Brain Drain is the eleventh studio album by the punk rock band the Ramones, released on May 23, 1989. It is the last Ramones release to feature bassist/songwriter/vocalist Dee Dee Ramone, the first to feature Marky Ramone since his initial firing from the band after 1983’s Subterranean Jungle and the band’s last studio album on Sire Records.
In his 1998 autobiography, Dee Dee Ramone recalled:
“It was tough recording the Brain Drain album because everyone took their shit out on me. I dreaded being around them. It drove me away—I didn’t even end up playing on the album. Everybody in the band had problems; girlfriend problems, money problems, mental problems.”
Johnny Ramone expressed similarly unfavorable sentiments in his 2012 posthumous autobiography, Commando, calling it one of his least favorite albums. He elaborated, “Bill Laswell’s production is too dense; he had me record the guitars on five or six tracks. So the album took too much time, and there were too many Joey songs on it, which always took more time”. However, he added that the album “has a couple of bright spots, like ‘I Believe in Miracles’ and ‘Punishment Fits the Crime.'” He awarded both the Brain Drain album and its follow-up, Mondo Bizarro, a “C” letter grade.
For the first time on a Ramones album, drummer Marky Ramone participated in the songwriting, contributing lyrics to “All Screwed Up” and “Learn to Listen”.
Tracklist:
- I Believe in Miracles
- Zero Zero UFO
- Don’t Bust My Chops
- Punishment Fits the Crime
- All Screwed Up
- Palisades Park
- Pet Sematary
- Learn to Listen
- Can’t Get You Outta My Mind
- Ignorance Is Bliss
- Come Back, Baby
- Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want to Fight Tonight)
Captain Oi! reissue CD bonus track - Pet Sematary (Bill Laswell version)
Ramones
Joey Ramone: lead vocals (tracks 1–3, 5–13)
Johnny Ramone: guitar
Dee Dee Ramone: bass, backing vocals, lead vocals (track 4)
Marky Ramone: drums
Additional musicians
Daniel Rey: guitar, bass
Andy Shernoff: bass
Jean Beauvoir: guitar, bass, keyboards
Artie Smith: additional guitar
Robert Musso: additional guitar
Technical
Bill Laswell: producer (except tracks 7, 12)
Jean Beauvoir: producer (tracks 7, 12)
Daniel Rey: producer (tracks 7, 12), musical coordinator
Robert Musso: engineer, mixing
Martin Bisi: engineer
Fernando Kral: engineer (track 7)
Don Peterkofsky: engineer (track 12)
Judy Kirschner: assistant engineer
Robbie Norris: assistant engineer
Tony Maserati: assistant engineer (track 12)
Jason Corsaro: mixing
Oz Fritz: assistant mixing engineer
Howie Weinberg: mastering
Gary “Mudbone” Cooper: production assistant
Nicky Skopelitis: production assistant
Rachel McBeth: production assistant
Kim White: production assistant
Mark Sidgwick: production assistant
Matt Mahurin: front cover painting
Bill Fishman: inside photography
Rick Springer: Brain Drain logo
George DuBose: cover design and coordination
Joey Ramone (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001)
Johnny Ramone (October 8, 1948 – September 15, 2004)
Dee Dee Ramone (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002)
