Just when it appeared the Ramones tribute album We're a Happy Family

was nearing completion, a few more artists have signed on for the project.

Garbage and Kiss approached Happy Family co-producer Rob Zombie after

Dee Dee Ramone, the group's founding bassist, died earlier this month (see

[article id="1455083"]" 'Dee Dee Ramone Was Punk Rock' To

Friends, Fans"[/article]). Before that, Metallica were the only holdouts,

remaining undecided on which of four tracks they would hand over (see [article id="1454985"]"Rob Zombie's Ramones Tribute LP Just Waiting

For Metallica"[/article]).

Joining previously reported contributors Eddie Vedder, Red Hot Chili

Peppers, Marilyn Manson and U2, Garbage will lend a version of the boredom

anthem "I Just Want to Have Something to Do," and Kiss will record an

as-yet-undetermined track next week. Zombie said he thinks his

theatrical-rock inspirations will cover either "Rock & Roll High School" or

"Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio?" With either of those, Zombie said he'd

have hit all the classics.

"The scope of the Ramones record has really grown," he said. "We always

wanted it to be really special, but it turned into these superstars wanting

to get on the record, which is fine. I mean, that's really the point we

wanted to prove — these huge megabands were influenced by the Ramones.

I think Kurt Loder said at one point when Joey died [last year], 'You can't

judge the value of a band by record sales.' "

Zombie added that horror novelist/Ramones fan Stephen King has agreed to

write the liner notes for We're a Happy Family, which carries a

September 17 street date, according to his manager.

Although he said he had enough interest from the music community to make the

LP a double album, to pay proper homage to the punk progenitors, only the

cream of the crop will make the final cut.

"We don't want to just throw a song on there just because someone did it,"

he explained. "We want it to be good, 'cause a lot of times people treat

tribute records like, 'Uh, yeah, I'll whip up a demo for that on my weekend

and just stick it on there,' but that's not what we want. We want people to

take it seriously and really care how it sounds. And now with Dee Dee

passing away, it's more important than ever to just really get it done."

As for Zombie's contribution, he has recorded a version of the Ramones

staple "Blitzkrieg Bop," though passed through his interpretive sieve, the

rally cry "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" might be the only thing recognizable to some.

"I recorded it two ways," he said. "At first I recorded it kind of

faithfully, and then I realized that was pointless, because when you hear

someone recorded a song faithfully, you go, 'I don't wanna listen to this

crap, I'll just listen to the original.' So really it's been more [about]

deconstructing the songs and making them sound like something else, 'cause

even when I played it for [the tribute's other co-producer,] Johnny Ramone,

he was like, 'Wow, I never could have imagined you could have twisted it

around like that.' "

Zombie will rock Ozzfest beginning July 6, but first he'll give radio

stations "Demon Speeding," the third single from The Sinister Urge,

on June 25.