Released in 1983, the Ramones seventh full length studio album, Subterranean Jungle sees the band attempting to reclaim some of their former punk energy; with some mixed results. That's not to say that this album is a 'bad' album; in fact, like Pleasant Dreams before it, this album is still a solid effort. However, there are some pretty forgettable tunes here, and the fact that two of my favorite tracks are covers says a lot about the shape the bands songwriting was in at this point in their career.
Those covers by the way, come at the very beginning of the album; the stellar "Little Bit O'Soul" is peppy and really brings me back to the peppier moments on Road To Ruin, and the following track "I Need Your Love" is another decent rendition of a ballad under the bands belt. But soon the misses don't come far after the opening tracks; such as "Outsider" which just sounds so gutless, and I can't even recall the melody to "Highest Trails Above" despite giving this album seven full listens for this review.
But, the deeper cuts are not all dull, in fact, tracks "My My Kind Of Girl" and "Psycho Therapy" are classic Ramones through and through. And the cover of "Time Has Come Today" is probably the weirdest the band has gotten at this point.
It is clear however, that the drama that the band had been experiencing since the start of the 80's was starting to effect their music, since I can't say that I'd recommend Subterranean Jungle to anyone outside of Ramones enthusiasts. Sure, it's not an awful LP, but it is far from the bands best or even most interesting work (at least at this point in the bands career). I'll end up doing a final rankings list for the entire discography, so I'll be interested to see where this album ends up; however at this point, this is easily my least favorite Ramones LP.
7.8/10
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