The short-lived Sibling Rivalry paired Joey Ramone with his younger brother, guitarist/singer Mickey Leigh. The duo’s three-song CD single contains a snappy, guitar-flashed rendition of Blodwyn Pig’s obscure “See My Way,” Leigh’s neat pop original “On the Beach” (from the repertoire of his ’80s band, the Rattlers) and a gritty rocker Leigh recorded with no fraternal assistance.
The rest of the time, Leigh leads Stop, a lighthearted rock trio with bassist Stephen Sane and drummer Pat Carpenter. Never is an entertaining hodgepodge of originals (“The Idiot Son of 007,” “Ballad of Mickey Leigh,” “Proud to Be Human”), collaborations (the fierce “Cake and Eat It” has lyrics and lead vocals by Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators; the late Lester Bangs, who was Leigh’s bandmate in the late-’70s Birdland, wrote the words to the old highway boogie of “Metal Eyes”) and covers (Dee Dee Ramone’s catchy “Outsider,” Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”). Although lumbering a bit heavily at times, the diverse Never also works up vintage punk energy, a wah-wah freakout, riff grunge, late-’60s acid guitar psychedelia and sepulchral folk-rock. Stop. Cool.