The Ramones. Arguably one of the most talked about Punk bands ever. They are notorious for their short, fast songs that were unlike anything heard at the time as well as the long shadow of influence that they cast upon rock music that lasts even to this day.
They were simple. Extremely simple. Their esthetic was almost one-dimensional. The harmonies were simple as well. Everything was boiled down to the most basic elements. There really wasn’t any superflous elements in any Ramones songs. The tracks were so short becuase they consisted only of the hook. Perhaps this is why they left such an impact. Their gimmick was that they had no gimmick.
For those familiar with the group the song titles will conjur the entire song; “Beat on the Brat”, “I Wanna Be Sedated”, “The KKK Took my Baby Away”, “Rock and Roll High School” and of course the most anthemic of all their anthems “Blitzkrieg Bop”.
They existed through the decades, starting in the 70′s punk scene in New York City, defining the CBGB’s punk aesthetic, and when they broke up in the 90′s, after several lineup changes, they managed to remain frozen in time. They were so true to their goal, and so honest in their approach they never seemed to be a souvinir from the punk-rock era. The era went where they went, and when they left it left with them. They came out with album after album after album, without ever becoming platinum selling juggernauts. No matter, they did what they did and they continued to do it until they just decided one day to stop.
There really is no deep meaning to this post, it’s just something I have been thinking about. The Ramones were, in all honesty, nothing special. They were a dime a dozen, and they knew it. I still remember when I first heard “Mania”, a.k.a. the only Ramones album that you really need. It’s 30 songs encompassing an hour and 15 minutes. All the anthems are there. There probably isn’t one kid that loves rock and roll that doesn’t hear these songs and think to themselves “this is the foundation of rock”. The Ramones are the foundation of Rock and Roll. They took everything that is good about music and boiled it down to 2 minutes and 30 seconds or less.
The Ramones were about energy, attitude, Rock and Roll and the attitude of the New York scene. They remain legends, and I know for me personally, were an extremely important part of my love for music. Listening to them is a nostalgic experience. Every kid discovers the Ramones, just like every kid eventually discovers “Dark Side of the Moon”. It is inevitable, it’s a rite of passage.
