We're a Happy F to the Reviews

Once most of the founding members of the Ramones passed away in the early 2000s, it came as no shock that tribute albums would come out of nowhere to pay their respects and try to line the pockets of grave dancing music executives. Mercifully, We're a Happy Family sidesteps those issues by choosing artists that mostly seem like left-field choices and including Johnny Ramone as an executive producer of the compilation.

Obvious descendants like Green Day, Offspring and Rancid stick very close to the tried and true formula of these songs, but bands like Garbage, Pretenders and Red Hot Chili Peppers deliver true standout re-definitions of the band's songbook. I've never been a fan of Marilyn Manson, but his cover of "The KKK Took My Baby Away" is without a doubt a Ramones song done in his style, as any true cover should be. But I adore the Latin-tinged boogie that the Red Hot Chili Peppers gave "Havana Affair," the melancholic rendering that the Pretenders gave "Something to Believe In," the electronic-rock that Garbage gave "I Just Wanna Have Something to Do," and the avant-garde back-swamp blues rock-dirge that Tom Waits did to "The Return of Jackie & Judy."

It's in those moments that the strong, expertly crafted compositions of the Ramones' songs becomes crystal clear as they're twisted and distorted from their purposefully primitive originals. Like any good tribute album We're a Happy Family marries what made the original artists so distinctive to the specific sounds of the artists paying their respects. DOWNLOAD: Garbage's "I Just Wanna Have Something to Do," Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Havana Affair," the Pretenders' "Something to Believe In"