Music Monday: Rock And Roll High School (soundtrack) (The Ramones Part 4)

Music Monday: Rock And Roll High School (soundtrack) (The Ramones Part 4)

ramones rock and roll high school sdtkIt took me long enough to pick up the soundtrack to Rock And Roll High School on CD. I had the cassette which has since been lost (most likely stolen by a roommate years ago) and still have a copy of the album on vinyl (which is tucked away in a special place for a different reason), but not on CD. I have not listened to the soundtrack for a number of years because of this.

I am not concerning myself with the other songs on the soundtrack other than the three Ramones tunes.

“Rock And Roll High School”
“I Want You Around”
Medley “Blitzkrieg Bop/Teenage Lobotomy/California Sun/Pinhead/She’s the One”

(“Come On, Let’s Go” is actually The Paley Brothers featuring the starring band simply as studio musicians in this Ritchie Valens cover – and may be the best Ramones song the band never recorded.)

What I find interesting is many people think there are two versions of the song “Rock And Roll High School. There are three. After filming the movie and before the soundtrack was released the band would enter into an agreement to have Phil Spector produce their next album – End Of The Century. Before work began on the album Spector got his hands on the work the band did for the upcoming soundtrack and remixed the two songs. Here is the version of “Rock And Roll High School” that appears on the soundtrack:

and here is the original mix as finally released on the compilation Ramones Mania:

While there isn’t a heck of a lot of difference between the two versions, sharp eared listeners can detect some muted instrumentation. Of course the song would famously rerecorded for the End Of The Century album by Phil Spector, and the song would have a music video:

There there is “I Want Your Around” which appears on the soundtrack and not anywhere on an actual album until 2001 as a bonus track on a reissue. Here is the original version that was intended to appear on the soundtrack:

and here is the version that did make it onto the soundtrack as remixed by Phil Spector:

Several other Ramones songs were features in the film but not on the soundtrack. “Questioningly” “I Just Wanna Have Something To Do” and “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” are only a few that appear in the film. Some of the songs appear in the medley, a live set that takes place towards the end of the film at the concert, but that live set of songs really is its own entity. And there are many more official live albums (and bootlegs) with full sets to get a better idea of what the band was like live, though this does give a decent taste.

ramones end of centurySo where can you find these different versions? The original (as initially intended) mix of “Rock And Roll High School” was first released on Ramones Mania, then made available as a bonus track on the reissue of Road To Ruin (and is also on Hey! Ho! Let’s Go! The Anthology). The original (as initially intended) version of ” I Want You Around” was made available first on Hey! Ho! Let’s Go! The Anthology then as a bonus track on the Road To Ruin reissue. The Phil Spector mixes of both songs are of course available on the soundtrack, with “I Want You Around” also available as a bonus track on End of The Century. This means the only place you can get the Phil Spector remix of “Rock And Roll High School” is on the soundtrack. The Phil Spector produced rerecording is of course on End Of The Century. Finally, the medley is available on the soundtrack as well as a bonus track on the Road To Ruin reissue.