*Calling the Ramones "traditional punk" feels a little like calling Einstein a "traditional theoretical physicist," and I realize this.Īfter this experiment and other interpersonal scuffles, the boys stopped even trying to get along with each other, realized that they'd never be the Beatles, and switched gears to just being a The album itself is a beautiful mess, really compelling, and remains the album I'm most likely to put on after Too Tough to Die and There are a lot of amazing horror stories from that experiment. This was a conscious sell-out attempt and it didn't work. This pattern was broken by their 1980 album on which they worked with Phil Spector. Punk Rocker," "I Wanna Be Sedated," and the like. The Ramones are best known for the sound theyĮstablished on their first four albums which featured simplistic, fast, poppy, fairly traditional*, three-chord punk like you hear in their better-known tunes like "Blitzkrieg Bop," "Sheena Is a We are rabid Ramones fans, but our favorites come from their albums released in the 80s, not the 70s. Place for it by removing "Mandy" by Barry Manilow from the list because nobody wants to hear me talk about "Mandy," least of all me.īoth Pete and I have a quirk about us. I should also mention that I forgot about this song and found a
The Ramones pick wouldn't show up so far away from #1 in the countdown if I was confined to just one choice. I am NOT, but capped it at 3 per artist, in case you assumed So “Gabba Gabba Hey!” to The Ramones, ya cretins.Real quick some housekeeping-my friend Kelly is doing her top 100 too but we didn't align personal rules. But even the bad albums are fun to listen to, and listeners are guaranteed at least one or two head-bopping, bubblegum chewing punk rock anthems. Bonus: They even star in their own cult classic film. And if a band’s success just happens to be defined by how many of their t-shirts are sold to teens at shopping malls across the world, then The Ramones are arguably the most successful band in the history of bands whose name, sound and image have been appropriated by mainstream culture. Hell, they even inspired a look and fashion that lives on in rock and punk rock circles over 45 years later. Far too many to list here, but from U2 to Green Day (and all of the popular and not-so-popular bands in-between), there isn’t a modern day rock/punk rock band that can’t thank The Ramones for paving the way. Instead, you have to look at how many bands and solo artists they influenced. The Ramones’ legacy will never be measured in the total number of records sold.
Kevin Shields liked the Ramones, too Johnny Ramone impacted him, and Kevin Shields admitted that for him, the Ramones were THE revelation. Even parts of post-punk, post-hardcore and noise rock were inspired by the Ramones just look into Wire, Big Black, John Reis, Bob Mould, Sonic Youth, etc. The Ramones paved the way for hardcore punk and thrash metal, and you could say that they inspired pop punk. Saying that they defined punk is an understatement their impact on that genre is huge, and I’m sure their first four albums set a template that was expanded upon by many musicians. The Ramones sounded like they had a lot of fun, and even though a bunch of their songs followed a formula, there was a magic to the execution that kept their first four albums from getting tired.Īs a side note, I’m astounded by the impact of the Ramones. Their first four albums never came off as cheesy to me there was humor, irony & an endearing quality that brought another layer to their music. The lyrics are simple, and they didn’t deal with super-deep stuff the Ramones’ aesthetic consisted of a constant sugar rush. The melodies are excellent, too memorable, distinctive & incredibly yummy. The Ramones never forgot about melody, and there were sweet elements underneath the roughness. The Ramones were melodic, too! Sure, they’re one of the pioneers of punk, but they were catchy! Their first four albums have tons of hooks & melodies, and the Ramones did pop tunes that were fast, raw & covered in distortion. I admire how the Ramones were bare-bones in many ways, along with the lack of guitar solos and how they focused on making fast-paced songs.
The Ramones did a direct, straightforward interpretation of rock that I love. However, I love all of that! I like how the Ramones had a “to the point, no BS” style their songs were over in 2-3 minutes or less, and they didn’t waste your time. The rhythm section wasn’t flashy, and the Ramones were a stripped down band. Their first four albums are pivotal parts of punk, and I admire their style.įrankly, I love their simplicity! The Ramones (circa their debut to Road to Ruin) didn’t use super-complex compositions, and they used barre chords & downstrokes. The Ramones are a band that I’ve always liked, but recently, I’ve really gotten into them.
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