Release date: Greatest & Latest CD was first available for sale online through Conspiracy Music. Then in Japan in June 2000, Europe in August 2000 and USA in September 2000.

Greatest & Latest is the fifth and final studio album by Dee Dee Ramone. Album was released in Japan on June 2000 through Toshiba EMI. In Europe it was released on August; Playground in Scandinavia, Eagle Records Rock in UK. BMG/Virgin/PIAS/Edel released in other parts of Europe.

Tracklistings are different in Europe, USA and Japan. Japan and Europe pressings of CD offers a bonus track: Sidewalk Surfin', instrumental version.
Chris Spedding produced this Dee Dee's album Greatest & Latest in Los Angeles, USA in March, 2000. Album feature 10 new versions of the classic Ramones hits, as well as new solo material and cover tracks.
Chris Spedding also plays a bit guitar on this record. He has released his own solo efforts, one of which was a small hit in the 1970's. The song was entitled, Motorbikin'. Dee Dee covered this song for the Greatest & Latest CD.
Also Dee Dee's wife Barbara Ramone (Zampini) and Chase Manhattan plays in this album. In this page you can see photo taken in 2000 where are Dee Dee, Barbaba, Chase, me (Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone) etc.
Spedding also produced Dee Dee's album Hop Around. I did with Spedding interview to my 2nd book Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone. Part of that interview you can also read below here.


LINE-UP:
Dee Dee Ramone: guitar and main vocals.
Barbara Ramone (Zampini): bass and vocals.
Chase Manhattan: drums.
Chris Spedding: guitar.


TRACKLIST OF THE GREATEST & LATEST:
1) Blitzkrieg Bop
2) Time Bomb
3) Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
4) Shaking All Over
5) I Wanna Be Sedated
6) Cretin Hop
7) Teenage Lobotomy
8) Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
9) Motorbikin'
10) Come On Now
11) Cathy's Clown
12) Pinhead
13) Rockaway Beach
14) Fix Yourself Up
15) Sidewalk Surfin'
16) Beat On The Brat
(17) Sidewalk Surfin' (Instrumental version))

So this album Greatest & Latest was Dee Dee's last album. Dee Dee had planned to record in June 14, 2002 show at the Key Club in Hollywood, CA... There was coming out CD of that show in fall 2002... Marky Ramone was also planned to play then and CD would have been produced by Gilby Clarke, who is former guitarist of Guns N'Roses. Live album was coming out by Heat Slick Records. Heat Slick Records was founded in 2002 by Scott Beebe.
But world lost Dee Dee nine days before that show was planned to be played. Dee Dee passed away on June 5, 2002.

---

INTERVIEW COMMENTS BY CHRIS SPEDDING:

Chris Spedding produced Dee Dee Ramone's albums Hop Around and Greatest & Latest (2000). Spedding also played on both records. I did with Spedding interview to my 2nd book Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone (2004). Here are few parts of it.
Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone: When did you meet with Dee Dee for the first time and how did the projects you worked on with him come about?
Chris Spedding: I met him in Toronto, Canada, when I was hired by the OPM record company (Other People's Music) to produce his album. We both enjoyed working together on the first album Hop Around, but Dee Dee was disappointed with the record company (OPM) delaying it's release and then not promoting it properly. He wanted to re-record everything again and put it out on a different label. He asked me to produce the new one. At this time, he and Barbara moved to Los Angeles near where I was living in Santa Monica. I dissuaded him from re-recording the songs from the previous album and we recorded what was to become our last album together, Greatest & Latest.

Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone: Can you describe a little bit of the production style that worked best for Dee Dee?
Chris Spedding: All a producer does is to get the artist's music down on tape as well as possible, and to the artist.s satisfaction. With Dee Dee this meant working quickly because Dee Dee uses a lot of energy in the studio and got bored quickly. Because of this I think we were well suited.

Jari-Pekka Laitio-Ramone: What crossed your mind when Dee Dee wanted to cover Motorbikin'?
Chris Spedding: Surprised and flattered. I don.t get many of my songs covered.

Rest of interview you can find from Rock In Peace: Dee Dee And Joey Ramone (2004).