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   Concert Review
Aug. 8, 1987, Trenton, N.J. with Clem Burke 

In August 1987, drummer Richie Ramone suddenly left the Ramones. With a new album coming out and shows booked, the Ramones needed a drummer quickly. They chose Clem Burke, who had previously played with Blondie and Chequered Past. Clem played only two shows before he was replaced with Marky Ramone, who had left a few years earlier because of a drinking problem. I have a bootleg recording of the second show with Clem. Considering how little time he had to prepare and the speed and intensity of the songs, he did a commendable job. But most of the songs just didn't sound right. I'm no drummer, but here is my impression of his performance:
  1. "Durango 95"

    2. Clem's playing is not too bad, but he plays many of the fills wrong, He makes it through the song, however.
  2. "Teenage Lobotomy"

    3. Clem gets the intro right. Seems to be dragging a little. Nails the ending.
  3. "Psycho Therapy"

    4. Proper use of ride cymbal. Omits many of the fills which propel the song. Ending is ok.
  4. "Blitzkrieg Bop"

    5. No major errors. But its an easy song to play.
  5. "Rock 'n' Roll Radio"

    6. Clem gets lost and completely destroys the intro, forcing Johnny and Dee Dee to improvise. They somehow make it to the vocal intro. The rest of the song has a few minor mistakes.
  6. "Freak of Nature"

    7. Not bad playing. Even gets the "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba, ba-ba" part right!
  7. "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"

    8. Drums just don't sound right for some reason. It begins to sound like he is unable to keep the tempo needed. Guitar and bass, rather than the drums, push the song forward.
  8. "Rock 'n' Roll High School"

    9. Good segue into RnRHS. Misses fills between first and second verses.
  9. "I Wanna Be Sedated"

    10. Plays fills in wrong places. Not bad, though.
  10. "The KKK Took My Baby Away'

    11. Misses a few fills here and there. Really sounds like he's lost at times. No major errors, however.
  11. "Crummy Stuff"

    12. Pretty good for most of the song. However, when the end of the song comes, everybody stops, but Clem keeps drumming!! I can just see the look on Johnny's face. After realizing that he was supposed to stop, Clem ends the song with a cheesy sounding roll that has no place in a Ramones song.
  12. "Rockway Beach"

    13. Not exactly like Tommy played it, but not terrible either.
  13. "Love Kills"

    14. No major errors.
  14. "Sheena is a Punk Rocker"

    15. Clem makes it through another one without any major errors.
  15. "Glad To See You Go"

    16. Dee Dee shouts "1-2-3-4" and the band launches into "Glad To See You Go". Clem, however, begins playing a different song. The band has to stop the song and start over. This time, Clem gets it right.
  16. "I Don't Care"

    17. O.K.
  17. "Too Tough To Die"

    18. Sounds like Clem is having trouble keeping up again (and he still has fifteen songs to go!).
  18. "Mama's Boy"

    19. After the first verse, Clem goes in to the chorus part when he shouldn't have. The band recovers and keeps going.
  19. "Animal Boy"

    20. A very fast song, and Clem does a good job keeping up. He even plays the slow part all right. Good job Clem!
  20. "Wart Hog"

    21. Another fast song and again, Clem keeps up.
  21. "Surfin' Bird"

    22. O.K.
  22. "Cretin Hop"

    23. Not bad. Only a few minor mistakes.
  23. "I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You"

    24. Clem makes it through the song with few mistakes.
  24. "Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World"

    25. Good playing throughout the song.
  25. "Pinhead"

    26. Aside from a few forgotten cymbal crashes, not a bad job.
  26. "Chinese Rock"

    27. A very good job, Clem even nails the chorus parts.
  27. "Somebody Put Something in My Drink"

    28. Not bad until Clem again drums through the ending of the song. It doesn't sound as bad as when he did it on "Crummy Stuff", however.
  28. "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg"

    29. Sounds like Clem is really making it up as he goes on this song, but it is one of the Ramones more complex songs. Even so, there are no major errors, just a few little ones here and there.
  29. "Do You Wanna Dance?"

    30. Good job.
  30. "California Sun"

    31. Good job, but the drums are dragging a little again.
  31. "We're a Happy Family"

    32. You can bet Clem was glad this was the last song! He does a good job, with no major errors, and nails the ending.