Fighting For Fatherland (Apocalypse Sound AS 192)
Paris, France, Chorus TV, February 21, 1980 Re-broadcast – January 10th, 2008 on Virgin 17 French TV: Rock ‘N’ Roll High School, I Wanna Be Sedated, Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio, She’s The One, I’m Against It, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, This Ain’t Havana, Commando, I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, Pinhead
Finland, Provinssirock, June 4, 1988: Blitzkrieg Bop, Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio?, Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment, Rock ‘N’ Roll High School, I Wanna Be Sedated, I Don’t Want You, Chinese Rocks, Weasel Face, Commando, Sheena Is A Punk Rocker, Garden Of Serenity, I Just Want To Have Something To Do, Wart Hog, Surfin’ Bird, Today Your Love Tomorrow The World, I Wanna Live, Somebody Put Something In My Drink, Bonzo Goes To Bitburg
Tonight with Jay Leno, Los Angeles, CA October 16,1992: Cencorshit, interview, Take It As It Comes, I Wanna Be Sedated
Fighting For Fatherland contains three excellent quality television broadcasts for The Ramones spanning a 12 year period between 1980 to 1992. Each of the three are pro shot in excellent video and audio quality.
The first third of the disc is devoted to the Chorus TV broadcast on French television. Apocalypse sound use the January 10th, 2008 re-telecast. This set captures The Ramones at an early peak in popularity. Coming off of a staring turn in Roger Corman’s Rock And Roll High School, their 1980 album End Of The Centurywas issued in February of that year. Produced by Phil Spector, this was their most slick, polished, produced and successful album.
The second show on the DVD is most of their set at the 1988 Provinssirock Festival in Seinäjoki, Finland. About half of the set is missing from the telecast, but AS produce all that exists in excellent quality. This is a tour for Halfway To Sanityand shows the band returning to a heavier and punkier approach but still retaining the hooks from their hits.
The final segment is a appearance on Tonight with Jay Leno. It features them promoting the just released Mondo Bizarro and playing “Censorshit” and their cover of The Doors “Take It As It Comes.” There is also an interview with reference to the “family values” ethic of the Republicans 1992 presidential campaign that year (this is mere weeks before the election), and finishing off with “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Overall Fighting For Fatherland is a good DVD for Ramones collectors.
