Dee Dee Ramone raps! Your read correct, the bassist/occassional lead vocalist for the Ramones dropped the guitar and picked up a mic for his solo debut. Originally released in 1989 (just a few months after leaving the Ramones), Standing In The Spotlight marked a drastic and polarizing shift from punk rock to hip-hop, and also came with a slight name change as Dee Dee King. Apparently Dee Dee learned about hip-hop in drug rehab and wanted this stylistically different album to kickstart his solo career (which it did quite the opposite). Includes the tracks "Mashed Potato Time" with Debbie Harry on back-up vox, the bilingual raps of "German Kid," "Commotion In The Ocean," "Emergency," and more. Reissued as part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right series.

• part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right series
• music label: Rhino / Sire 2017

reviewed by cellulloyd 01/2017