RAMONES – TOO TOUGH TO DIE LP – Nr MINT/EXC+ A1/B1 UK 1985 PUNK

Ramones – Too Tough To Die
(Beggars Banquet Records  1985  BEGA59)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing

Vinyl in Nr MINT/Excellent+ condition
(there are some surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality apart from some light pops/crackles)

Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– some wear to edges/corners with small split in spine edge and sticker mark top right
Inner Sleeve has a split in the bottom edge that has been taped and a small discolouration mark

The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often cited as the first true punk rock band. Although they had never achieved significant commercial success, the band is seen today as highly influential in punk culture.

Too Tough to Die is the eighth studio album by the American punk rock band the Ramones. It was released on October 1, 1984, and is the first Ramones record to feature Richie Ramone on drums. With ex-member Tommy Ramone producing, the recording process was similar to that of the band’s 1976 debut album, Ramones. Likewise, the record’s style—both lyrically and compositionally—saw the band returning to their roots. The photograph on the album cover, which features silhouettes of the band members, resulted from a “lucky accident” after photographer George DuBose’s camera malfunctioned.

The album’s overall style leaned toward that of hardcore punk and heavy metal music, rather than pop music which had been a focus of several of the band’s previous albums. Too Tough to Die borrows and improves upon elements such as guitar riffs from 1983’s Subterranean Jungle. For the second time, after “Time Bomb” on Subterranean Jungle,

Critics appreciated the band’s return to earlier methods of writing, recording, and production, noting they strayed from the pop music genre. Despite critical acclaim, Too Tough to Die performed poorly in album sales. At this point in their career, the album was the band’s lowest peaking record on the Billboard 200.

Track listing

The following track listing can be verified through the Too Tough to Die expanded edition liner notes.^[10]

Personnel

Ramones

• Joey Ramone – Lead vocals (all but 4, 5, 12, 17, 19, 20, 24)
• Johnny Ramone – Lead guitar
• Dee Dee Ramone – Bass, guitar, backing and lead (5, 12, 17, 19, 20, 24) vocals
• Richie Ramone – Drums, backing vocals

Additional musicians

• Walter Lure – Extra guitar (on some tracks)
• Jerry Harrison – Synthesizer (7)
• Ben Tench – Keyboards (9)

Production

• Tommy Ramone – Producer
• Ed Stasium – Producer
• Dave Stewart – Producer (8)
• Tony Wright – Cover design
• George DuBose – Photography