The Real Ramona

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The Real Ramona
Studio album by Throwing Muses
Released	March 12, 1991
Recorded	May 13, 1990
Genre	Alternative
Length	40:10
Label	4AD/Sire Records
Producer	Dennis Herring
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone link
Throwing Muses chronology
Hunkpapa (1990) The Real Ramona (1991) Red Heaven (1992)

The Real Ramona is an album by Throwing Muses. Released in 1991, it was the last album recorded by the band before the departure of founding member Tanya Donelly.

The album marked the end of a time for the band, and a transition into a new one. The band's two heavyweights, Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly, had been the anchor holding the entire group down. After this album, Donelly left and formed Belly, taking the bassist on this album, Fred Abong, along with her. Hence, the album can be seen as an epitaph to the early days of the band.

The Throwing Muses' sound is hard to quantify, and this record is especially difficult. Despite having the hallmarks of their unfamiliar song structures and Hersh's voice, The Real Ramona's sound has been considered as quite poppy. Though this album was the last to feature Donelly, it carried many of her signature sounds. While she only wrote two songs for this album ("Honeychain" and "Not Too Soon"), the Muses had a jumpier, poppier sound that Donelly kept with her when she moved to Belly and later The Breeders.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Counting Backwards" – 3:15
2. "Him Dancing" – 1:10
3. "Red Shoes" – 3:33
4. "Graffiti" – 2:37
5. "Golden Thing" – 2:25
6. "Ellen West" – 2:49
7. "Dylan" – 1:40
8. "Hook in Her Head" – 6:32
9. "Not Too Soon" – 3:09
10. "Honeychain" – 4:24
11. "Say Goodbye" – 3:54
12. "Two Step" – 4:34