Producers: Tony Bongiovi, T. Erdelyi.

Reissue producers: Bill Inglot, Gary Stewart.

Recorded at Sundragon, New York, New York and live at The Roxy, Hollywood, California on August 12, 1976. Includes liner notes by Donna Gaines and Arturo Vega.

Digitally remastered by Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch (Digiprep).

Personnel: Joey Ramone (vocals); Johnny Ramone (guitar); Tommy Ramone (drums).

Audio Remasterers: Dan Hersch; Bill Inglot.

Recording information: Roxy, Hollywood, CA (08/12/1976).

Photographers: Bob Gruen; Robert Matheu.

Released only months after RAMONES, the Ramones' second album pales slightly in comparison to its stone-classic predecessor--but only slightly. LEAVE HOME contains enough all-time Ramones anthems--"Commando," "Pinhead" (which introduces the legendary "Gabba Gabba Hey" chant), and "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment," to name only three--that it's still an essential document of the New York punk scene. Rhino's remastered 2001 reissue restores the original running order of the album, including "Carbona Not Glue," which was hastily removed from the 1977 vinyl not because it advocated dangerous activities but because the manufacturers of the spot remover Carbona objected.

More importantly, this reissue appends a whopping 16 bonus tracks, the entirety of the Ramones' August 1976 Hollywood live debut. Half the tracks don't even hit the two-minute mark--the longest is "Beat on the Brat," an epic 2:36--and the whole thing is over in under half an hour. Years of hardcore punk and the ever-increasing BPMs of underground dance music mean that this stuff doesn't sound as shockingly speedy now as it did at the time; what's surprising is how cheerful and poppy this allegedly transgressive music comes across, and how unexpectedly tight and well-rehearsed the supposedly sloppy band is.

As fine as it is -- and it's a really entertaining record, especially in retrospect -- the Ramones' second album, Leave Home, isn't as good as their first, largely because they no longer had the shock of the new. That can't be said of Rhino's 2001 expanded reissue of the record, since it trumps the reissue of Ramones in its bonus material. Where that record had eight bonus cuts, nearly all demos, this has a full 16-track concert recorded live at the Roxy in Hollywood on August 12, 1976. This is a superior bonus since even if it doesn't have the breakneck quality of It's Alive, it's still terrific to hear the Ramones tearing through their set list at their prime. They're not quite as fast or reckless as their reputation would lead you to believe -- as soon as hardcore came around, they started seeming not nearly as fast -- but it's still a spirited, vigorous performance that makes this expanded edition quite special. Of course, in addition to the concert, Leave Home is given a 20-page booklet, filled with full artwork, lyrics, rare photos, and memorabilia, plus notes from Donna Gaines. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine