Ramones on vinyl: The scandinavian pressings

Producer Jean Beauvoir, Monte Melnick, tour manager and

Joey Ramone at Polar Studios in Stockholm 1986.

Photo: Cretin-Family

In 1984 the Ramones signed with the independed record label Beggars Banquett who released the band new album Too Tough To Die in the UK.
In Sweden there was another label that got the license for the Scandinavian and finnish market, Tandan Records. The label was started one year earlier by a big profile in swedish record industry, Sanji Tandan.
The first release was Too Tough To Die in 1985. The same year Tandan put out one of the more obscure Ramones records ever, a 12" single with a remix of Howling At The Moon (Sha-La-La). It is an extended "dance"-version, much longer than the original version, with additional synthesizers and drums.
The song was remixed at the Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden by Anders Oredsson and Olle Larsson. Polar Studios is the same studio that ABBA used for all their albums.
One source on the net claims that the remix was unauthorized by the band and that they disliked it. I doubt it at least when it comes to Joey. The pop-loving front man was in Stockholm shortly after the release of the remix doing additional singing for the next album, Animal Boy. The producer Jean Beauvoir was with him, the studio was Polar and the engineer was the man behind the remix, Anders Oredsson. In an interview with a swedish journalist in the Polar Studios Joey Ramone explained how much he admired ABBA.
The next album pressed in Sweden was Animal Boy. This time on another of Sanju Tandans labels, Alpha Records.
This was the last vinyl record by the Ramones that was pressed in Scandinavia. After this it was mostly german pressings in the record stores.