The Ramones of the ’70s are iconic. They were at the vanguard of punk, and arguably pop punk, and created songs that are still considered classics of the genre today. You go to a sporting event, you hear “Blitzkrieg Bop.” Their look was easily recognizable, and influential. They appeared in Rock ‘N’ Roll High School. Then came 1980’s End of the Century which was, in its own way, the end of an era for the band. By 1995, when they released their final studio album Adios Amigos!, they were no longer part of the zeitgeist. They were an afterthought, and they weren’t even the same band.
The change from Tommy to Marky on the drums had happened a while back, with a brief stay from Richie in there as well, and, in truth, changing the drummer isn’t really going to rile up many people. However, by the time of Adios Amigos!, Dee Dee was also all but gone, although his presence is still felt on the album, as he is credited as the writer on many of the songs, including a handful from other projects of his. He had been replaced with C.J. Ramone, who was given a lot of credit by his bandmates for bringing some much-needed youthful energy to the band. C.J. could only do so much, though. This was a band that had been releasing music for 20 years. Nobody could blame them for being burnt out.
Adios Amigos! begins with the iconic “1, 2, 3, 4!” count off that was synonymous with the band, but after that it feels decidedly like warmed-over Ramones. Now, this could be where one would break out the old chestnut about how even bad pizza is pretty good, and how the same can be said for the Ramones. The Ramones were still making the music they’ve made for years. Charging guitars. Simple drumbeats. Although, they do slow it down a bit more than they did in the past, in part to ease the strain on Joey’s vocals. He gets to croon a bit, and he’s not half-bad at it.
The album is hit-or-miss. In addition to the songs from Dee Dee, there is a cover of Tom Waits’ “I Don’t Want to Grow Up” and Johnny Thunders’ “I Love You.” They are both fine. “Fine” is about the highest level this album achieves. “Life’s a Gas” is pretty good, but also goes on a bit too long. In the end, the songs that Joey sings on are reminiscent of the glory days of the Ramones. The issue is that on four of the tracks, C.J. takes the lead vocals. One of the song, “Scattergun,” is OK, but the others are abysmal. Of course, one of those songs is “The Crusher” from Dee Dee’s brief time as a rapper, so C.J. can’t take all of the blame. Nevertheless, it’s one of the worst things ever recorded for posterity.
Dee Dee’s impact on the album is felt in his songwriting, but his only tangible appearance is on the final song “Born to Die in Berlin,” wherein he (literally) phones it in from Germany. None of the original Ramones (Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy) would die in Berlin, but they have all now passed away. Three of them have been dead for over a decade now. However, those Ramones weren’t the Ramones by the time the band was winding it all down. Adios Amigos! isn’t a stain on their legacy by any means. It has its moments, and it sounds like the Ramones, which has merit. Based on their album title, obviously, they knew this was the end. They didn’t go down in a blaze of glory, but at least they said goodbye without embarrassing themselves.
Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl 'breaks leg' in stage fall
Media captionDave Grohl: "I'm going to go to hospital... and then I'm going to come back''
Foo Fighters star Dave Grohl is thought to have broken his leg after falling off the stage during a concert in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The band were two songs into their set at the Ullevi stadium when the singer went to jump on a ramp but missed and fell into the security area.
"I think I just broke my leg," Grohl told the crowd as he lay on the ground.
"I'm going to go to hospital. I'm going to fix my leg. And then I'm going to come back."
He added: "You have my promise right now that the Foo Fighters - we're going to come back and finish the show."
Fans react to Dave Grohl's fall
Grohl returned after an hour with his leg in a cast to continue the show
Surreal
Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the band continued the concert, playing cover versions whilst Grohl sought medical attention.
Keiron Brennan 43, from London, filmed the moments just after the 46-year-old frontman toppled from the stage.
He said: "We were only around 200 yards away and at first we thought it was a prank but then it became apparent that it was quite serious. The drummer went ashen and jumped down to see where he was. Everyone was worried as we were only two songs into the gig and we couldn't see what had happened to him.
"He reappeared after an hour to continue the concert, sitting in a chair with his leg bandaged.
"It was surreal to see him perform on stage with a medic holding his leg. The crowd was just amazed that he was carrying on. He was just phenomenal. I can't see how he will make the next gig in Holland but then he's more of a man than I am so I wouldn't put it past him," he added.
Grohl fell at 21:00 local time (20:00 BST) and went on to perform for another two-and-a-half hours.
His band later tweeted a picture of what appears to be an x-ray of his leg.
The Foo Fighters are due to play their next concert on Sunday at the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands, followed by Wembley Stadium in London next weekend and then a headline set at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK on 26 June.
This year has seen several musicians injured on stage.
Madonna also fell off stage during a live performance at the Brit Awards. The pop star continued her performance, but said she suffered "a little bit of whiplash".
Metal heroes portray wildlings on latest episode of hit fantasy show
Mastodon on Game of Thrones … You know nothing, Jon Snow. Photograph: PR
They are savage, brutal men from a remote place, barely attuned to civilization. And so are the wildlings, which might be why Mastodon were invited to appear as the wild men from north of The Wall in the latest episode of Game of Thrones.
The metal quartet appeared in the episode that was broadcast on Sunday 31 May in the US and goes out on Monday 1 June in the UK, at the invitation of the show’s creator/executive producer Dan Weiss.
mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in early 2000 and composed of bassist Troy Sanders, guitarists Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor. Their musical style features progressive concepts and unique instrumentation. All four members participate in vocals, creating a unique blend of singing styles and voices.
Mastodon’s Brann Dailor said, in a statement that contains spoilers unlikely to be central to the plot:
“It was such an incredible experience to be on set as extras for our collective favorite show Game of Thrones, and to be wildlings murdered and then brought back to life by White Walkers was beyond amazing. I watched my best friends, Brent and Bill, murdered right in front of me as I myself was stabbed in the stomach and had my throat slit multiple times, and I didn’t mind at all. It made me love being in Mastodon even more. We are more than privileged and honoured to have been a part of one of the greatest stories ever told on film –
