Tributes to iconic bands are always tricky, but the first two tracks on Happy Family are about as welcome as a stink bomb in study hall. The offenders are the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rob Zombie, whose versions of " Havana Affair " and " Blitzkrieg Bop " miss the point of what made the Ramones: stripped-down simplicity, three buzz chords, and a catchy chorus. Things get better with Eddie Vedder’s version of " I Believe in Miracles, " and they continue to look up with the triple wallop of Metallica’s " 53rd & 3rd, " U2’s " Beat on the Brat, " and Kiss’s " Do You Remember Rock ’N’ Roll Radio? " , three blistering contributions by three very different bands who have a real grasp of what made the Ramones tick.

Happy Family has some padding in the form of middling additions like Marilyn Manson’s " The KKK Took My Baby Away " and Green Day’s " Outsider, " the latter of which sticks too close to the Ramones’ patented formula to bring anything new to the original. On " Something To Believe In, " the Pretenders forget two of the very things that defined the band: don’t slow down and keep things under three minutes. But the disc is saved by the variety of acts who were brought on board — there’s something here for almost everyone who ever loved the Ramones, as well as at least one or two tracks that you’ll want to skip. That’s just how it goes with tribute discs.