Listen to Ramones’ ‘Why Is It Always This Way?’ Demo: Premiere
Ramones fans need to wait only a couple more weeks before the 40th-anniversary reissue of the band's Rocket to Russia LP arrives in stores — and they're being offered another sneak peek of the expanded edition's bonus material with a demo of "Why Is It Always This Way?" including alternate lyrics, making its exclusive premiere right here.
As previously reported, the 40th anniversary Rocket to Russia reissue is scheduled for a Nov. 24 release, and adds a wealth of rare and previously unreleased material to the original track listing. In addition, engineer/mixer Ed Stasium has put together a new "tracking mix" version of the LP, which offers a "back-to-basics" glimpse of the LP with a different track listing.
"When putting together this new Tracking Mix, I decided to include the versions of ‘I Don’t Care’ and ‘It’s A Long Way Back to Germany,’ since they were recorded during the Rocket to Russia sessions at Mediasound, and are completely different takes that have never been heard before," explains Stasium. "‘Sheena’ has been omitted, as it was recorded in a totally different session a few months prior, in between the Leave Home and Rocket to Russia albums."
The deluxe Rocket reissue, available to pre-order now, is being produced in a limited run of 15,000 copies, and also includes a previously unreleased concert recording from a 1977 stop in Glasgow, as well as a hardcover book containing essays about the band.
You can check out the complete track listing, along with a rough mix of "Cretin Hop," here.