Ramones - End of the Century - LP [ Record ]

1980's End of the Century found one of the most popular punk bands in America joining forces with one of the most famous producers of all time to create a catchy concoction that rocked hard while still delivering some insidiously memorable hooks. The idea of Phil Spector producing the Ramones might seem crazy on the surface but given the band's admitted and oft-displayed love of ‘60s pop, it actually makes a lot of sense. In fact, Spector had reached out to the band earlier, offering to help with Rocket to Russia, but they took a pass at the time because they felt like it would change things up too much.

End of the Century was already destined to be somewhat of a transitional record for the Ramones, being the first one without Tommy participating in any capacity (he'd already left the band as a member by the time he produced 1978's Road to Ruin), but Spector took the band's punk tunes and played up their pop elements, and thanks to his well-established tendency toward embracing the art of the overdub, the end result was a far glossier affair than anything the band had released up to that point.