User:CrowzRSA/Sandbox/Sandbox 2/Sandbox 3/Too Tough to Die

Conception
Previous Ramones records featured celebrity record producers in an attempt to gain some sort of popularity. Since this method did not yield the results which they were expecting, Sire Records contacted the producers of 1978's Road to Ruin: Ed Stasium and ex-band member Tommy Ramone. The album has less of a production value compared to their previous few albums, and the style of music leaned towards a more harsh sound because critics often disapproved of the sound quality on End Of The Century and Pleasant Dreams.

The recording of Too Tough to Die began in the summer of 1984 at the Media Sound Studios in New York City. The entire album was recorded in a single session, described by Rolling Stone's Kurt Loder to be "recorded virtually live in the studio." A similar recording process was used on the band's 1976 eponymous album, which was recorded over a period of seven days. The album marked the debut of new drummer Richie Ramone, who replaced Marky Ramone after he was fired for excessive drinking.

The cover photo for the album was taken by George DuBose in a subway in Central Park, New York City. Showing the dark silhouettes of each band member with blue lighting in the background and dry ice fog, the band members are standing side-by-side underneath the arch of the underpass standing.

Music and compositions
Just as the recording methods resembled that of the earlier era of the band, the musical style which they produced also favored the band's earlier approach on punk rock. Even though "Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)" featured a synthpop feel, the overall genre leaned more so toward heavy metal music rather than pop music, which had been a major focus of the band's writing process throughout the 1980's. Authors Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz explained that the album was "the Ramones' response to America's burgeoning hard-core punk scene, and did much to restore the band's musical credibilty."

""Too Tough to Die reclaimed the Ramone's original values of energy, catchiness, and brevity without resorting to retro pandering. It also featured the band's strongest set of songs since Rocket to Russia, with Dee Dee (who wrote or co-wrote nine of the album's thirteen songs) demonstrating a thoughtful, introspective edge on 'I'm Not Afraid of Life' and an apocalyptic social conscience on 'Planet Earth 1988.'""

- Scott Schinder and Andy Schwartz, Icons of Rock.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the album uses the "big guitar riffs" featured on Subterranean Jungle and transfigures them to be "shorter and heavier." The songs featured on the album are rather short and have a considerably fast tempo, which was a typical quality of the band's early work. The album features the only insturmental piece which the band released: "Durango 95," which clocks in at under a minute.

Too Tough to Die is also the first Ramones' release which did not feature lead singer Joey Ramone on each track; both "Wart Hog" and Endless Vacation" feature bassist Dee Dee Ramone as lead vocalist. Initially, "Wart Hog"'s appearance on the album was declined by Joey, but Johnny lobbied this, later stating: "if I hadn't lobbied for them, they wouldn't be on the [album]." The lyrics to the song were not included on the initial printing of the album because Sire considered the drug-inspired lyrics to be too explicit for potential fans. The album also features the only insturmental piece which the band released: "Durango 95," which clocks in at under a minute.

Reception
Too Tough to Die was generally well received by critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "the last great record [the Ramones] would ever make" and noted that the use of Tommy Ramone as the album's producer was benificial since it aided in the group returning "to simple, scathing punk rock." He also stated that the album reads "like a reaction to hardcore punk," while still maintaining their more melodic style in songs. Music critic Robert Christgau also suggested that the album's sound was a retreat to their earlier styles "with the cleansing minimalism of their original conception evoked," saying there initial sound is "augmented rather than recycled." Kurt Loder of the Rolling Stone concluded his interview by saying that "Too Tough to Die is a return to fighting trim by the kings of stripped-down rock & roll."

The album was the band's lowest peaking record at that point in their career, debuting at number 171 on the US Billboard 200. It also peaked at number 49 on the Swedish Sverigetopplistan chart, as well as number 63 on the UK Albums Chart. The only single released from the album, "Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)"/"Wart Hog," peaked at number 85 on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent two weeks.