New Found Glory - Mania

I love the Ramones.

Always have done.

From the very first time that I heard them I was bowled over, and their music has been a constant companion throughout the vast majority of my life.

I am such a fan that I even have the legend 'gabba gabba hey!' tattooed around my right ankle.

So if there's ever a body needing identified on crimewatch, and all they have is a right foot and a bit of an ankle and that's what is written around it, then you can safely pick up the phone and say that there's a good chance it's me.

I also like New Found Glory, but not to the extent that I would bother getting anything to do with them tattooed on me.

So as I love The Ramones and like new Found Glory there's a good chance that if you pair them then I'll get along fine with whatever the outcome is.

Well that's what I thought, but 'Mania' is just a straight take on the bands classics, and each time I listen to it the tracks beg the question why I'm not just listening to the originals.

New Found Glory to great versions of the songs, but so what?

It's all a bit pointless really.

If they were to encore a live set with this collection of Ramones tunes I would drag my carcass to the front of the crowd and even at this late age I might even indulge in some crowd surfing, but without the live environment and the excitement that is embodied in a band going for it with big shit eating grins I'm not really seeing the worth in this.