Brain Drain is the 11th studio album by the Ramones, and it marked both the return of drummer Marky Ramone, who hadn't been with the group since Too Tough To Die, and also the departure of longtime bassist and songwriter Dee Dee Ramone, who in my honest opinion, wrote the best material the band has ever released. This album is also considered by fans to be one of if not the definitive lowest point in the band's discography.
And save for a few saving graces like the opener, the track "Palisades Park" and the fantastic (though contentious) "Pet Sematary", the album does in fact feature the weakest material I've yet to hear from the Ramones. In fact, this album is even below what I though Animal Boy was bringing to the table, since so many of the tracks on offer here are not only bland and forgettable, but are produced so poorly, it is hard to feel any sort of way about the music here. Though the album does feature production from the same people who produced the last three or so Ramones LP's, Brain Drain just sounds so claustrophobic and everything is laden in so much reverb that it sounds the audio equivalent to having a sinus infection.
However, the bright spots on this album are pretty darn enjoyable, especially "Pet Semetary" which has such a great hook, and despite the chessy synth, I still love this track. Also, the closer "Merry Christmas( I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)" is a pretty enjoyable number as well; it really shows the direction that Joey wanted the band to go in, and it is a decent close to a pretty rough album.
But, Brain Drain still holds the record for number of truly terrible songs on a Ramones album with the tracks "Punishment Fits The Crime" and "Learn To Listen" showing definitively that more songwriters does not equal a better song!
So yeah, Dee Dee's departure is evident here, because even though his writing is still present on half of the album, you can tell that the band was simply taking his leftovers and trying to salvage them. Which leads to Brain Drain being an especially sour spot in the band's discography.
5.0/10
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