Weird Tales

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Featuring members of the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Run Westy Run, and Wilco, Golden Smog has in the past felt like a typical side gig: for die-hard fans only. Not anymore. Weird Tales is inspired top to bottom, whether on the four-song streak of ragged rock that fronts the disc or the singular moments that follow, like the strangely soul-funky "Keys," Jeff Tweedy's Woody Guthrie-ized "Please Tell My Brother," or Kraig Johnson's "Making Waves," a crushing story of suicide behind the bathroom door. Including new Smogger Jody Stephens (ex-Big Star drummer), Weird Tales is an emotion-rich trip of Midwestern rock tones, loaded with both individual spirit and collective vision. If they keep this up, we might have to start calling them a real band. --Neal Weiss --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

New Musical Express
Like the work of the slightly more majestic Matthew Sweet, 'Weird Tales' is a continuation of the pop key-line that links The Byrds, Teenage Fanclub and Eels.... Golden Smog's plaintive ballads and pop-ist frenzies offer a return to backwoods basics. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Weird Tales

Weird Tales, Music, Golden Smog, Alternative Country-Rock, Pop, Popular Music, Psychedelic, Rock
Weird Tales of the Ramones
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Don't buy it just for the DVD...
  • Ramones in any Package is Way Cool!
  • One Of The Best Boxed Sets Ever.
  • Very excellent collection of the Ramones with a Comic twist
  • Hey Ho, Let's Go
 Weird Tales of the Ramones
The Ramones
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
PunkPunk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
American PunkAmerican Punk | Hardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Alternative StylesAlternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Hardcore & PunkHardcore & Punk | Alternative Rock | Box Sets | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Rhino RecordsRhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. End of the Century - The Story of the Ramones
  2. Children of Nuggets: Original ARtyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1996
  3. The Stooges
  4. A Million in Prizes: The Anthology
  5. Fun House

ASIN: B0009CTUPA
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Tracks:

  1. Blitzkreig Bop
  2. Beat On The Brat
  3. Judy Is A Punk
  4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
  5. Loudmouth
  6. 53rd & 3rd
  7. Havana Affair
  8. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
  9. Glad To See You Go
  10. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
  11. I Remember You
  12. Carbona Not Glue
  13. Oh Oh I Love Her So
  14. Swallow My Pride
  15. Commando
  16. Pinhead
  17. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (ABC Single Version)
  18. I Don't Care (Single Version)
  19. Rockaway Beach
  20. Cretin Hop
  21. Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
  22. Teenage Lobotomy
  23. Slug (Demo)
  24. Surfin' Bird
  25. We're A Happy Family
  26. I Just Want To Have Something To Do
  27. I Wanted Everything
  28. Needles & Pins (Remixed Single Version)
  29. I Wanna Be Sedated
  30. Go Mental
  31. Don't Come Close
  32. I Don't Want You
  33. She's The One
  34. I'm Against It

Tracks:

  1. Rock 'N' Rock High School (Ed Stasium Mix)
  2. I Want You Around (Ed Stasium Mix)
  3. Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?
  4. I'm Affected
  5. Danny Says
  6. The KKK Took My Baby Away
  7. You Sound Like Your Sick
  8. She's A Sensation
  9. All's Quiet On The Eastern Front
  10. Outsider
  11. Highest Trails Above
  12. Psycho Therapy
  13. Time Bomb
  14. Mama's Boy
  15. I'm Not Afraid Of Life
  16. Too Tough To Die
  17. Wart Hog
  18. Howling At The Moon (Sha-La-La)
  19. Daytime Dilemma (Dangers Of Love)
  20. Endless Vacation
  21. My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg)(UK 12-inch Version)
  22. Somebody Put Something In My Drink
  23. Animal Boy
  24. I Don't Want To Live This Life (Anymore)(UK B-Side)
  25. Love Kills
  26. Something To Believe In (Single Version)

Tracks:

  1. I Wanna Live
  2. Bop 'Til You Drop
  3. I Lost My Mind
  4. Garden Of Serenity
  5. I Believe In Miracles
  6. Pet Sematary (Single Version)
  7. Punishment Fits The Crime
  8. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)(Single Version)
  9. Main Man
  10. Strength To Endure
  11. Poison Heart
  12. I Won't Let It Happen
  13. Censorshit
  14. Journey To The Center Of The Mind
  15. 7 And 7 Is
  16. When I Was Young
  17. I Don't Wanna Grow Up
  18. Scattergun
  19. Makin' Monsters For My Friends
  20. The Crusher
  21. Spiderman
  22. Life's A Gas
  23. She Talks To Rainbows
  24. Any Way You Want It
  25. R.A.M.O.N.E.S.

Amazon.com

Given their irreverent sensibilities, it's almost ironic to lionize the comic deconstruction of ossified rock history that was the Ramones' stock in trade, or note the decades of punk and alt.rock that remain their legacy. Instead, this collection smartly recasts the punk pioneers as literal pulp culture icons via its EC Comics-inspired packaging and the brilliantly executed comic book history of the band that accompanies it. Musically, the set's first three discs offer up 85 highlights of the band's recording career, personally compiled by founder/guitarist Johnny Ramone and seasoned with rarities like the demo for "Slug," the UK B-side "I Don't Want to Live This Life," and the single mixes of "Sheena.." and others. Its accompanying Lifestyles of the Ramones documentary DVD intersperses 14 videos with the often bittersweet recollections of the band and key family members, as well as such notables as Sire's Seymour Stein, Talking Head Tina Weymouth and producer Ed Stasium; another bonus six clips (including covers of the Who's "Substitute" and the '60s' "Spiderman" theme) round out that history. But it's the dizzying visual eclecticism of the included graphic history (executed in color b&w and 3-D by 25 top comic artists including Matt Groening, Zippy creator Bill Griffith, Mad magazine vet Sergio Argones, bootleg cover legend William Stout and Love and Rockets' Xaime Hernandez) that becomes the set's unusual focal point, a loving visual evocation of both their infectious music and shrewd, if willfully low-brow public persona. -- Jerry McCulley

Album Description

The supreme godfathers of punk-face it, they were on their third album before the Sex Pistols even broke-are true American originals, and their sensational end-of-the-century juggernaut is chronicled as never before in this career-spanning collection. Reducing and scrambling multiple strains of early rock 'n' roll and pop into a signature chainsaw of sound, the Ramones' loud, fast, and hard legacy rocketed out of NYC's CBGB in the early '70s and changed the face of modern music. Johnny Ramone, before his 2004 passing, oversaw the compilation of this first-ever Ramones blitzkrieg box for Rhino.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Don't buy it just for the DVD..........2007-06-16

...because it's not remastered. The picture and sound are both horrible. There's interview clips of Joey that are also in "End of The Century" that are crisp and clear in EOTC and fuzzy and washed out here. Not surprising since Johnny Ramone had a lot to do with this project. The packaging is top notch, though, and of course the music is wonderful.

5 out of 5 stars Ramones in any Package is Way Cool!.......2007-01-10

Although there are many different and diverse re-packaging of the Ramones Catalogue and Greatest Hits, This one, assembled by the Late Johnny Ramone, is one of the most fun. In addition to the finest and fastest music on the planet , you get a DVD of videos and a 3D comix w/Glasses!
This is a great gift for anyone in the family. My family, which has very diverse musical tastes, from Rock to Rap, can always agree to listen to the Ramones. Great Car tunes to sing along with.
Gabba Gabba Hey!
Rauk Zenta

5 out of 5 stars One Of The Best Boxed Sets Ever........2007-01-07

This boxed set is, in a word, incredible. Despite not being particularly impressive songwriters or instrumentalists, The Ramones are still one of the most important bands in the history of rock music. Along with British counterparts The Clash and The Sex Pistols, the Queens quintet spearheaded the punk movement of the late 1970s'. Though lineups changed and personal conflict ocassionally affected their artistic abilities, The Ramones' impact still rings true today.

The 85 song, three disc (and bonus dvd) boxed set "Weird Tales Of The Ramones" is ample proof of how important they were. Songs like "Blitzkreig Bop", "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" and "I Wanna Be Sedated" defined what punk rock music went. In addition to their biggest hits, there's some very underrated album cuts that deserve the attention of beginning fans. Hardcore fans will be attracted to sound quality, which makes these songs sound new again.

The comic book structured liner notes are a visual thrill. Very informative, quirky and very funny. This is a truly great compilation of a truly great band.

5 out of 5 stars Very excellent collection of the Ramones with a Comic twist.......2006-12-21

This is a must have for any fan of the ramones and punk in general. Sure, they have released these songs many of times in multiple greatest hits packages, but never together with a dvd and an excellent comic book drawn by some of the best artists in their genre (matt greoning, sergio aragnoes, ect...) There are 85 tracks and 18 videos over 3 cd's and 1 dvd. This also has a post card, and 3-d glasses to view a section done in 3-D art. Very cool. The DVD of "Lifestyles of the Ramones" is the first time this is available on DVD, plus they add the videos left off from original VHS release, very cool.
The price this is going for is almost a steel. This is well worth picking up for an stand alone greatest hits, one stop shop for a first time fan, or the pinicle of a collectors pile. Pick this up, you will not be dissapointed.

5 out of 5 stars Hey Ho, Let's Go.......2006-06-23

One of my biggest regrets is that I never saw the Ramones live. That I didn't recognize their amazing work was not because I was too young--in fact I was in my 20's--but rather because I, like most everyone in the 70's, was rock-n-roll shanghai'd by the mellow sounds of Linda Ronstadt, the Doobie Brothers, the Eagles, and other lethargic slicksters. It wasn't that I wasn't exposed to them; it's just that I dismissed them hastily as another "oldies" band like Sha-Na-Na, albeit with a harder edge. How could I have been so blind? At their core, the Ramones brought fast-tempo back to rock-n-roll---rapid fire 1/16th notes not heard since At The Hop, Great Balls of Fire, or Lucille. To that, they married a Warhol-esque world view and a Beach Boys liturgy of adolescent fun. The result was a reinvention of everything that made rock and roll great, and it was only a matter of time before anyone who loves it would discover the best band since The Beatles, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones.
Weird Tales
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • So-so
  • Don't Let the Cheezy Cover Fool You
  • A little-known gem
  • To call my own
  • "If you can only own one 'alt-country' album, this is it"
 Weird Tales
Golden Smog
Manufacturer: Rykodisc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music
Alt-Country & AmericanaAlt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Country RockCountry Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
Psychedelic RockPsychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Down by the Old Mainstream
  2. Another Fine Day
  3. On Golden Smog
  4. Loose Fur
  5. Born Again in the USA

ASIN: B00000DCWE
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Tracks:

  1. To Call My Own
  2. Looking Forward To Seeing You
  3. Until You Came Along
  4. Lost Love
  5. If I Only Had A Car
  6. Jane
  7. Keys
  8. I Can't Keep From Talking
  9. Reflections On Me
  10. Making Waves
  11. White Shell Road
  12. Please Tell My Brother
  13. Fear of Falling
  14. All The Same To Me
  15. Jennifer Save Me

Amazon.com

Featuring members of the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Run Westy Run, and Wilco, Golden Smog has in the past felt like a typical side gig: for die-hard fans only. Not anymore. Weird Tales is inspired top to bottom, whether on the four-song streak of ragged rock that fronts the disc or the singular moments that follow, like the strangely soul-funky "Keys," Jeff Tweedy's Woody Guthrie-ized "Please Tell My Brother," or Kraig Johnson's "Making Waves," a crushing story of suicide behind the bathroom door. Including new Smogger Jody Stephens (ex-Big Star drummer), Weird Tales is an emotion-rich trip of Midwestern rock tones, loaded with both individual spirit and collective vision. If they keep this up, we might have to start calling them a real band. --Neal Weiss

Customer Reviews:

2 out of 5 stars So-so.......2006-11-15

A decent sophomore effort by the Smog, but still not great. If you are new to Golden Smog, get the most recent album first and work back. Otherwise, you will not like what you hear at all.

4 out of 5 stars Don't Let the Cheezy Cover Fool You.......2006-08-21

These guys are great. All three of their albums are worth adding to your collection, especially if you are a fan of Buffalo Springfield/Byrds country rock.

5 out of 5 stars A little-known gem.......2004-12-21

Like one of the other reviewers here, I bought this CD on a whim back in 2001, attracted to it because of its interesting cover. I gave it a listen and liked it quite a bit, but was not entirely sure about it. I kept listening to it--and it improved on each listen. With Gary Louris, Jeff Tweedy, and others, Golden Smog combined several considerable talents who proved, in some respects, to be superior to either the Jayhawks or Wilco. On this CD (which is some respects different from the other Golden Smog CDs), the influence of the Byrds, the Beatles, and Dylan can be heard--but there are some heavier rocking songs, including the powerful "White Shell Road" with its intense guitar work (and strange, brilliant lyrics).

I don't want to shortchange any of the songs on this great CD, but I think that three in particular deserve mention. In the order of their appearance, the first is "Until You Came Along," which was long my favorite on the CD. This is an anthemic song about love found at long last, and it calls out to be played loud loud LOUD. The second (in order of appearance) is "Fear of Falling," which features extraordinarily fine lyrics. It opens with the lovely, plaintive lines "I am not a shadow; I am flesh and blood. / Meet me in the middle if you think you could, / If you think you could." This is a song of great tenderness. Finally, "Jennifer Save Me" joins sad, gentle lyrics and a lovely melody to interesting sonic textures.

But I can't really shortchange the other songs on this CD. I've been listening to it as I write this review, and I wonder how I can avoid writing about the great guitar in "If I Only Had a Car" or the anguish of "Making Waves" or the sad vision of a relationship falling apart in "Reflections on Me." These are all great songs.

Here's a testament to how fine this CD is: I'm 47, typically a fan of the blues (Hound Dog Taylor, Elmore James, J. B. Hutto, Lil' Ed Williams, and the like). I love this CD. So does my 20-year-old daughter, who's a fan of Nirvana, Modest Mouse, Sleater-Kinney, and the like. If we both like the CD, it has to be doing something right!

5 out of 5 stars To call my own.......2004-11-10

I've been a fan of this kind of music since I picked up a copy of Uncle Tupelo's "Anodyne" at Amoeba Records in Berkeley some years back. Since then, I've amassed a collection including music by Wilco, Tupelo, Son Volt, Old 97s, Jayhawks, My Morning Jacket, Alejandro Escovedo, and more. I have to say that this disc gets nearly the most play out of all of them.

I can't define exactly what qualities make this disc so appealing to me. Something in the harmonies, the fact that the musicians are obviously enjoying themselves, the similarity in sound to some of the better 80s "college rock" (like REM and the Replacements) as well as Big Star and Teenage Fanclub's later work, and also the time the disc came into my life, right when I needed it. It's kind of an anchor in my huge music collection, and I am always seeking more discs that will have this kind of an impact on me.

IMHO, "to call my own" is one of the best songs I have ever heard. If I were ever to write an equivalent to Nick Hornby's "Songbook," this track would be chapter one.

If you made it this far, and are still reading this review, you really owe it to yourself to take that next step and just buy it. It's that good.

5 out of 5 stars "If you can only own one 'alt-country' album, this is it".......2004-09-14

The songs range from beautiful, soaring, poignant, alluring ... Even the worst songs are pleasant to listen to and have several good hooks.

This album comes across to me as a sort of "Greatest Hits of Alt Country". It says something that all of the artists put their best songs (IMHO) onto this album. Many of the songs contains harmony singing and the harmonies never fail.

My fave songs:
To Call My Own (#1) -- Strangely uplifting. I don't know what the singer is singing about, but this song sounds like a "redemption song" with hook upon hook upon hook.
Until You Came Along (#3) -- Gospel song disguised as a love song (if that makes sense). This song (with slight rewording) would fit into a contemporary Gospel service. I'm 'feeling it'. Definitely waiting for a Christian rock group to cover this.
Jennifer Save Me (#15, Finale) -- As beautiful as rock music gets IMHO. Sort of an 'alt-country' version of ELO's great 70's hit "Telephone Line".
Making Waves (#10) -- Weird song about suicide that I have not figured out, other than to say that this is quite a moving song.
Please Tell my Brother (#12) -- Hits home pretty hard. I better go think about calling my mother. Bye.

Weird & Creepy Tales
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Weird & Creepy Tales
    Various Artists
    Manufacturer: Peter Pan
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Children's Music | Styles | Music
    HalloweenHalloween | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B00000K1IB
    Release Date: 1999-09-21

    Tracks:

    1. Skeleton's Hand
    2. Rock-N-Roll Vampire
    3. Haunted Tree House
    4. Mandy and the Martian
    5. Lobster Face
    6. Calculator of Doom
    Shivers: Weird Tales
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Shivers: Weird Tales
      Various Artists
      Manufacturer: Peter Pan
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Children's Music | Styles | Music
      HalloweenHalloween | Holiday | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B00005KIZS
      Release Date: 2001-10-02

      Tracks:

      1. Mandy And The Martian
      2. Lobster Face
      3. Calculator Of Doom
      4. Big Bad Billy Booger

      Music:

      1. 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hour [Enhanced]
      2. 40 Oz. to Freedom [Explicit Lyrics]
      3. 66 Breakout
      4. A Thousand Petals
      5. Above
      6. Angst/Mirage [Import]
      7. Best of Specials
      8. Bizarro
      9. Bleed
      10. Blush (+ Bonus Tracks)

      Music

      music

      Music

      Fairytales from Needland (Pohádky ze Zapotrebí)

      Kupferman: Piano Music Vol.1

      My World [Enhanced]

      Minor Move [Original recording remastered]

      Over 60 Minutes With Prism [Import]

      My Prerogative, Pt. 2 [CD-single] [Import]

      Precious Lord/I'll Rise Again [Import]

      Luzzaschi: Quinto Libro de' Madrigali

      Memories

      Las Posadas: Canciones Navidenas Mexicanas

      Metal Machine Music [Import]

      Jeder Macht Mal 'ne Pa [Import]

      Horizon [Import]

      Funny World

      Night Lights