Ramones – Альбом «Leave Home»: История и Звучание

Leave Home is the second studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones. It was released on January 10, 1977, through Sire Records, with the expanded CD being released through Rhino Entertainment on June 19, 2001. Songs on the album were written immediately after the band's first album's writing process, which demonstrated the band's progression. The album had a higher production value than their debut Ramones and featured faster tempos. The front photo was taken by Moshe Brakha and the back cover, which would become the band's logo, was designed by Arturo Vega. The album spawned three singles, but only one succeeded in charting. It was also promoted with several tour dates in the United States and Europe. The songs in Leave Home concentrate on various themes, with the musical tones being diverse as well. Some tunes were more pop oriented, while others, like "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" and "Pinhead" were loaded with distorted guitars and had a more punk rock sound. The song "Carbona Not Glue" was taken off the album because it potentially violated the trademark of the stain removal product Carbona. The track was replaced with "Babysitter" in the United Kingdom and "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" in the United States (prior to its inclusion on Rocket to Russia); both "Carbona" and "Babysitter" were included on the 2001 expanded edition. Critical reception for the album was generally favorable, with several reviewers pointing out the fact that it highly resembled the band's debut album. Critics also said the album was less groundbreaking than their debut but had humorous and enjoyable pieces. The album peaked at 148 on the Billboard 200 despite its critical acclaim as well as the band members expecting more commercial success.

The writing and structure are both somewhat more sophisticated than the songs on their previous record. Guitarist Johnny Ramone relates: "We recorded them in the order they were written; we wanted to show a slight progression in song structure." Most of the songs were written in the band members' homes, rather than at a studio; "Suzy Is a Headbanger" was written in drummer Tommy Ramone's loft apartment. Recorded October and November 1976 in New York City at Sundragon Studios through Sire Records, Leave Home featured increased sound quality through more advanced output methods. Sire set their budget at about $10,000, hiring Tony Bongiovi to produce the album, and Tommy Ramone (credited as T. Erdelyi) to co produce. More emphasis was placed on the album's mixing and engineering than their debut album, which received merely $6,400 to record and produce. With a more fine tuned and exceptional sound, Leave Home also presented a production value superior to other punk rock bands at the time. Author Joe S. Harrington called the band's production "brilliant", and noted that it "put them ahead of the run of the mill garage band." The title Leave Home refers to the Ramones' leaving New York City to go on tour around the world. The album cover was designed by Moshe Brakha, who had worked with the Rolling Stones to yield the Black and Blue (1976) cover art, and would later work with artists like Devo and Iron Maiden. The back cover of the album was a drawing of a bald eagle by graphic designer Arturo Vega. The image would soon become the band's logo. Although early purchasers of the Sire release got an album that included the song, "Carbona Not Glue" was later replaced by "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" for the US release, and "Babysitter" for the UK release. "Swallow My Pride" was the only single from Leave Home that charted, peaking at thirty six on the United Kingdom singles chart. The album's final single, "Carbona Not Glue"/"I Can't Be", was released in 1991 as a bootleg. The single was given four out of five stars by AllMusic's Matt Whalley, who said that the song "could have been one of the Ramones' most popular tracks if it was not pulled from the album due to legal reasons." After the album came out in February, the band began a four week tour of the United States starting with Los Angeles. On February 4, the band played at the Nassau Coliseum with Blue Öyster Cult, and played with Suicide the next day at CBGB. A week after this, the band played with Blue Öyster Cult again in Poughkeepsie, to which Johnny relates: "Those arena shows were a little better for us, although we would have more bad experiences in those big places. I never really enjoyed playing them." The band's Europe tour came to an end on June 6, 1977.

Leave Home has various lyrical themes throughout its track list. The opening song, "Glad to See You Go", is rather uptempo and frenetic. The track was about Dee Dee's then girlfriend Connie, who was well known in the punk rock scene as having once dated New York Dolls bassist Arthur Kane and attempting to cut his finger off with a knife. Connie also harmed Dee Dee in several ways, such as slicing his buttocks with a beer bottle. At the time, every other member of the band despised Dee Dee's girlfriend and he eventually broke up with her. Joey recalls: "Dee [Dee] and I came up with the song 'Glad to See You Go,' about Connie's leaving." In the mid 1980s, Connie died from a drug overdose. "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" utilizes Joey's singing abilities with its vocal demanding melody. The next song, "I Remember You" was said by author Greil Marcus to be all about the moment where "Joey's voice turns the single word "you" into pure poetry." "Oh, Oh, I Love Her So" pays homage to the 1950s doo wop genre, and consists of a three chord barrage. The song contemplates around Beach Boys harmonies, and it uses "bouncy" guitar riffs. "Suzy Is a Headbanger" was inspired by the 1947 film noir Nightmare Alley, with the lyrics detailing a female involved in the punk rock scene. The lines "Gabba Gabba Hey" at the end of "Pinhead" were taken from the horror film Freaks, which the band saw in Cleveland, Ohio after their gig was cancelled. Joey's brother Mickey Leigh said that it was specifically taken from the scene where "the midget groom does a dance on the banquet table and sings 'Gobble gobble, we accept you, one of us' to his bride." The song is an audience participation song, and during live performances, Leigh appears on stage holding a sign that bore the text "Gabba Gabba Hey". "Pinhead", the album's longest piece, leads into "Now I Wanna Be a Good Boy", which portrays a confused adolescent wanting to be good, yet also yearning to run away from home. Record World said of "Swallow My Pride" that the Ramones "pack more energy into a two minute song than just about anyone else." "What's Your Game" is one of the band's most melodic songs and was called "wistful" by Marcus. It was written by Joey about how he yearns for a girl to be herself instead of something she's not. The album's only cover song, "California Sun", was written by Henry Glover and Morris Levy, and originally recorded by The Rivieras. While the lyrics and musical structure remain the same throughout the piece, Joey's pronunciation upon words significantly lessened the similarity to the original song. The sound output tone also differs from the original, with more distortion as well as a faster tempo. Author Steve Waksman relates: "From the opening bars, 'California Sun' becomes subject to the Ramones' distinctive brand of musical minimalism paired with sonic excess. The chords go by in a blur of distortion; the drums and bass kick at seemingly twice the speed of the Rivieras." The twelfth track "Commando" has a theme which deals with war movies and contains multiple military references. Author Avram Mednick said the song was a successor to "Blitzkrieg Bop", released on the band's debut album. He also noted that it has a "bouncy melody and an infectious call and response chorus." "You're Gonna Kill that Girl", which was written very early in the band's career, was also rooted in doo wop genre. Mednick commented that it appealed highly to those tuning into the Ramones in the UK, and also said it has a "lovely misogynistic tune."

Leave Home was released on January 10, 1977, and was well received by critics. Although the album did not receive much initial reception, Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone gave the album a favorable review in 1977, saying that it is very similar to their debut yet more experienced sounding. He sums up the album with: "The Ramones are as direct and witty as before. They've also lost just a pinch of their studied rawness: whether this is a sign of maturity or sellout is a matter for debate. The Ramones make rousing music and damn good jokes, but they're in a bind: the hard rock of this group is so pure it may be perceived as a freak novelty by an awful lot of people." The Los Angeles Times deemed the songs of Leave Home "two minute metal operettas for the Blank Generation." In Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981), Robert Christgau wrote, "People who consider this a one joke band aren't going to change their minds now. People who love the joke for its power, wit, and economy will be happy to hear it twice. Hint: read the lyrics." Retrospective reviews have also been positive. Writing for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine found it very similar to their debut. Though he did consider it to be slightly more pop music oriented, Erlewine writes that despite being "weaker" than its preceding album, Leave Home "deliver[s] at breakneck speed and conclude[s] in under a half hour." April Long from NME especially favored "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker", calling it "a punk surf pop crossover that has never been rivalled." It was, however, the band's first album to chart on the UK Albums Chart, debuting at number 45. Joey relates: "We thought we had a lotta songs that should've been hits. If you grew up in the sixties, things would just get played and be hits right off the bat. So we thought since our music was doin' something unique that everyone would pick up on that. What really happened was we were so alien that no one wanted to touch us. And so we wouldn't get played."

All tracks originally credited to the Ramones (except "California Sun"). Actual writers are listed alongside the tracks. Writing credits are credited to Mickey Leigh's book I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir.

Track listing as per original release with "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" replacing "Carbona Not Glue" as track 5.

Track listing as per original release with "Babysitter" replacing "Carbona Not Glue" as track 5. Released April 1977.