Search - Nutley Brass :: Ramones Songbook As Played By Nutley Brass

Sedated

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 06/02/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Elevator music" versions of Ramones songs? You Bet! In the tradition of 101 Strings Play a Tribute to the Beatles and The Hollyridge Strings Play The Beach Boys Song Book, we now have "The Nutley Brass Plays the Ramones Songbook". In a way, this album is a parody of those old "instrumental easy listening versions of rock songs" albums. It has a few comical touches, like "Chopsticks" being banged out on piano in the middle of "I Wanna Be Sedated". But for the most part the songs are played relatively straight, with the humor coming from the idea of "I can't believe somebody made elevator music versions of Ramones songs". Thankfully, the arrangements here are much more imaginative than the ones on the old albums by the Hollyridge Strings and the like. I should mention that, in the retro spirit, this album is in mono. Recommended to Ramones fans that don't take things too seriously (and what Ramones fan does?). Oh, I should probably mention that this CD is only 23 and a half minutes long."

It's About Time...

reluctantpopstar | Hollywood, CA | 03/18/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the 1960's, many of the top Rock and Pop artists were the subject of cover albums by light orchestras and other easy-listening merchants. These included (of course) The Beatles, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones (masterminded by their own manager, Andrew Loog Oldham), and even The Four Seasons. The expedient idea at that moment was the hope of extra income by jumping on the bandwagon of a hot artist, possibly drawing potential customers from both the youthful fan base of the artists that were covered, and from oldsters in their suburban living rooms with their giant hi-fi consoles at their cocktail parties. In the end, generally speaking, these albums satisfied neither constituency, even if they shift a few copies to curious middle-agers or desperate teenagers that just HAD TO HAVE EVERYTHING relating to the objects of their obsession.It is only with the passing of decades that these releases have come to be seen as performing a wholly different function: legitimizing the artistic worth of the subjects of their attention. In hindsight, we can see the true impact of The Beatles et. al, from the fact that even the "Musical Establishment" that initially resisted their talent and charms had to figuratively lay down their arms and give up in the face of their total domination of the music scene (I'm speaking of the Beatles in particular and Rock Music in general.)Therefore, it is quite heartwarming to see that someone attempted to replicate one of these 60's style gambits, with the subjects to be paid tribute to being The Ramones. This makes concrete a sentiment that Rock Critics have known for some time now: that the Ramones were as highly influential in their own time as the Beatles were in their prime, even if the Hit Parade didn't show it. Kudos to Sam Elwitt for a lovable, and faithfully re-created simulation of a musical fantasy whose existence is more than deserved."

What are The Ramones Doing In My Elevator?

C. CRADDOCK | Bakersfield | 01/11/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let's face it, the main appeal of this record is hearing familiar Ramones songs done as elevator music. Muzak, if I can use a brand name without fear of litigation. If you are a fan of The Ramones this would have comedy value. I actually like the music, apart from the comedy value, as the songs themselves are good, and the arrangements by The Nutley Brass are quite imaginative. Perhaps a fan of Lounge Music or the Tijuana Brass would enjoy it without even knowing the original tunes that are being covered. A song like Havana Affair benefits immensely from the Nutley treatment, as the Nutley Brass really bring out the James Bondish undertones and the Latin flavor. The only quibble I have is that it is too short, with 10 songs lasting only 23 minutes.



Fiend Club Lounge by The Nutley Brass (June 28, 2005) Here The Nutley Brass lend their talents to The Misfits songbook.



Ramones by The Ramones (April 1976) The eponymously titled first Ramones album is seen in retrospect as the beginning of punk rock, and there is even a song called Judy is a Punk.



Leave Home by The Ramones (1977) The second album by The Ramones featured Gimmie Gimmie Shock Treatment and others.



Road to Ruin by The Ramones (1978) This is the first album with Marky Ramone (Marc Bell) who replaced Tommy Ramone. I Wanna Be Sedated would become one of their best known songs.



Rock 'N' Roll High School (1979) The Ramones star in this Roger Corman produced film, and they also composed the theme song of the same title. Clint Howard was Eaglebauer in one of the few films he was in that wasn't directed by his brother Ron (Opie) Howard.



End of the Century by The Ramones (1980) Phil Spector became interested in the group after seeing Rock 'n' Roll High School. He pulled a gun on Dee Dee Ramone, demanding multiple takes of a riff. Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?



Animal Boy by The Ramones (May 1986) The band's ninth studio album begins with Somebody Put Something in My Drink and ends with Something to Believe In. In between there is Bonzo Goes To Bitburg, retitled as My Brain is Hanging Upside Down.



Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (1965) This sold 6 million copies in the US and the album cover is an icon of pop culture. Model Dolores Erickson is covered in chiffon and shaving cream to simulate whipped cream, masking the fact that she was three months pregnant. It is a 'concept album' in that all of the songs are about food. Title cut "Whipped Cream" was used on the TV Show "The Dating Game" as the intro to the bachelorette, and "Lollipops and Roses" was the theme used when the bachelor(ette) learned about the person chosen for the date ("Spanish Flea", a song taken from the TJB's next album Going Places, was used as the theme for the bachelor).



Clam Dip & Other Delights by Soul Asylum (April 14 1989) This grab bag EP parodies TJB's album, or at least its iconic cover. It signals that they were signed to Herb Alpert's label, A&M (Alpert and Moss). There were a whole gang of other parodies including comedian Pat Cooper's album Spaghetti Sauce and Other Delights, the Frivolous Five's Herb Alpert tribute album, "Sour Cream and Other Delights" and Peter Nero's album, "Peter Nero Plays a Salute to Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass."



The Exciting Sounds of Martin Denny: Exotica/Exotica, Vol. I & II by Martin Denny (May 1957) This album spawned a whole genre of music, and can also be considered a cornerstone of Lounge Music. The song Quiet Village, by Les Baxter, recorded with croaking frogs and bird calls, came about because the group played in a tiki bar in Waikiki and noticed that frogs would croak while they played, and stop when the band stopped. Arthur Lyman, another lounge mainstay, was also a member of this group.





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