Better than It's Alive

This record made It's Alive obsolete, no joke, simply because It's Alive has fake crowd noise and the vocals overdubbed in a studio, this one doesn't. This is a true representation of what the band sounded like on this era, and regardless of that, it simply rocks more than It's Alive

It's great to be back in New York City

This Ramones concert took place seven days after the concert that was released as the It's Alive album. How does this concert differ from that one? Not by much, really. The set list is identical and even in the same order, with the exception of "Judy is a Punk" not being played during the second encore this time. Despite having one less song, this CD actually runs a bit longer than the other one, because on It's Alive some of the breaks between songs were cut down, most notably the breaks between the three encores. Joey's stage patter is, of course, different at the two shows. Other than that, there are no real differences between the concerts. Ramones NYC 1978 is a good, solid Ramones concert, and so is It's Alive. I would recommend getting either one, but only the Ramones biggest fans will need to get both of them.

The rawest Ramones record in their catalog

I love the Ramones, especially the music on their first three albums, which is exactly what is featured on NYC 1978. This recording is a long lost radio concert from the King Biscuit Flower Hour which has, as far as I can tell, not been altered in any way from the live concert version. This is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you get to hear what a Ramones show sounded like when they were hungry and in their prime. On the other hand, however, the sound is too raw and unpolished to be enjoyed over multiple listenings. For example, the background vocals that embellish the studio versions are either not there or drowned out, Johnny's guitar crashes in proto-metal fury, completely overshadowing Tommy's drums and Dee Dee's bass, and Joey's vocals are also quite ragged. Therefore, I view NYC 1978 as a very cool historical document, but not such a great entertainment value. Stick with the original records.