In 1988 the Ramones got an offer to write the theme song for the upcoming movie Pet Sematary based on the book by Stephen King, a big fan of the band.
The members accepted the deal and the legend says that Dee Dee wrote the song while King was sitting in the next room waiting.
Soon after, in december 1988, the band recorded the track at Sigma Sound Studios in New York along with Joeys song Merry Christmas (I don't wanna fight tonight).
Jean Beuvoir and Daniel Ray (who co-wrote Pet Sematary with Dee Dee) produced the recordings and the engineer was Fernando Kral.
"I was pleasantly surprised by the Ramones", Kral told Sound on Sound in 2008. "I liked them, I was a fan of theirs, and on this occasion they were certainly disciplined, in that they came in and did the job that they needed to do. There wasn't any kind of fooling around".
The engineer also reveals that Dee Dee didn't play on the recording!
"He'd been at the rehearsal and the band had sounded tight. But, having written the song with Daniel Rey, he must have thought he'd done his job", Kral says.
Jean Beuvoir played the bass part on the recording.
"Pet Sematary would end up being included on their Brain Drain album," says Kral, "but at that stage there was no album in the works".
The recording took place between 15th and 17th of december and was a higher-end production for the Ramones.
"I remember after it was all done and everybody was happy with the record, I heard the comment, 'We ended up spending more than twice the cost of the first album on this one song'", Fernando Kraal told SOS.
Pet Sematary was released as a single in 1989 and there are two versions of the song:
1. The original recording produced by Jean Beuvoir and Daniel Ray. Used on most pressings. The U.S. promo 7" has a radio-version on one side and a LP-version on the other – but I can't hear any difference.
2. A version produced by Bill Laswell who got the job for the Brain Drain-album that was released the same year, 1989. The Laswell-version has more and heavier guitars, less synth and a different drum sound. And a intro with the sound of thunder. I don't know if Laswell did a new recording or if it is a remix of the recording made by Jean Beuvoir. This version was used on the first single-release in the UK in september 1989. On the back of the sleeve you can read that it is "The original version of "Pet Sematary" available on the forthcoming Ramones album on Chrysalis". But when Brain Drain finally came out the record company used the Beuvoir-mix. Maybe that's why Chrysalis re-released the single in UK a few months later with that version.
And on the sleeve to the german single Bill Laswell is credited as the producer although it is the Beuvoir-mix that is used on the record!
Here is the complete Pet Sematary single discography:
UK:
Songs: Pet Sematary/All Screwed Up
Format: 7"
Number: Chrysalis CHS 3423
Year: 1989
Country: UK
Notes: The Bill Laswell version of Pet Sematary
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Songs: Pet Sematary//All Screwed Up/Zero Zero UFO
Format: 12"
Number: Chrysalis CHS 3423
Year: 1989
Country: UK
Notes: The Bill Laswell version of Pet Sematary
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Songs: Pet Sematary/Merry Christmas (I don't wanna fight tonight)
Format: 7"
Number: Chrysalis CHS 3483
Year: 1989
Country: UK
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir version of Pet Sematary. Front of sleeve same as CHS 3423.
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Songs: Pet Sematary/Merry Christmas (I don't wanna fight tonight)//All Screwed Up/Zero Zero UFO
Format: 12"
Number: Chrysalis CHS 3483
Year: 1989
Country: UK
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir version of Pet Sematary. Front of sleeve same as CHS 3423.
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US:
Songs: Pet Sematary/Sheena Is A Punk Rocker
Format: 7"
Number: Sire 7-22911
Year: 1989
Country: US
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir mix of Pet Sematary (Single version).
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Songs: Pet Sematary (LP version)/Pet Sematary (Single version)
Format: 7"
Number: Sire 7-22911-DJ PROMO
Year: 1989
Country: US
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir mix (Single and LP version). The sleeve is the same as the stock version.
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Songs: Pet Sematary (LP version)/Pet Sematary (Single version)
Format: 7"
Number: Sire PRO-S-3569
Year: 1989
Country: US
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir mix (Single and LP version). No PS, plain white sleeve.
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Songs: Pet Sematary//Sheena Is A Punk Rocker/Life Goes On
Format: 12"
Number: Sire 0-21182
Year: 1989
Country: US
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir mix of Pet Sematary (Single version). Promo copies have a gold stamp on the sleeve.
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Germany:
Songs: Pet Sematary/Don't Bust My Chops
Format: 7"
Number: Chrysalis 112 489
Year: 1989
Country: Germany
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir version of Pet Sematary. Incorrect credits on sleeve.
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Songs: Pet Sematary//Can't Get You Outta My Mind/Don't Bust My Chops
Format: 12"
Number: Chrysalis 612 489
Year: 1989
Country: Germany
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir version of Pet Sematary.
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Australia:
This is how the single was sold, in a company sleeve. I have also
seen the single in a blue version of this sleeve.
Title: Pet Sematary/Palisades Park
Format: 7"
Number: Liberation Records 102100 7
Year: 1989
Country: Australia
Notes: The Jean Beauvoir version of Pet Sematary. The PS has incorrect writing credits and got withdrawn. The single was sold in a australian CBS company sleeve. Read more about this release here.
Bill Laswell's version of Pet Sematary has different vocal lines from Jean Beauvoir's version, although the instrumental seems to be the same just with a different mix. Beauvour produced the album Animal Boy and the vocal work done for Pet Sematary is very reminiscent of some vocal lines recorded for Animal Boy.
ReplyDeleteHow in the world could "Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonight)" have been recorded in December of 1988 when it was originally released as the b-side of "I Wanna Live" in late 1987?
ReplyDelete