If anything these covers sound so authentic (if not exactly) if it weren't for the shouts from the little ones you would say its a tribute that hits too close to home, making it almost redundant. In fact if Joey were out front singing and someone told you it was the Ramones themselves updating some tunes you would easily believe them.
What makes this all so entertaining is rather then a mockery or embarrassment as one might expect the performances and sound bear little difference from the originals, as the music is provided by Ramones "tribute band" the Gabba Gabba Heys and production is handled by Jennifer Finch of The Shocker and formerly of L7 notoriety. We also get Jack Grisham of T.S.O.L infamy doing a sinister take on "Bop 'Til You Drop" where you hardly notice the small voices around him, "I Just Wanna Have Something To Do" sung by Emily Wynne-Hughes of Go Betty Go, and a riotous and funny "Suzy Is A Headbanger" which finds Nick Oliven of Mondo Generator/Queens Of The Stone Age fame taking a whole chorus of little maniacs through the paces. Which was something the Ramones always were, so good thing in making this compilation that wasn't forgotten. Likewise "Rock n Roll High School" with the Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba leading the way in the playground is a leather jacketed kick in the nuts, and you can almost see the little hooligans tearing up the classroom as they run around shouting "fun fuuuun, fun fun". Just straight faced with ten year olds up your arse. Pennywise's Jim Linberg gets things started with a snotty version of "Blitzkrieg Bop" while the rant of "hey ho, lets go" shouted by Jim and a horde of mini brats comes off not as a joke as you might expect, but pretty much straight faced. Gathering not your usual collection of Kidz Bop studio "singers" for this affair, instead what we get for this CD is a multitude of real life punks and rock n roll outcasts to pay homage to a band they would be right at home sharing a stage with, whilst little voices just waiting to be corrupted join in jubilantly. And the artists chosen to give the Ramones their due for your local rock n roll nine and ten year olds does a pretty good job of getting little Billy and Bobbie started off on the wrong foot in life. While this fairly ordinary but entertaining collection of Ramones standards may be a take on that useless series of poorly done pop and rock covers for little tikes, "Brats On The Beat: Ramones For Kids" on the other hand is pretty much just that. "The Blitzkrieg Kidz Bop", and Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee are rolling in their collective graves. OMG teh Kidz Bop has ruined teh Romones OMG. And chances are they will get them with this solid collection of tunes.
Review Summary: The Ramones return from the dead with the help of some fun and crafty covers and they want your children, just like the first time around.
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