“huntingtons”
The Huntingtons
File Under Ramones
Tooth And Nail
This is an easy one: The Huntingtons, headquartered in Baltimore, MD, decided to cover a number of Ramones’ classics and get them as close as possible to the original songs. I appreciate that in what is essentially a Ramones tribute band in the first place. Twenty songs are covered in all, including popular favorites “I Believe in Miracles,” “Gimmie Gimmie Shock Treatment,” “Pet Sematary,” and “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg.” The less-traditional favorites, mine in particular, include “I Don’t Wanna Go Down to the Basement,” “Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World,” and “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You.”
There’s a token nod to the latter years, with their covers of “Poison Heart” and “Strength to Endure,” but where’s “Zero, Zero UFO”?
For die-hard Ramones fans, chalk up another punk band giving the original punk rockers their due. Best track is “Durango 95.” By the way, Joey Ramone gives a brief commentary at the end of album, too.
Tooth & Nail Records, P.O. Box 12698 Seattle, WA 98111-4698, www.toothandnail.com