Too Tough To Die

Tommy Ramone returned as a producer for Too Tough to Die, working with Ed Stasium as Richie Ramone made his first album with the band on drums. The record pushed their guitar riffs toward shorter, heavier bursts after the attempts at broader pop production on earlier albums.

Dee Dee's bark on “Wart Hog” takes that approach close to hardcore, while “Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La)” keeps their appetite for a singalong intact. The two sides belong together: speed and abrasion sharpen the melodies rather than replacing them.