"You need an escort to take a piss. He holds your hand and he shakes your dick."
Is it really live?
Yes. Except for the ... uh .. guitar, bass and vocals which are overdubbed.
Is it official?
Yup.
Where was it recorded?
The Rainbow Theatre, London, December 31, 1977.
What are the details?
This wasn't officially available on CD for awhile. I have a bootleg version of it from Austria or somewhere. It's probably been released now that all the Ramones are dead.
If you were to ask me my favorite "desert island," Ramones album, I would probably cheat and pick this one. (I feel much the same way about "Live After Death," by Iron Maiden.) It includes most of the songs from their three best albums and no crap whatsoever. Much in the same way "Alive!" was a better representation of Kiss, since the first studio recordings were a bit flat by comparison, "It's Alive," sees the song played noticeably faster and with more energy. It was still too early for them to start going way too fast or for Joey to start screwing around with the vocals. Any sort of crowd interaction or discussion about how "live," the record is actually not really an issue. To my ears, this is as good as the Ramones ever sounded.
The Set:
1. Rockaway Beach
2. Teenage Lobotomy
3. Blitzkrieg Bop
4. I Wanna Be Well
5. Glad to See You Go
6. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
7. You're Gonna Kill That Girl
8. I Don't Care
9. Sheena Is a Punk Rocker
10. Havana Affair
11. Commando
12. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
13. Surfin' Bird
14. Cretin Hop
15. Listen to My Heart
16. California Sun
17. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You
18. Pinhead
19. Do You Wanna Dance?
20. Chain Saw
21. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World
22.Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy
23. Judy Is a Punk
24. Suzy Is a Headbanger
25. Let's Dance
26. Oh Oh I Love Her So
27. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
28. We're a Happy Family
