Ramones “Pleasant Dreams” 1981. A mix of 60’s-inspired pop and punk Pleasant Dreams was the Ramones’ sixth LP. It didn’t do particularly well, only going to no. 58 in the US; it did relatively poorly overseas as well. We are thinning the (vinyl) herd here and this is one that might go (even though we are Ramones fans). To me (and a lot of critics) it’s an uneven album that showcases the different directions two of the primary Ramones songwriters, Joey and Johnny, were taking: Joey leaning heavily into pop and Johnny into the harder, punk style. The production is also pretty slick with that 80’s booming sound versus a more crusty punk sound from some of their earlier work. The most notorious track is the single “The KKK Took My Baby Away,” a song I’m not overly fond of (to pop). It, like the other singles released, did not chart. It’s been long rumored that Joey wrote the song about Johnny stealing his girlfriend but supposedly it was written before that happened. The songs I do like on Pleasant Dreams are written by Dee Dee and skew punk: “All’s Quiet on the Eastern Front,” “You Didn’t Mean Anything to Me” and “Sitting in My Room.” All are snotty and fun aka are “Ramones-esque” (as they should!). That said, I’m not sure that I like them enough to hang onto this record.