Artist: Shonen Knife
Album: Osaka Ramones: A Tribute to The Ramones
Here's a great, quirky way to get your Monday off to punchy start... a full album of Ramones covers by Japanese all girl pop-punk veterans, Shonen Knife.
I've always thought full tribute albums by one particular artist as pretty pointless, until The Bird and the Bee's Hall & Oats covers album from last year became one of my favorites. So I listened to "Osaka Ramones" with an open mind, and while I probably won't listen to it nearly as much as The Bird and the Bee album, it is not without its charms.
I used to love Shonen Knife in high school, and it's sort of mind-blowing that a Japanese trio of female punk chicks that write songs about chewing gum and Barbie could survive for so long and not be forgotten as some sort of gimmick. But they've been consistently releasing albums since their inception in 1981. (!!!) I haven't followed them since 1993's "Rock Animals," but still have a very soft place in my heart for their 1992 album "Let's Knife." They might be best known for their cover of "Top of the World," found on the excellent Carpenters tribute, "If I Were a Carpenter."
The band has been performing as a Ramones cover band under the albums name, "Osaka Ramones" which has segued into this album. If you're familiar with the band... this sounds exactly like you'd expect. But it's also really fun and totally charming. Much like Shonen Knife... and The Ramones before them. I was in a bar last night and they played the original "Sheena is a Punk Rocker," so that's what you get today.
Enjoy, and Happy Monday.
Sheena is a Punk Rocker
Blitzkreig Bop
The KKK Took My Baby Away
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