Album · 45 years old this year
Pleasant Dreams
Pleasant Dreams is the sixth studio album by the Ramones, released on 20 July 1981 through Sire Records. It follows End of the Century and came out in the middle of a tense period for the band. The members had wanted Steve Lillywhite to produce, but Sire chose Graham Gouldman, hoping a well-known name would widen their audience. Joey and Johnny Ramone clashed during the sessions, partly because Johnny had started a relationship with Joey's girlfriend, and they also disagreed over direction, with Johnny favouring hard rock and Joey pop punk.
The result is polished and varied, stepping away from straightforward punk on "We Want the Airwaves", "She's a Sensation" and "Come On Now". It is the first Ramones record with no cover versions, and the first without a band photo on the sleeve. It reached No. 58 on the Billboard 200 and drew mixed reviews, but it is an interesting listen for anyone curious about the band stretching their sound.
Pleasant Dreams: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 34:28Tracklist
- 1We Want the AirwavesJoey Ramone3:20
- 2All's Quiet on the Eastern FrontDee Dee Ramone2:12
- 3The KKK Took My Baby AwayJoey Ramone2:31
- 4Don't GoJoey Ramone2:46
- 5You Sound Like You're SickDee Dee Ramone2:40
- 6It's Not My PlaceJoey Ramone3:22
- 7She's a SensationJoey Ramone3:26
- 87-11Joey Ramone3:33
- 9You Didn't Mean Anything to MeDee Dee Ramone2:59
- 10Come on NowDee Dee Ramone2:30
- 11This Business Is Killing MeJoey Ramone2:39
- 12Sitting in My RoomDee Dee Ramone2:30
- Produced by
- Graham Gouldman
- Recorded at
- Mediasound, New York City, USA, Strawberry North, Stockport, England, Strawberry South, Dorking, England
- Recorded
- March–April 1981
- Mixed by
- Keith Bessey
- Engineered by
- Keith Bessey, Lincoln Clapp, Harvey Goldberg, Chris Nagle
- Labels
- Sire Records, Sire
- Length
- 34:28
Line-up
- Dick Emerson · keyboard · guest
- Dave Hassell · percussion · guest
- Dee Dee Ramone · bass guitar · guest
- Johnny Ramone · guitar · guest
- Marky Ramone · drums (drum set) · guest
- Graham Gouldman · background vocals · guest
- Russell Mael · background vocals · guest
- Joey Ramone · lead vocals · guest
- Ramones · background vocals · guest
- Ian Wilson · background vocals · guest
Singles
- “We Want the Airwaves” · July 1981
- “She's a Sensation” · October 1981
- “The KKK Took My Baby Away” · November 1981 (Benelux only)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1981 | 58 |
| Argentina (CAPIF) · 1987 | 7 |
| Hungarian Albums · 2023 | 19 |
| Swedish Albums · 1981 | 35 |
| Scottish Albums · 2023 | 80 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1981 | 87 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Gold |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
69.4
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
2.5k
ListenBrainz listeners
53k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
7.7k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 20 July
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Full discography →
Ramones
1976
Leave Home
1977
Rocket to Russia
1977
Road to Ruin
1978
It’s Alive
1979
End of the Century
1980
Subterranean Jungle
1983
Too Tough to Die
1984
Chasing the Night / Howling at the Moon (Sha‐La‐La)
1985
Howling at the Moon
1985
Bonzo Goes to Bitburg
1985
Something to Believe In
1986
Animal Boy
1986
Halfway to Sanity
1987
Ramones Mania
1988
Brain Drain
1989
All the Stuff (and More), Volume 2
1990
All the Stuff (and More), Volume 1
1990
Loco Live
1991
Mondo Bizarro
1992
Acid Eaters
1993
¡Adios Amigos!
1995
Greatest Hits Live
1996
We’re Outta Here!
1997
Anthology: Hey Ho, Let’s Go!
1999
Ramones Mania 2
2000
Ramones You Don't Come Close 2001
You Don't Come Close
2001
Best of the Chrysalis Years
2002
The Chrysalis Years
2002
Loud, Fast Ramones: Their Toughest Hits
2002
NYC 1978
2003
The Best of the Ramones
2004
Weird Tales of the Ramones
2005
Greatest Hits
2006
Meltdown With the Ramones
2014
Spider‐Man
2019
LIVE FM Radio Broadcast Concert (City Hall Plaza, San Francisco, USA, 8th June 1979)
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More on Sire Records
The label →Ramones
Ramones · 1976
The Top
The Cure · 1984
Road to Ruin
Ramones · 1978
End of the Century
Ramones · 1980
Leave Home
Ramones · 1977
Meltdown With the Ramones
Ramones · 2014
ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ
Ministry · 1992
The Land of Rape and Honey
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Too Tough to Die
Ramones · 1984
Subterranean Jungle
Ramones · 1983
The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste
Ministry · 1989
Coral Fang
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 20 July 1981 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 20 July 1981 | |
| Wikidata | July 1981 | |
| US release | 20 July 1981 | earliest US date |
11 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 20 July 1981 | US | Sire Records | original | |
| 25 January 1990 | JP | Sire Records | 4988014731461 | other |
| 1994 | US | Sire Records | 075992357128 | other |
| 1994 | DE | Sire Records | 075992357128 | other |
| 20 August 2002 | US | Rhino | 081227815622 | remaster |
| 26 August 2002 | DE | Warner Bros. Records | 081227815622 | other |
| 16 August 2005 | XW | Rhino | 603497086962 | deluxe |
| 2007 | JP | Sire Records | 4943674073856 | other |
| 19 February 2014 | XW | Rhino | 603497904150 | other |
| 22 April 2023 | XE | Sire Records | 603497834679 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · native: native 1800x1800
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1800×1800 | native: native 1800x1800 |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |