Acid Eaters
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Acid Eaters is an album by punk rock group The Ramones.
Recorded in 1993, towards the end of the Ramones' career, the album Acid Eaters is often set apart from other Ramones releases in that it is entirely comprised of covers. While the Ramones positioned themselves as an alternative to the cocaine-and-cash-fueled guitar-hero rock of mainstream music, they were never afraid to acknowledge their musical influences. Unlike other punk bands of their time, such as the equally popular Clash or Sex Pistols, the Ramones embraced some of the music from their childhood and welcomed it into their own unique sound. Acid Eaters forms a musical tribute to the Ramones' 60s favourites, and highlights the influence that earlier bands such as the Beach Boys, The Who and The Rolling Stones, (all of whom are covered in this album) had on their music.
The Recording
Acid Eaters wasn't the first time that the Ramones had played or recorded cover songs. Covers had always formed a minor part of the Ramones' act, and a version of Chris Montez's hit "Let's Dance" (written by and credited to Jim Lee) even appeared on their debut album. Other notable covers previously performed by the group include The Searchers' "Needles and Pins" (written by Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche), "Baby, I Love You" by The Ronettes and "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen. Acid Eaters, however, was the first complete set of covers, and the songs it contains are much more significant than the seemingly randomly distributed covers on the Ramones' other works.
Musically, Acid Eaters is of a high standard, both in terms of recording and performance. The songs are well chosen, as covers such as "Surf City" by Jan and Dean can easily be related to the Ramones' previous surf-rock influenced songs such as Rocket to Russia 's "Rockaway Beach". The Ramones' interpretation keeps the original flavour of the covers - with Pete Townshend supplying backing vocals on The Who song "Substitute" - whilst staying true to the band's standard no-frills version of punk.
Track Listing
It's worth noting that the track order may be different on the vinyl and CD issues of Acid Eaters, and between the various labels (legal and otherwise) that it has been released on.
Playing length: 31:05
Side A:
- Can't Seem to Make You Mine - The Seeds
- The Shape Of Things to Come - Max Frost & The Troopers
- 7 and 7 Is - Love
- I Can't Control Myself - The Troggs
- Journey to the Centre of the Mind - Amboy Dukes
- Out of Time - Rolling Stones
Side B:
- Have You Ever Seen the Rain - Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Substitute - The Who
- Somebody to Love - Jefferson Airplane
- Surf City - Jan and Dean
- When I Was Young - The Animals
- My Back Pages - Bob Dylan
Record Information
UK Label (1993): Chrysalis
Catalogue Number: CHR 6052 (vinyl), CDCHR 6052 (CD)