Monday, August 19, 2019

Song of the Day: 'Standing in My Way' by Debbie Harry and Joey Ramone


Reading Debbie Harry's memoir has me going down a number of rabbit holes, including revisiting "Debravation," which came out shortly after I moved into my first apartment on my own -- an efficiency near Dupont Circle's Ravenel. (SPOILER: Her recollections of this time are wildly off-base in my opinion.) I bought the CD at Kemp Mill Records on Connecticut Avenue and used to play it on my little boom box that served me well for years. I always thought the album was good -- not outstanding but certainly not bad -- but many swore by the version supposedly rejected by Sire Records at the time.


So I dusted off my rarely played copy of the so-called "8 1/2 Producer's Cut" and while I was never convinced it was noticeably better -- it omits my three favorite songs ("Strike Me Pink," "My Last Date With You" and "Teardrops") -- this version of "Standing in My Way" with fellow punk legend Joey Ramone certainly shines.


The alternative lineup ...

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