This album overseen by Johnny Ramone himself entered the US charts at number 43, higher than any Ramones album ever did - so what's it like ?

It might help you with my opinions if you know that the only Artists whose original albums I own are Tom Waits (1) U2 (1) Rancid (3) the rest I have never really listened to, some I'd never even heard of

1.Red Hot Chili Peppers: Havana Affair

Imagine the Red Hot Chili Peppers covering Havana Affair in their own style ? that's what it sounds like

2.Rob Zombie: Blitzkrieg Bop

Zombie reconstructs Blitzkreig Bop completely, not a slavish cover version but a totally different kind of sing along which works in its own twisted way

3.Eddie Vedder w/Zeke: I Believe In Miracles

Slavish cover version with the singing goat on vocals

4.Metallica: 53rd & 3rd

This is a bad cover version, that loses everything that makes the original great, no key change, no vocal change and no 1234 (or gap where it should be), it turns a great song into a dull song, which is a shame as I think they could have done better on a later song

5.U2: Beat On The Brat

I've never liked U2, although 'who's gonna ride your wild horses' is a great song, but the drummer went through a phase of always wearing a Ramones T-shirt (screen print of the first album cover) at one point so at least he really is a fan. They do this well, I think they could've done it better (get some backing vocals on the go - if you're going to put extra guitar parts in make em bigger !) but they have done it right

6.Kiss: Do You Remember Rock And Roll Radio?

This one gets the best reviews everywhere, and it works, but for me it just annoys as they screw up where the vocals start in a few places, its like they've badly arranged it and not realised until they came to do the vocals. I think if I had never heard the original before I would probably think it was brilliant.

7.Marilyn Manson: KKK Took My Baby Away

This is what I personally want in a tribute album, bands playing in their own style - its totally different to the original, but it works in the Marilyn Manson world

8.Garbage: I Just Want To Have Something To Do

Local girl makes good Shirley Manson does the business on this song, I'm not a Garbage fan, but it sounds good

9.Green Day: Outsider

A total copy, but what do you expect from a band so obviously influenced by the Ramones ? they sing it like they understand it which is good

10.Pretenders: Something To Believe In

They've taken a song that had big production and stripped it down, I'm not sure if it works or not yet, it doesn't work in the confines of this album but listened to on its own it might, sadly she strips a lot of emotion out of the vocals as well

11.Rancid: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker

I think they would have been better covering something not as well known, something they could have made their own, its okay though

12.Pete Yorn: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

Don't know anything about this guy, he does a very credible performance and his lyric changes, although originally annoying, now seem to work for me, the sound is great

13.The Offspring: I Wanna Be Sedated

A total copy, but what do you expect from a band so obviously influenced by the Ramones ?

14.Rooney: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Dont know anything about this guy, he does a very credible performance and his lyric changes, although originally annoying, now seem to be very annoying ! Nah, its okay really

15.Tom Waits: Return of Jackie & Judy

This is genius, the best song on the album for my money, its got more life in it than all these bands that are half his age and its got that magic ingredient FUN that too many of them seem to be missing !

16. Eddie Vedder: Daytime Dilemma (Dangers Of Love) (bonus track)

Sonically pretty good, I always thought this could be slightly better produced or arranged on Too Tough To Die and here it gets another try and its a bit shorter which is good, but sadly its destroyed by Eddie Schredders appalling vocals, he has no soul, he doesn't sing it like he means it, he sings it like he's a goat getting fucked by a bull

17.John Frusciante: Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World (secret track)

I like it, it would have been better if it had a full choir on it, but it works in its totally stripped down form

PETER YORN WITH ROB ZOMBIE AND JOHNNY RAMONE AT AN INSTORE ARTIST SIGNING OF 'WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY, A TRIBUTE TO THE RAMONES'. TOWER RECORDS, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA Tuesday February 11th 2003. PICTURES. CHRISTINA RADISH/LFI URAD

So ....

What is the point ?

1. Bands get to pay homage to their inspirations, Tom Waits gets to return a favour and Kiss get to record a decent song

2. It'll sell a lot as it has an audience of Ramones fans and fans of every band that's on it and there's some big big names there

3. There's no point in trying to reinvent the wheel, if you cant cover a song better, do it different

4. On the other hand, they're great songs and fun to play, so why bother changing them, pay tribute by copying them as best you can

5. I don't care if Eddie Vedder annoys me, if him being on this album makes one person buy a Ramones album and makes them think "I don't need all this stadium rock crap" then its worth it

Who would you like to see cover a Ramones song ?

Which song and why ?