Weekly Spins
Another Fucking Tribute Album
Born out of the Japanese music scene’s formative years in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Shonen Knife, an all-girl trio from Osaka, seem to be possessed of an unstoppable—and never-ending—gimmick.
Backed by a cult fan base and heralded up-and-down as a supreme inspiration to popular American alt-rock bands like Nirvana, Redd Kross, and Sonic Youth (Thurston Moore actually contributed guitar and lyrics to several SK tracks in the early ‘90s, and was arguably the girls’ ultimate fan-boy), Shonen Knife is more important than you might think.
However, after more than 30 years, nearly 20 albums, and thousands of live shows under their belts, these iconic bubble-gum punks have yet another trick up their sleeve.
“In 1998 we played a Ramones cover gig, just once, in Tokyo,” explains Naoko Yamano, the band’s lead guitarist/vocalist, founding member, and only original Knife still left in the band. “Since then, many people got to know that, and [started asking us] to play Ramones sets again.”
Shonen Knife took these compliments one step further and created an alter ego for themselves, which became the basis for their latest album, Osaka Ramones —a full-length tribute album to the legendary New York City punk-rock icons.
Yes, that’s right, another Ramones tribute album, featuring another band’s turn at bat to beat that dead, three-chord, punk-rock horse.
There are well over a dozen cheesy, gimmick-riddled Ramones tribute albums out there, ranging from Brats on the Beat, a Ramones compilation album for kids, to Bossa n’ Ramones, a European electronic “chill-out” cover album.
But for what it’s worth, I did truly enjoyed Osaka Ramones. As an avid Ramones fan, I wasn’t in the slightest bit turned off by their mispronunciation of ‘blitzkrieg,’ or their ultra-poppy rendition of darker songs like “We Want the Airwaves,” “Pinhead,” or “Psychotherapy.” Though admittedly, it’s tough not to laugh when listening to these grown-up pop-punk ladies sing with conviction things like, “I like takin’ Tuinal/It keeps me edgy and mean/I’m a teenage schizoid/I’m a teenage dope fiend.”
Osaka Ramones certainly has some high points, and the power behind the album lies in the stellar song choice. An undeniable make-or-break decision when doing something as unoriginal as a Ramones cover album is to at least comprise a strategic, catchy, and powerful track list—and Shonen Knife did just that.
Pumping out classics like “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” “The KKK Took My Baby Away” and “Beat on the Brat” was an easy choice, and Ramones fans will be bopping along like everyone else.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is the hook, line, and sinker of cashing in on a gimmick—something Shonen Knife’s American record label owner and Goo Goo Dolls’ bassist Robby Takac knows all too well. Takac specializes in bringing mostly female-fronted J-pop bands to America—just check out his label, Good Charamel Records.
You can say what you will about Shonen Knife and Osaka Ramones, but after all these years, the girls still hold punk rock fundamentals close to their hearts.
“I never look back, and I don’t feel so many years have passed,” explains Yamano in an email. “I can’t tell my future; I just keep on rocking.”
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Shonen Knife / Oct. 21 / Il Motore (179 Jean-Talon St. E.) / $15.00
