Joey Ramone "What Did I Do To Deserve You?"

I hate to do this to the late Joey Ramone, but I have to play "Let Me Ruin This Song For You" with his new single.

Before reading any further, you might want to read the "Let Me Ruin This Song For You" guidelines, so you can bail on this post, if you don't wish to think ill of the dead.

Yes, sadly, it's been over a decade since Joey Ramone (born Jeffry Ross Hyman) passed away, after a 7 year battle with lymphoma.  Within a year of his death, the record he'd been working on, "Don't Worry About Me" was released.  And that was the last I'd expected to hear from Joey Ramone.

But this Spring, a project guided by Ramones' producer Ed Stasium and Joey's brother Mickey Leigh was released.  Stasium and Leigh found a host of Joey's demos, stripped out everything but Joey's vocals, and then rebuilt the tracks.  The project includes load of Joey's personal friends, like Joan Jett, Steven Van Zandt and members of Cheap Trick.

I guess I have some reservations about anyone but the artist himself/herself completing a record, but I can appreciate that this was guided by family and friends.  And I loved Joey Ramone, so I'm rooting for this record.

But check out the single.  Musically, does it not sound a more than a little like The Traveling Wilburys?


Hear Joey Ramone on Youtube.


Hear The Traveling Wilburys on Youtube.