mobile, AL: Alabama Music Box
28: Houston, TX: GroundHall
29: Austin, TX: Red 7

November
1: Los Angeles, CA: TBA
2: San Diego, CA: Casbah
3: Long Beach, CA: Alex’s Bar
4: San Francisco, CA: Bottom of the Hill
5: Portland, OR: Dante’s
7: Vancouver, BC: Biltmore Cabaret
8: Seattle, WA: Tractor Tavern
11: Minneapolis, MN: First Ave.
12: Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle
13: Kalamazoo, MI: The Strutt
14: Indianapolis, IN: Radio, Radio
17: Pittsburgh, PA: 31st Pub
18: Brooklyn, NY: The Bellhouse
19: Buffalo, NY: Mohawk Palace

Additional dates to be added.