Latest news updated: November 2, 2020.
Here is first background story of this really long progress concerning Joey Ramone's second solo album titled ...Ya Know?. ...Ya Know? is more like a collection of Joey's old demos. Joey's debut got published in 2002, it is titled Don't Worry About Me.
Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh told in December, 2008 that it looks like there will be a second Joey Ramone solo album released before Christmas 2009. Then in December 2009, Mickey told album will definitely be released in 2010, and all kinds of good things are
on the horizon. Things were still rolling in Autumn of 2010 (read more
below). In January 2011, Mickey wrote for me how this Joey Ramone's
second solo album is coming along really well.Anyway situation in November 2011 was, that Mickey was still in the process of looking for the right record label. As all of knows, the music business is in total collapse, record companies closing up by the dozens etc.
AND IN FEBRUARY 2012 ...things got ready. Release date was told to be then May 15, but it got changed and in March 20 got confirmed new and FINAL release date MAY 22, 2012.
- The highly anticipated 2nd solo LP from Joey Ramone is going to be released May 22nd, 2012, by BMG Rights Management. Eleven years after Joey's life was cruelly cut short by lymphoma cancer. The tracks were drawn from a cache of demos and unreleased recordings that Joey had cut at various times during the last decade and a half of his life, Mickey was thinking in early March 2012.
- Because of a last minute glich, two songs had to be cut off, had to Mickey say in March 20, 2012.
So album has 15 songs.
- It was of the utmost importance to me that these remaining songs of Joey's be finished properly, and made available for the world to hear, Mickey says of ...Ya Know?
RELEASE DATES OF ...YA KNOW? IN 2012
As said, album has 15 songs on two 12' 180 gram audiophile vinyl, double gatefold cover. Digital download and CD were available in the USA on May 22, 2012. Release date in UK was May 30, in Italy May 28 etc.
Italian BMG Rights Management organised presentation and a party-tribute event for ...Ya Know? at Alcatraz, Milan, Italy on Saturday May 26, 2012. Street address: Via Valtellina 25.
Record Store Day's exclusive Black Friday release: ...Ya Know? limited edition deluxe album: Full album and 40 minutes long DVD and 5' green single vinyl. Vinyl is playable floppy disc of Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight) that can be hung as an ornament.
Release date: November 23, 2012, on Record Store Day. ONLY 500 COPIES PRESSED as a Record Store Day release. I think this is now only in the USA?
So release include a DVD: it has interviews with Elvis Costello, Kirk Hammett, Debbie Harry, Anthony Kiedis, Joe Strummer and others.
- DVD is assembled by Ramones filmographer, George Seminara, containing home-movie footage shot by Joey in the late 70's early 80's, added Joey's brother Mickey Leigh.
I got information that new version of ...Ya Know? with DVD comes out also as a regular release later.
The special releases for Record Store Day are made to be sold solely at independently owned record stores on the day that Record Store Day takes place. More information.
In Brazil, Joey Ramone Place Store brought to Rio De Janeiro Joey's brother Mickey Leigh and they celebrated ...Ya Know? in Brazilian release event at Lapa Irish Pub on July 19, 2012. Mickey was playing with Ramones tribute band Commando. Mickey played with Commando as well in 2010, together with Richie Ramone.
Address: Rua Evaristo da Veiga, 147, Rio de Janeiro, BR.
7' SINGLE ROCK AND ROLL IS THE ANSWERFirst single, swaggering Rock And Roll Is The Answer, with There's Got To Be More To Life, which was available as a limited-edition 7' on Record Store Day, April 21st, 2012. Vinyl is red.
Rolling Stone magazine published B side There's Got To Be More To Life on their site, April 20, 2012.
Permanent Records in Los Angeles, USA, guaranteed they had multiple copies of the 7" single Rock And Roll Is The Answer in stock on Record Store Day. Fastest Ramones drummer Richie Ramone signed copies at Permanent Records in LA on April 21, 2012.
Video shot below was recorded at United Record Pressing in Nashville, TN, USA, recorded and edited by Jay Millari.
NEW YORK CITY VIDEO:
September 25, 2012, was published pretty cool video of New York City song. Video is featuring Tommy Ramone, many fans, Bob Gruen, Andy Shernoff, Ed Stasium, Mickey Leigh... Director is Greg Jardin, Producer is Jessica Roulston, Art Director is Nash Dunnigan, Character Animator is Jessica Polaniecki and Executive Producer is Jennifer Heath. Click to see video in right...
PRODUCERS:
Mickey and Joey's manager Dave Frey wanted veteran producer Ed Stasium being main producer. In addition to producing most of songs, Stasium also contributed instrumentation and vocals to each.
Ed Stasium has been co-producer or the main studio wizard for many of the Ramones albums such as, Road To Ruin and Mondo Bizarro.
Also Jean Beauvoir is produced some ...Ya Know? material and plays on ...Ya Know?. Earlier Beauvoir has for example produced Ramones' album Animal Boy and wrote some songs together with guys. Together with Daniel Rey he also produced some Brain Drain tracks, Pet Sematary and Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight). Read Beauvoir's great interview in Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives.
Daniel Rey's interview you can find from my Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone book. Joey recorded most of material for this second album with Daniel in his studio where I did an interview. Anyway things got changed later...
MUSICIANS
Album is named ...Ya Know?, after the way Joey used to end every sentence in his Queens drawl. Musicians playing in this album include Richie Ramone, Mickey Leigh, Andy Shernoff (Dictators etc.), Little Steven (Steven Van Zandt) (Bruce Springteen's E Street Band etc.), Richie Stotts (The Plasmatics etc.), Joan Jett, Thunderbolt Patterson (Dictators), Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick), Dennis Diken (Smithereens), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Holly Beth Vincent...
Here are Mickey Leigh's older comments from December 27, 2008.
- The tapes and files we've been working toward re-acquiring for 7 years are finally in the hands of Joey's dear friend and Ramones producer Ed Stasium. Ed is currently working on seven of the tracks, several others will be produced by Tommy Ramone and Jean Beauvoir, wrote Mickey Leigh on December 27, 2008.
Tommy's producer works aren't in final version of the some reason.
I spoke with different persons of this upcoming album while I was in New
York because of the Joey Ramone Birthday Bash in May, 2010. Ed
Stasium was then working with album. Richie
Ramone recorded then some parts to the album as well. In a final
version Richie Ramone plays drums on multiple tracks.As well Andy Shernoff (The Dictators, The Master Plan) visited in studio to do some re-recordings to the album in May, 2010. I asked from Andy if he feels album is still going to be real Joey Ramone album after all re-recordings (you know what I meant...) Andy said Ed Stasium is main man behind of album, and Ed has taken good care of everything. So, that was great to hear in May, 2010.
Mid October, 2010, Ed Stasium wrote: "Songs I worked on for the Joey Ramone solo project are finished."
Next Ed started to finish next Misfits album (it got published in Autumn 2011).
Here are some Mickey Leigh's comments said in March, 2010:
- We are making this record the same way Joey made his last one, which is making the record ourselves and getting a label later. In other words, I'm funding the recording myself (and, brother, times are tough all over. Truly.), so there is no label yet, explained Mickey in March, 2010.
The tracks are songs that Joey had written, several co-written with Dee Dee Ramone and one with Ramones producer Daniel Rey.
- These 12 tracks will be combined with the 5-6 we already had planned for a second album. Those include songs co-written by and featuring Richie Stotts, Andy Shernoff, and myself, added Mickey.
...Ya Know? has 15 songs.
Photo set in right has singer Tommy Ramone (top right),
guitarist Richie
Stotts (top left), drummer Richie Ramone, guitarist Al Maddy (in front),
bassist Andy Shernoff (below Tommy) etc.TRACKLISTING FOR THE SECOND SOLO ALBUM BY JOEY RAMONE:
THREE SONGS WERE TAKEN AWAY, SEE MORE INFORMATION AFTER TRACK LISTING: :
1) Rock And Roll Is The Answer
2) Going Nowhere Fast
3) New York City
4) Waiting For That Railroad
5) I Couldn't Sleep
6) What Did I Do To Deserve You?
7) Seven Days Of Gloom
8) Eyes Of Green
9) Party Line
10) Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)
11) 21st Century Girl
12) There's Got To Be More To Life
13) Make Me Tremble
14) Cabin Fever
15) Life's A Gas.
A previously unreleased reprise of Joey's Ramones tune (originally found on Ramones album Adios Amigos) ends the album on an appropriately uplifting note.
I got original listing and it had three more songs Give Me More, Spanish Eyes and Duke Of Earl. Also title of There's Got To Be More To Life was on that listing There's Got To Be More To Life Than This.
A previously unreleased reprise of Joey's Ramones tune (originally found on Ramones album Adios Amigos) ends the album on an appropriately uplifting note.
Little Steven (Steven Van Zandt) wrote the album's poignant liner notes and plays guitar on Party Line.
COVER:
Mickey Leigh tells of a cover:
- Because of a last minute glich, two songs had to be cut off, their lyrics had to be removed, so there was space to fill in the CD booklet. So, I got this great photo from my friend Gorlis. Then it turned out we had to scrap the whole cover we had all done up. So suddenly we need a cover. immediately. I was looking at this photo, but I could only see one half at a time on my screen. So I was looking at the bottom half and thought: "this is it!!"
HERE YOU CAN FIND INFORMATION OF SOME SONGS ON THIS ...YA KNOW? ALBUM:
SONG: NEW YORK CITY AND ROCK AND ROLL IS THE
ANSWER:- Some songs were rocked at live at Joey Ramone Birthday Bashes, like Joey Ramone Friends set started with New York City at Joey Ramone Birthday Bash in 2011. Also were heard Party Line and Rock And Roll Is The Answer etc. Dictators' drummer Thunderbolt Patterson play drums on two album tracks, Cabin Fever and New York City.
- New York City may be my best studio work ever, said Thunderbolt.
Richie Stotts (The Plasmatics etc.) who plays in this ...Ya Know? album, played Rock And Roll Is The Answer for me and Diane Hatcher in his home in 2006. It was then a demo version of that song written originally by Joey and Richie in 1984. Richie tells more about that song in interview on my third book Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives, and how it found a way to this Joey's second solo album.
SONG: WAITING FOR THAT RAILROAD:
- Waiting For That Railroad is country-flavored bittersweet acoustic ballad. Joey Ramone, Mickey Leigh and Daniel Rey played it at live already in 80's (one acoustic recording is from 1987). Really lovely song... Waiting For That Railroad find Joey exploring some of the more introspective territory that he'd been unable to visit within the format of Ramones.
MAKE ME TREMBLE AND SHERNOFF:
- Andy Shernoff published solo 7' inch vinyl single (October, 2011). It has songs Are You Ready To Rapture? and Make Me Tremble written by Joey and Andy.
- Make Me Tremble was a demo that I decided to release as the B-side to my new single with the blessings of Joey's estate. Since it was a song that Joey sang and co-wrote I needed to get the approval of his estate. It's an official release. The song shows the tender, hippie side of Joey, one not usually seen, wrote Andy to me in 2012.
Song is also in ...Ya Know? album.
- When Mickey expressed interest in using it on the new record we were unable to find the original 8-track master tapes. I could only find the DAT copy that I kept as a rough mix. That is the version used on the album. No remixing or overdubbing, just this unembellished document of the 3 or 4 hours we spent in the studio, said Andy Shernoff.
He play bass of the four other ...Ya Know? tunes:
- New York City, 21st Century Girl, Cabin Fever and Eyes of Green. Through the magic of modern technology I was able to rock out with the great Bun E Carlos from Cheap Trick on Eyes Of Green without ever sharing the studio with him.
Single is for sale in these distributors:
USA store, and UK store and other European countries.
I COULDN'T SLEEP AT ALL:
I Couldn't Sleep At All is a collaboration between Joey and Mickey