Kurt Baker covered Mondo Bizarro with the K7s and Brad Marino covered Subterranean Jungle. But the latest Ramones (related) cover album by a member of The New England Mafia arguably is the most surprising and boldest yet. Who else than Geoff Palmer would have picked Dee Dee Ramone’s polarizing rap/rock/punk solo record Standing In The Spotlight – released as Dee Dee King in 1989.
Palmer’s version of Standing In The Spotlight is another example of his genuine love and passion for music. And how he’s still broadening his horizons and developing his skillset. This arguably is the most diverse Palmer record yet. Part of that of course has to do with the source material which is all over the place. But if you take a step back, you have to be impressed by the craftmanship on this record.
Surely Palmer had a lot of fun recording these songs. Not just because he could finally rap on a record, or that he was joined by a long list of friends that contributed to the record (the liner notes includes Kurt Baker, Brad Marino, Zach Sprague, Kris Rodgers, Mass Giorgini, Phil Reid, and many others). Surely the killer harmonies you can produce with said friends, and the addition of instruments like the sax, piano, and glock all contributed to the fun. But that’s not all. I can’t help but believe that, at some point during the recordings, what once started out as a fun idea suddenly started to feel like a great idea. And the group of friends fully went with it. There is a total lack of parody or cynicism on this record. It’s a loving treatment of a hit-and-miss record. It is a joy to listen to and in my book an improvement over the original.
Standing In The Spotlight is out now through Stardumb.
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