Thursday, March 5, 2015

Throwback Thursday: Ramones, by The Ramones

 
About a year before The Sex Pistols came crashing onto the scene with their own loud, obscene, and earth shaking brand of punk rock, there was a band already coming into the main stream with music in a similar vein: The Ramones. In a time where rock music was becoming more and more corporate, drawn out, and pretentious there were those wanted the genre to return to its fun upbeat roots with catchy, short, and memorable tunes that everyone could sing and dance along to. The Ramones were pretty much the answer to such prayers when in the mid-70's they hit the New York club scene and released their first album.

This debut album was simply titled Ramones; straight to the point. Released in 1976 its 14 tracks have the album clocking in at only 29 minutes. Most of the tunes don't last longer than two minutes; the longest coming in at 2:38. All of the songs are fast, raw, and melodic. It's punk rock in its purest form. In a way, they remind me vaguely of what The Beach Boys might sound like if they were to up the tempo and crank up the overdrive on their amplifiers. In a way this is probably along the lines of what The Ramones were going for at the time.

There is one song that EVERYBODY knows The Ramones for, even if they don't know it's by them; this tune being Blitzkrieg Bop. Its intro is iconic. With its simple repetition of "Ay! Oh! Let's go!" over a driving rhythm from drummer Tommy Ramone how could it not be? It's a song to make you get off your ass and want to just GO. Despite the fact that it is just simple three chord punk rock it's a great way to get your day going if you're just dragging your feet and not really feeling going in to work or school.

The Ramones also had a bit of a softer side to them as well unlike many of the other bands who would take up the punk flag. Such tenderness is showcased in the love song I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend. Like many of the songs from the band it is just three chords but they are used to the fullest extent to accent a very pleasing vocal melody from Joey Ramone. Despite the fact that he wasn't the most talented vocalist by any stretch of the imagination, he knew what he could do and made the best of things. If you're a punk rocker and want to woo a girl over, I HIGHLY advise you learn to play this.

Though The Ramones were not the first punk rock band to ever exist, they were crucial to it coming to the mainstream; and rightfully so. Their style is simple, honest, and all around fun. They are an every man (or woman) kind of band that many younger people can still relate to in some way or another even to this day. The lyrics are simple, yet full of substance and backed by some of the loudest and most pulsing music you can imagine. Ramones shows where the band came from and pretty much the birth of a genre. It's a must-have for every punk rocker out there.

Ramones, by The Ramones receives 3.75 stars out of 5.

Track List:

1. Blitzkrieg Bop
2. Beat on the Brat
3. Judy is a Punk
4. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
5. Chainsaw
6. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
7. I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement
8. Loudmouth
9. Havana Affair
10. Listen to My Heart
11. 53rd and 3rd
12. Let's Dance
13. I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You
14. Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World

Buy the album on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Ramones-RAMONES/dp/B00005JGAB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425618872&sr=8-1&keywords=Ramones

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