After
Ventures-ing up
Ramones tunes on their first album,
the Ramonetures turn to the
X songbook for their sophomore effort. And this time out, they've recruited a couple of ringers. That's right, original
X drummer
D.J. Bonebrake and the one and only
Billy Zoom are along for the ride, and the results are more fun than anyone could expect.
Billy and
D.J. play their original parts (no one sounds quite like either, especially with
Zoom's homemade amplifier), and the vocal parts are handled (generally) by guitars, à la
the Ventures. The exceptions are
D.J.'s marimba work on "The Unheard Music" and
Zoom's sax work on "Year One Twist." The most surprising tune has to be "Adult Books," where
Zoom takes the lead and shows off what an excellent flute player he is! The arrangements are fantastic, from the patented
X vocal harmonizing (guitars, in this case) to the little surf-y embellishments, but what really makes this work is that
X had such great tunes to start with: great hooks and hummable melodies. Put this on at your next punk rock beach party, and it's sure to be a hit.
X fans will love it.