Track Listing

1. Glad to See You Go
2. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
3. I Remember You
4. Oh, Oh, I Love Her So
5. Carbona Not Glue
6. Suzy Is a Headbanger
7. Pinhead
8. Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy
9. Swallow My Pride
10. What's Your Game
11. California Sun
12. Commando
13. You're Gonna Kill That Girl
14. You Should Never Have Opened That Door
15. Babysitter
16. Loudmouth [Live][*]
17. Beat on the Brat [Live][*]
18. Blitzkrieg Bop [Live][*]
19. I Remember You [Live][*]
20. Glad to See You Go [Live][*]
21. Chainsaw [Live][*]
22. 53rd & 3rd [Live][*]
23. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend [Live][*]
24. Havana Affair [Live][*]
25. Listen to My Heart [Live][*]
26. California Sun [Live][*]
27. Judy Is a Punk [Live][*]
28. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You [Live][*]
29. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World [Live][*]
30. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue [Live][*]
31. Let's Dance [Live][*]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16481 in Music
• Released on: 2001-06-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .26 pounds

Amazon.com
Slightly less primitive than the Ramones' debut, Leave Home is somehow more melodic, poppier, and heavier than its predecessor. "Glad to See You Go" name-drops "the passion" of Charles Manson, while the terrific "Commando" ("First rule is the laws of Germany / Second rule is be nice to mommy") brings to mind a funnier MC5. But "Oh, Oh, I Love Her So" is pure classic pop--metallic bubblegum and their first foray into the Beach Boys-inspired harmonies that would be used to greater effect on Rocket to Russia. The "bruddahs" even do a speeded-up version of "California Sun" to drive the point home. "Pinhead" gave birth to the "Gabba! Gabba! Hey!" rallying cry. This splendid remastered reissue includes the original artwork, superior sound, and excellent liner notes by heavy-metal Ph.D. Dr. Donna Gaines. Also included is the band's August 1976 L.A. debut show at the Roxy Theater. Leave Home is the album that clued in a lot of people that this band was more than a novelty. --Bill Holdship

Customer Reviews

Gabba Gabba Hey
This was the first Ramones album--maybe the first punk album--that I ever bought, and I can still remember how it FUZZED MY BRAIN.

After three years of Top-40 radio dominated by the likes of Andy Gibb, Seals & Crofts and Steely Dan, LEAVE HOME was more than a breath of fresh air, it was a tornado. Within six months of hearing this LP I was a complete convert, wearing torn jeans, playing nothing but barre chords, and hunting down the Sex Pistols, Clash, Ramones, etc. LPs that were then generally available only as imports.

Punk was very quickly turned into some quirky American marketing scheme--I'm thinking about Blondie, the Talking Heads and the Romantics here--but with a few short gliches (END OF THE CENTURY, for example) the Ramones remained true. They were one of the very few who found a connection between punk and traditional rock--"Pinhead" and "California Sun" sound just fine side by side, for instance--so I guess they didn't see much reason to fool with the formula.

And they were great fun. "Carbona Not Glue" and "Beat On The Brat" are a laugh, not the misanthropic mess they would have been in lesser hands. You can not keep your head from bangin' when listening to the Ramones.

Joey Ramone may be the most underrated singer in rock history. A lot of intitial critical reaction to the Ramones focused on the relentless bass/rythm guitar attack; to me it had as much to do with Joey's vocals as anything else. Could he hit high notes with George Michael? No. Would he want to? No. Joey Ramone put across NY swagger like nobody's business, and David Johanson would have given his eye teeth to sing like Joey.

Ramones LPs been called audio comic books, and to a large extent that's true. On the other hand, they were the only rockers I recall who had the guts to release a record about the absurdity of Ronald Reagan's embrace of the Third Reich, "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg." It was one of the last times Rock was actually important, I think, and it's also a great single; track it down.

Back when I was full-bore into the scene, I thought ROCKET TO RUSSIA was the best Ramones LP. Looking back, I think ROCKET was simply more accessible to a boy raised on melody; it also had a better cover photo and some of the 'professional' sound I was accustomed to. Today I see LEAVE HOME as the best Ramones LP, bar none. There are at least 7 classic Ramones songs here.

Adding the Roxy show makes this great LP a great double LP. Unlike some other live Ramones releases, this catches the band at their energetic peak--August, 1976. Joey's patter between tunes is the greatest.

5th Rule is: This 1-2 punch will Knock You Out.
As years pass, it will only become more apparent that the Ramones produced some of our most beloved rock songs. Few lyrics and fewer chords somehow found a way to establish so much.

The 2nd in the great trio of Ramones titles from 1976-77, 'Leave Home' has been combined with a memorable 1976 west-coast gig. The 1-2 punch will simply knock you out.

*Glad to See You Go*, *Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment*, *Suzy Is a Headbanger*, *Pinhead* and *Commando* will all have you chanting and dancing along. *Oh Oh I Love Her So* succeeds where others have not dared to tread - and yes, some of us do remember similar moments in our young, Queens, New York lives.

After getting in the mood, what better way to wrap up this experience but with a thunderous 16-track live performance where we can hear a virtual greatest hits of their early material. I was floored by the [musical & historical] weight of this disc, and I have little doubt that you will as well.

Let's get it started ... 1-2-3-4 !!!

The classic album + a live recording from 1976 = a bargain
Though the guys say that all songs for the 1st two albums were written before any recording made, there is some progression in song structures. I mean there are not just 3 or 4 chords, but sometimes 5 or horribile dictu 6 chords in one song. What's more, there are occasional backing vocal harmonies. Here the poppier, funnier side of The Ramones is present for the first time - like some amateurish, morbid Beatles cover band - with songs like 'I Remember You', 'California Sun' or 'Oh Oh I Love Her So' which is a big favourite of mine: pure fun!

But there are the harsher, "punker" tracks, like 'Commando', 'You're Gonna Kill That Girl', the horror-themed 'You Should Never Have Opened That Door' or the drugs-themed 'Carbona Not Glue' which then was pulled in the U.S. and in England and was replaced by 'Sheena Is a Punk Rocker' (find it on Rocket to Russia) and 'Babysitter' respectively. There is of course the anthem 'Pinhead' with the shout Gabbba Gabba Hey! And finally let's admit there are some weaker tracks, too, but only three or two. Extensive liner notes, lyrics printed, photos, nice design - it couldn't have been done better!

But the real gem is the 16 extra songs from the concert from December 1976 which was their 1st one in LA, as an opening act for the Flamin' Grooves. This stuff is absolutely equal to the official It's Alive album! The latter one was recorded one year later in London and they just became faster til then, though The Ramones always played faster live then on studio recordings. And since Joey is singer and not a shouter, his voice fits better the not-too-fast tempo when he's not forced to let out so many syllables. At least listening back to them now, I prefer these versions of songs like 'Judy Is a Punk', 'Havana Affair' or 'Glad to See You Go'.

2 in 1 and it's still 67 minutes! Hey ho, it's The Ramones!