RAMONES: MARKY'S ALBUMS WITH DUST

MARKY RAMONE'S ALBUMS WITH DUST BACK TO MARKY

Marky Ramone (then Marc Bell) recorded two albums with Dust. He was only 16 - 17 year old by this time. Marky played of course drums and other players on this trio were bassist Kenny Aaronson (Joan Jett, Billy Idol and Bob Dylan) and Richie Wise (Later produced Kiss). Dust broke up in 1972.
Marky wrote me in past how his best Dust related memory was when Dust toured with Alice Cooper.

- DUST: DUST (1971)

- DUST: HARD ATTACK (1972)

- REVIEW OF DEBUT ALBUM

Both albums have been remastered and are released as a single CD (Dust/ Hard Attack) on Legacy Recordings April 16, 2013. The remastered albums - taken from the original analog master tapes - were also available as a Record Store Day exclusive vinyl release April 20, 2013. LP is in an individually numbered gatefold jacket.

I remember how surprised I was, when I did an interviews with Mikael Åkerfeldt of The Opeth etc. and Dan Swänö (producer, ex-bands Katatonia, Nightingale, Bloodbath) in 2005. They both told how they were big fans of the Dust. I met next time with Mikael in 2009.
You can find lot their comments and thoughs of Dust's album from those interviews published in Ramones: Soundtrack Of Our Lives book.
Mikael explais how Dust's albums had a massive influence on him.
He think Dust had a slightly more European sound (when compare to other USA's progressive bands from those days): "I know because I've collected German, Scandinavian, British psychedelic, heavy rock and progressive rock from the sixties as well as the seventies. As I said, I believe Dust had a slight European sound, which was maybe why I loved them so much. At that time, America had bands like Mountain, Mahogany Rush and Grand Funk Railroad. I loved all those bands, but Dust had a very special sound, it was like it hits you, you know? Almost like Ramones, it sticks in your head. You hear it once and then you know the song. From A Dry Camel is massive song, It's the kind of song all my friends back home go: "Dust, Dust, Dust!" These same people don't even know that Marky was in the Ramones.

That was short excerpt from Mikael's interview. You can see in right photo I had taken with Mikael at the Rytmikorjaamo, Seinäjoki in Finland in 2009.

DUST:
1.Stone Woman (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.00
2.Chasin' Ladies (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 3.33
3.Goin' Easy (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.30
4.Love Me Hard (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 5.25
5.From A Dry Camel (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 9.47
6.Often Shadows Felt (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 5.08
7.Loose Goose (Kenny Aaronson) (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise)

ALL SONGS ARE: Kama Sutra Music (BMI) and Churkendoose Music (BMI)

HARD ATTACK:
1.Pull Away/ So Many Times (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.59
2.Walk In The Soft Rain (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.08
3.Thusly Spoken (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.18
4.Learning To Die (Kenny Kerner / Kenny Aaronson) 6.20
5.All In All (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.03
6.I Been Thinkin (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 2.14
7.Ivory (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 2.38
8.How Many Horses (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.18
9.Suicide (Kenny Kerner / Richie Wise) 4.53

ALL SONGS ARE: Kama Sutra Records Inc. (P) 1972 and Repertoire Records rereleased 1989

REVIEW BY ELENI KONSTANTINIDOU:
Eleni Konstantinidou has well-written review of Dust's debut album (original source here):
Dust is a miracle hard rocking trio of the early seventies, a proto-metal wonder band which many people would wish had lasted longer. Too bad for all of us, they only recorded two albums (on Kama Sutra records originally), their self-titled debut album in 1971 and Hard Attack in 1972 and then disbanded.
They formed around 1968 and they were one of the few American bands that sounded so "British", in the blues explosion of the times but also combining it with some progressive hints. But they were probably too good to get proper recognition and so they decided to go their separate ways. Even if you never heard of them, you definitely acknowledge their next steps. Most of the people know him as Marky Ramone, but the fact is that drummer Marc Bell (aka Marky Ramone) was one of the founding members of Dust and after their separation he moved on to Richard Hell & the Voidoids and then to the Ramones.
Bassist Kenny Aaronson joined The Stories in 1973, after Dust split, and also worked as a session bassist and guest in some Blue Oyster Cult albums. Vocalist Ritchie Wise, along with Kenny Kerner, Dust's lyricist and producer, formed a production team, also working with The Stories and producing the first two albums of Kiss.
In their debut album Dust put some of the greatest tunes of American proto-metal, and it's no wonder that it is considered a collectible for many fans of this early, full of raw power and thus sentimental sound. The album begins with a whistle and the fast blues-rock Stone Woman, which is a powerful opening track, but the best is yet to come... Marc Bell's distinguishing drum sound introduces us to the second track, Chasing Ladies, a short in length, 'catchy' hard rock song. A bluesy and more heartfelt slow tune is the third track, Goin' Easy and then comes the thunder! The fourth track, Love Me Hard, is not a romantic soft tune, as maybe the title indicates... it is a stormy hard rock diamond, which will stick to your head for its distinctive melody and lyrics! Probably the best (or second best, for some) song of this album but definitely the best way to close the first side of the LP (vinyl).
But there is more. The fifth track From a Dry Camel (opening for side two of the LP) is a lengthy but explosive tune with many variations in rhythm, a bombast displaying all three musicians at the peak of their superlative skills. This song made the list of Top Ten Heavy Metal songs EVER in the original ROCK BOOK OF LISTS, and you owe it to yourself to hear why - and some consider this one to be the best song of the album, it is a matter of taste I suppose! And I wouldn't mind if the album closed here, at this point, as I got all the satisfaction I would expect. but there are two more tracks, the more progressive. Often Shadows Felt. Which comes as a continuation of the previous, in a slower and softer manner, and the fast, hard beating instrumental Loose Goose, which is a showcase of Aaronson's gifted bass playing and closes the album in a memorable way.
Thanks to Repertoire records, the savior of many rare seventies diamonds, this album can still be found in stores (not very easily, but it is re-released). I suggest to the hard-rock lovers to grab it no matter what! It is certainly worth not only a hearing, but having it in your collection.
Text by: Eleni Konstantinidou

You can find Eleni Konstantinidou's writing here.