Punk. Not Metal, You Revisionists! - Without the Ramones, there d be NO Clash, NO Sex Pistols, NO Dead Kennedys, NO Buzzcocks, NO Rezillos. It all started with the Ramones, when they went on their tour in London, which they kicked off on the day of America s Bicentennial, on July 4, 1976. A decade after the Beatles, Kinks, the Who and Spinal Tap, the Ramones invaded the U.K. with their garage rock brand of PUNK with Johnny Ramone slashing out three power chords with his chainsaw guitar attack and Joey singing in his velvety monotone. Within a year, all of the sudden, punk rock bands were emerging from the U.K. left and right, all of the sudden the ignorant press (read: Rolling Stones, et al.) were calling punk a British import.So, let s put this stupid history revisionism to rest: The Ramones were punk. Punk started with the Ramones, and without the Ramones, there d be no punk.If they were merely another metal band at the time of their incarnation (such as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, or Kiss), their influence would have been for nil.I was there. I remember it all, and, yes, the Ramones were a bona fide punk band.This record has some of their best. Enjoy!
Loud, Fast, Their Toughest Hits - The Ramones-Loud, Fast, Their Toughest Hits *****Countless compaletions have been made of The Ramones including a career anthology, a best of, greatest hits, and many others but none has been as good or worth the money as Loud, Fast, Their Toughest Hits. Hand picked by Johnny Ramone himself, the guitarist for the Ramones since day one this has to be a winner. This collection covers the bands entire career even through the 1990s. This has something from every Ramones studio album from the selftitled debut album The Ramones in 1976 all the way up through Adios Amigos in 1995. You hear then all Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, Tommy, Marky, Richie, and C.J. Ramone they are all heard at one point or another here. Johnny and Joey are the only original members of the band to stay the entire stay until the band retired.The Ramones are whether some want to admit it one of the greatest bands of all time, and not just of the punk genra, but of rock n roll and pop as well. The Ramones had all the ingrediants to sell and be massive, and why they were not the biggest band of all time is beyond me they are catchy and charasmatic and had the look of a boy band, well a really cool and greasy boy band but still... Take a slice of The Beachboys, a splash of The Beatles, and the throw aways of The Rolling Stone wordrobe and you have The Ramones. This is a shorter review because honestly the music speaks for itself, and so does this awesome collection.
Faster Than A Speeding Bullet - The first time I saw the Ramones was at a rehearsal studio in NYC, opening for the Fast. Nobody had ever heard of them. They stepped on stage and started playing. Faster than any band I d ever heard. Johnny was ripping at his guitar so viciously he sliced his thumb and sprayed everyone in the first row with blood. He never stopped. Or even winced. Joey wrapped himself around the mic (not in a sexy Jim Morrison kind of way, but like a catepillar.) Dee Dee counted off every song 1,2,3,4! It was the lyrics more than the speedy riffs - I don t wanna walk around with you, why do you wanna walk around with me? Beat on the brat with a baseball bat. Carbona! Not glue! Jaws dropped. Are they kidding? Is this a joke? Who ARE these guys? The club scene was new in NYC in the mid-70 s. You couldn t NOT see the Ramones play live. They just got better & better, faster & louder. The songs stick in your head like glue. 30+ years later, they remain one of a kind. The smartest dumb band ever. RIP Joey, Dee Dee, Johnny!
This is a great compilation/intro to Joey and the gang - First of all, let me clear up something. This is by not by any means a perfect Greatest Hits CD. As one reviewer said, about half this CD is incredible and the 2nd half is mediocore. But this is only a byproduct of Johnny s attempt to make the CD broader in musical scope and a more career-spaning effort, and I think this is an important thing for any GH CD to try and do. Even though I don t really like any songs past The KKK Took My Baby Away, I appreciate what Johnny tried to do here.With that said, if you want to get into the Ramones, this is the CD to do it. I used to be this kind of Clash-elitist for the longest time, and I always thought that the Ramones were these no talent, three-chord mainstream bore-fests, until I got this CD. While I still think the Ramones are less-talented than the Clash and a lot of other punk bands, I think they possess a quality beyond talent, something that so many bands of that era, this era, and any era really lack: raw, raw passion. This band is so pure and so stripped of all flashiness and bs rock n roll glam that it is absolutely inspiring to listen to. The Ramones really knew how to make you want to get up and break something, and it was only 73 when they started doing it, just 4 years after the biggest hippie bash ever. Songs like Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment I Wanted Everything and Beat on the Brat are just so simply powerful. They are an incredibly unique band in this regard. And of course, you have to give them respect for being the first real punk band to land a major record deal.I used to hate this band. This CD taught me to wise up, shut my mouth, and respect this amazing group. There will never be another band like them. NYC punk at its greatest.
RAMONES PLAY HEAVY METAL - The Ramones aren t a punk band. They are a hard rock heavy metal band. And all the songs on this album are heavy metal style. JoeyRamone still sings the same voice though Johnny Ramone plays electric heavy metal guitar. The Ramones were always a rock and roll band.