Ramones - Ramones (Dlx)
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Free Music Notes for Ramones (Dlx)
Free Music Review: the start of a great musical/cultural revolution.
Hit: 5 Stars
I first heard the Ramones debut record in early 1977, shortly after reading a review of them in a music magazine (I think it might have been Trouser Press or perhaps Hit Parader) when I was 15, and I was blown away by its stripped down sound. Hearing them made me an instant fan, as I suspect it did for many others. I remember just loving the Ramones' sound and their twisted sense of humor, not to mention their look (kudos to Roberta Bayley and Arturo Vega for the band photos), and beginning with them, embracing the punk revolution as a breath of fresh air. Here indeed was a band for kid who grew up on Mad Magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland, comic books, Ed Sullivan, and late 60s bubblegum, and who came of age in the middle of the anomic 1970s.
Here the Ramones are sounding extremely stripped down and raw. Recorded for just a few thousand bucks (cheap even by mid 70s prices) the raw sound is a perfect compliment to these songs - some of the Ramones great classics. Songs like Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat on the Brat, 53rd and 3rd, and I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You have well stood the test of time. And with a cover of the oldies song Let's Dance, the Ramones link themselves to rock's glorious past, its transistor radio era.
In short what we have here is the start of a musical/cultural revolution.
I had the good fortune of seeing the Ramones live twice (once in 1978, with a teenage Joan Jett and the Runaways the opening band). They were just as incredible live as they were on record. I also remember the thrill of running into Joey Ramone in lower Manhattan one afternoon; I wish I still had the autograph which I got from him, but it's gone. At least though I still have my records.
Free Music Review: True Musical Pioneers
Hit: 5 Stars
There are very few artists that can say that they single-handedly pioneered a musical genre. The Ramones did just that with this album. This album was a phenomonal first of many classics that this band would make during the next 25 years. The album is raw and not nearly as polished as others that the band would make as they got more recording experience. It does, however, show more than mere traces of the greatness that was to follow. With little more than three guitar power chords, ripped blue jeans and black leather jackets, the Ramones brought to the world an unchartered sound that pre-dated even the earliest wave of Britishpunk. Many say that without the Ramones there would be no Green Day, Blink-182, etc. I would go even further and say that without them, there would be no "alternative" (and I use that term loosely) or modern, post-modern, etc, of any kind.
The Ramones dared to delve into territory that the world had never heard blending "sludgy," slightly nihilistic guitar with catchy pop melodies that could sometimes be as sunny as the Beachboys. It is a true talent (Johnny Ramone, R.I.P) that can make so many memorable and different songs with such a limited number of guitar chords. Being way ahead of their time, the Ramones were not to see what little mainstream success they had until almost the end of their career. This band is a very important part of musical history that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
As for the ignorant and uninformed comment made by In Flames 666, you are forgiven. As someone who champions death metal (which I personally consider the bottom feeder of all musical
styles), you probably don't know any better.
Free Music Review: The original punk rockers.
Hit: 5 Stars
I laugh at people who inform me that the Sex Pistols were "the first true punk band." They need to brush up on their history--without the Ramones in 1976 there would be no Sex Pistols, no Clash, and hell, no punk rock genre. Without the Ramones we would all still be listening to Yes and ELP. The Ramones began the revolution, and still outstrip most of their peers (including the aforementioned Sex Pistols). These guys, though hardly possessing any knowledge of how to use their instruments, were the epitome of cool. With loud fast power chords from Johnny, lots of attitude, and seemingly goofball (actually ingenious) lyrics penned by Joey, the 1976 debut's songs rip off the starting line with Dee Dee's "1-2-3-4!" and end with a bang. 14 songs rip by in 26 minutes, and the rush never gets old. Who can't get Blitzkrieg Bop, Judy Is A Punk, and Beat On The Brat out of their heads?
The Ramones were both revitalists and innovators, taking the riffs and back-to-basics rock of Chuck Berry and Eddie Cochran, adding the humor and subversiveness of early Who recordings, and then playing the mix at hyperdrive. Nobody ever played rock like this before. Music execs at the time were baffled and radio stations wouldn't give them a lick of airplay. But a fanatical cadre of fans, along with critics who "got" it, turned these boys from NYC into stars.
You can't call yourself a "punk" until you possess a Ramones recording. In fact, if you don't love the Ramones you should write off rock music altogether and take up knitting. To call their debut "influential" would be like calling WWII a "police action." Buy your copy, and don't forget to check out the Damned's debut and The Clash's first album.
Free Music Review: Every bit as good as any Beatles Album
Hit: 5 Stars
If you don't know that this CD is every bit as good as any Beatles album while at the same time being more focused than all of them you haven't been paying attention. Laden with rock, pop sensibility and moving at 100 miles per hour while embracing junk culture The Ramones managed to reinvent the rules of rock 'n roll on this and their next three releases.
Employing the Little Richard and Buddy Holly song writing techniques they move from one catchy riff to the next, seldom giving the listener a chance to relax. Sure enough, there is a certain romanticism associated with four kids from New York taking on "real musicians" such as the likes of Yes and ELP and other masturbatory music and showing them how it's done, but the romanticism turns out to be more than mere fantasy - rock 'n roll rules get redrawn right here and The Clash and The Sex Pistols will follow shortly.
When discussing The Ramones many people choose to concentrate on nonsensical historical pigeonholing. Some proclaim them to be punk's inventors; others accuse them of playing second bananas to Iggy, MC5 and VU. Personally I could care less. You want to confer the title of punk inventor to Iggy or The MC5 you go right ahead. That does absolutely nothing to diminish the quality of The Ramones. This CD belongs in any true rock and roll fan's music collection and not just as an interesting historical footnote, which is exactly what can be said for both The MC5 and Iggy's early efforts. The Ramones belong on merit of every possible kind except perhaps virtuosity and who gives a crap about that insofar rock 'n roll goes? None but the metalheads and they don't count.
Free Music Review: Ramones
Hit: 5 Stars
This is an absolutely amazing album. Originally clocking in at under thirty minutes with fourteen tracks, it started an era that still holds true today. "Blitzkrieg Bop" truely was the shot heard 'round the world. And "Beat On The Brat", their ode to rich mothers' children, keeps the album rocking all the way through. "Judy Is A Punk" is based off of two Ramones fans, Jackie and Judy, who were always seeming to get into trouble. The Ramones would later do a less successful sequel to the song on the Phil Spector-produced "End Of The Century". Speaking of Spector, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" sounds something right out of the early sixties. It's excellent. The entire album is fantastic, and defines true punk. Okay, to clear something up. Some people are saying that the Ramones are more pop-punk, and that they did not actually start the era, but artists like The Stooges, New York Dolls, the Velvet Underground, T. Rex, and MC5 did. This is both true and false. Those five artists may have helped start an all-new sound, but the Ramones were more influenced by the likes of the Beach Boys and The Beatles than any of those three. They wanted to play music that was unlike anything else at the time, becasue like many others they were dissatisfied with the current pompous and exaggerated music. When this album was released in 1976, it sparked hundreds of other bands, calling themselves "Punk". The Ramones were the first band to truely be a punk-rock band. Once that was established, The Stooges and those bands becames known as Pre-Punk.
Buy this album.