Ramones
Ramones
1976
Album Summary
Ramones is the debut studio album by American punk rock band The Ramones, released on April 23, 1976, by Sire Records. After Hit Parader editor Lisa Robinson saw the band at a gig in New York City, she wrote about them in an article and contacted Danny Fields, insisting that he be their manager. Fields agreed and convinced Craig Leon to produce Ramones, and the band recorded a demo for prospective record labels. Leon persuaded Sire president Seymour Stein to listen to the band perform, and he later offered the band a recording contract. The Ramones began recording in January 1976, needing only seven days and $6,400 to record the album. The album cover, photographed by Punk magazine's Roberta Bayley, features the four members leaning against a brick wall in New York City. The record company paid only $125 for the front photo, which has since become one of the most imitated album covers of all time. The back cover depicts an eagle belt buckle along with the album's liner notes. After its release, Ramones was promoted with two singles, which failed to chart. The Ramones also began touring to help sell records; these tour dates were mostly based in the United States, though two were booked in Britain. Violence, drug use, relationship issues, humor, and Nazism were prominent in the album's lyrics. The album opens with "Blitzkrieg Bop", which is among the band's most recognized songs. Most of the album's tracks are uptempo, with many songs measuring at well over 160 beats per minute. The songs are also rather short; at two-and-a-half minutes, "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" is the album's longest track. Ramones contains a cover of the Chris Montez song "Let's Dance". Ramones was unsuccessful commercially, peaking at number 111 on the US Billboard 200, though it received glowing reviews from critics. Many later deemed it a highly influential record, and it has since received many accolades, such as the top spot on Spin magazine's list of the "50 Most Essential Punk Records". Ramones is considered an influential punk album in the US and UK, and had a significant impact on other genres of rock music, such as grunge and heavy metal. The album was ranked at number 33 in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, maintaining the ranking in a 2012 revision and dropping to number 47 in the 2020 reboot of the list. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2014.
WikipediaThis album flies by. Most songs are less then 2 minutes long, nothing overs stays it's welcomes. It just punches you in the ears for 30 minutes and then stops. Perfection Blitzkrieg Bop is one of the greatest songs ever.
"Ay, oh, let's go!" A great way to start this 1001 album journey. I like the Ramones; their music has a charming simplicity that I'm sure encouraged countless people to pick up their instruments and play. Everything sounds very DIY--basic drum patterns, power chords, nothing fancy. That's the purest nature of punk rock. As an album, this didn't exactly hold my attention, as it starts to blend together very quickly, but its value is very apparent to me. For a debut album, this does a perfect job establishing a signature sound. Favorite tracks: Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat on the Brat, Let's Dance Album art: Pretty badass band photo. The cover looks surprisingly modern. I could see a band doing an album cover like this in the last decade. Also I have to point out that the Ramone on the far right looks exactly like Coconuthead from Ned's Declassified.
The greatest punk album by the greatest punk band. Ever. Full stop. Each track overflows with the sheer, joyful, nihilistic abandon that makes punk so great. Haters gonna hate ... but they're wrong. This is peak punk perfection. Full stop.
I mean, it's all the same song. It honestly is. It's fine enough but you'd be hard-pressed to find a lot of differences.
Gabba gabba hey! The perfect Friday record. Poppy, upbeat, positive and catchy as hell. Try not having a giant smile on your face while listening.
I do declare! The compositions on this phonograph from this band of young miscreants all sound exceedingly similar! Can you imagine the nerve?!? How audacious! Quick, someone fetch me my fainting couch! I do believe I am having the vapors…Oh, my!
One of the most classic songs starts out this album that is more than twice as long as David Bowie’s album the same year. By length I do mean tracks because time wise it is ten minutes shorter. I think back to when Freddie Mercury told the executives when pitching Bohemian Rhapsody: “I pity your wife if you think six minutes is long”. Maybe David Bowie taught Freddie, I’m not sure. But the Ramones certainly are of the philosophy “get in and get out”. As much as I am a fan of shorter songs, can a song that is ninety seconds long be considered a song? It is pretty wild to see how far punk rock has come from the Ramones. Loved the cool use of a chainsaw on the song Chain Saw but then the beat goes right back to their last four songs. At least each song ends before I even have a chance to skip it due to their length. Again, these are great songs to have on in the background of a party or a punk rock type gathering but I wouldn’t listen to it otherwise. Now they want to sniff some glue. I did do a quick play through of three or more songs and they all started with the exact same drums and guitar riffs. I could sing Blitzkrieg Bop during each of these songs and my tempo wouldn’t be off at all. Ok I even tried another two songs and it was the same. I’m laughing as I write this because Listen to My Heart starts out different but quickly goes right back to the beat. They became famous from this so who am I to tell them what success looks like.
That was 14 of exactly the same song for me. If there wasn’t a gap between each song I would have that the album was 1 x 29min 16sec song. 1/5
It’s hard to not like this band. Great melodies. Easily one of the most influential bands of all time. Idk how much I’d ever listen to them, but they’re undeniable.
There's a fine line between genius and stupid. The Ramones sit happily on that line, huffing the marker used to create it.
An absolute classic, been jamming to Blitzkrieg Bop since Pro Skater 2
Never really listened to the Ramones before but after listening to this album, I may have to start. I'm a huge fan of punk type music (Blink-182, Green Day, Fall Out Boy, *honorary mention* Lil Peep) but I've also not been a huge fan of Rock music. I know that some of the bands I've listed are also considered to be Punk Rock bands, but I see them more as Punk than Rock. But with this album, you can really call it Punk Rock, and I like it, a lot. As soon as I finished listening to it, I listened to it one more time, and then another. It's a perfect blend of Punk and Rock and you can really feel it. Real rocky instrumentals with that great mix of Punky vocals and lyrics. It makes you wanna smoke a cigarette in class and flip the bird at your bloody teacher. Blitzkrieg Bop is a classic (Shout out Jimmy Neutron) and I really like I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, Havana Affair, and Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue. It's a very fun album to listen to and it's almost like they're just rumbling when they sing sometimes and at this point, I'm rambling but it's because I'm trying to finish this review up so I can go listen to it again and throw rocks at birds while wearing all black. Oops, almost forgot to tear some holes in my jeans, I guess I'll be going now. ……… Are you still here? BUZZ OFF ASSHOLE *Double middle fingers*!
Stone cold classic. Messy, scrappy and as punk as you like. Fun from start to finish
I wasn't excited to see this one come up, but as soon as I listened it was immediately a favorite. Energetic and naughty, humorous and provocative, it fired me up good. I love "I Don't Wanna go Down to the Basement." I love Joey Ramone's articulations.
Absolutnie widzę się 40 lat temu słuchając tego albumu kilka razy dziennie, odkładającego na ramoneskę wszystkie zarobione pieniądze. Utwory co prawda za krótkie, żeby cokolwiek się w nich rozwinęło - jest mocna, szybka perkusja, są elektryki, głośne wokale i całość razem daje zaskakująco pozytywne brzmienie. I to chyba przepis na dobrą płytę, bo dziś też słucham jej już piąty raz, za każdym razem czerpiąc z tego przyjemność. Nie ma co tu kombinować, zasługują na wysoką notę jak mało kto w tym zestawieniu.
I mean, to me, this is another prime example of how punk shines best. It is tight and catchy, but still has rough edges and a lack of polish that really digs in to you.
I love this album. It's short and fast and fun. The Ramones are great.
Now we’re talkin. Love the Ramones. Bring it on baby! I mean Blitzkrieg Bop is legendary.
Un clàssic imprescindible. Imcompresos al seu temps, els Ramones van fer un àlbum per a la història. Ple de temes efectius, directes, sincers i colpidors.
"Second verse, same as the first" (Judy is a punk) "Well let's dance, well let's dance We'll do the twist, the stomp, the mashed potato too, Any old dance that you wanna do But let's dance, well let's dance" (Let's dance) ¿Le voy a clavar mis primeras cinco estrellas a un disco que tiene sólo dos melodías para las canciones? Ya te digo yo que sí.
Dit album gaat vooruit als een trein en neemt je direct mee vanaf de eerste halte tot aan het eindstation!
Pure, unbridled PUNK ROCK This is the most important album in punk easy (not the best mind you, that honour would probably go to the band's third effort Rocket To Russia or London Calling).
Hey Ho... Lets Go! Die Urväter des US-Punkrocks mit ihrem Debutalbum! Nur Hits drauf! Großer Klassiker!
I love 70s-80s punk and I know that the Ramones paved a lot of the way for it, but all the songs on this album, albeit good, are so samey the whole way through. They are much better to listen to as singles.
Obvio este ya lo habia escuchado entero. Discazo. Aguante los Ramones. Beat on the brat, Judy is a punk y Havana Affair lo que mas me gustan.
Тэк-с, чё там у нас, отцы панка подъехали. Уважаем. Погнали. Blietzkrieg Bop – один из самых знаковых треков в панке и роцке в целом. До сих пор звучит актуально, благодаря чему залетел титры попсового кинца Человек-паук: Возвращение домой. Beat on the Brat, Judy Is A Punk и далее – тоже норм темы: лаконичный яркий саунд, запоминающиеся мотивы, потенциал для напевания. Минимализм идёт об руку с краткостью, благодаря чему надоедать не успевают. Отдаю должное самому подходу к написанию треков: находишь простую яркую фразу, пару раз обыгрваешь, добавляешь пару переходов – трек готов. Никакой духоты, никакой претенциозности, тупо фан. Подобные треки славно приживаются в рандомных подборках: гоняешь Prog Metal трек минут на 7, задумываешься, потом разрядочка – Ramones на пару минут, отдохнул-кайфанул, дём дальше. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend может показаться сопливым попсом. Но всяко не галимой, звучит довольно искренне. Поверил бы, что это кавер на какой-нибудь олдскульный трек 50-60-х, а не конъюнктурные сопли для бо́льших продаж. Причём кавер на трек 60-х на альбоме действительно есть – Let's Dance. И звучит он так, будто написан для альбома. Havana Affair тоже выделяется. Всратый, психоделический текст, состоящий из вроде бы простых слов, которые клеятся в абсурдные образы. «Там я зарабатывал на жизнь, приятель, Собирая бананы. Теперь я — разведчик в ЦРУ. Меня послали шпионить на кубинский конкурс талантов.» Заменить ЦРУ на КГБ – сошло бы за текст Летова. А без конкретных наименований, ЦРУ и Гаваны – на тексты SOAD. Это постмодерн, построенный не столько на негативе к премодерну и модерну, сколько на своём собственном доступном и искреннем позитиве. Такого порой до сих пор будто не хватает. Это что касается рассмотрения альбома как вещи-в-себе. В контексте истории это вообще настоящий блядоход. Если бы не Рамонес и этот альбом в частности, хз, стало бы панк-движение тем, чем оно стало. Да и как бы роцк развивался в целом. Может, и ваш покорную слуга не ходил бы в косухе. Обычно простая, лаконичная, музыка сразу раскусывается и быстро приедается. Но Ramones как-то удаётся писать настолько лёгкие треки, что их веса не хватает на то, чтобы заебать. Впрочем, и для того, чтобы быть хитовой – зачастую тоже. Но как сопутствующая бытию музыка – нормас.
I fucking love this album. It took me a while to get into the Ramones, but every song on this album is fun. It must have been so awesome to live in New York in the late 70s, apart from the insane levels of senseless violence 5/5
Quick album to get through. Classic punk rock, what's not to love about the album? Bunch of known songs on it too. 8/10.
I’m very familiar with The Ramones greatest hits, having started listening to them in college. So I figured I’d like this album if only for the hits I already love. There are many songs on this album that were new to me that I’m very glad to have heard: Judy Is A Punk, Chain Saw, I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement, Havana Affair, 53rd and 3rd Let’s Dance is an enjoyable cover version of the old 50s song. My favorite new song though is “Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World.” A surprising and concise look at a Nazi soldier that evokes so much more than you might expect. Listened to this twice today. It’s been fun revisiting the Ramones and exploring their music beyond the bigger hits.
Wow - I have always loved The Ramones, but listening to the entire album makes is apparent how commandeered their music is now by commercials and consumerism. Bittersweet success and a dead revolution.
Class(ic) album, loved it then and love it now but why did anyone remix perfection. Trying to listen to the original is like trying to find hen's teeth and the remix doesn't add anything to the songs.
There was a time when I almost exclusively listened to albums with 12 or more tracks clocking in at around 30 minutes run time or those with maybe 7 that ran for an hour or more; 'Ramones' was firmly in the rotation. Always preferred 'Road to Ruin' but this still has an incredible energy from the iconic intro track all the way to the end. Top tier punk rock
Good enough that a 15 year old girl can wear one of their t shirts without knowing who they are I suppose. Rock n Roll High-school.
What's not to love? Scorching guitars, short songs, fast tempos, good album length, creation of a mf'n genre - it's perfect!
Personally I prefer Rocket to Russia. But there's a certain timelessness to this debut. Most of the songs are GREAT! Blitzkrieg Bop, I Wanna be Your Boyfriend, Chain Saw, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, I Don't Wanna G to The Basement, there's just no let up. The Ramones were the cause of a musical revolution...and the revolution starts here 5 stars
Personally I prefer Rocket to Russia. But there's a certain timelessness to this debut. Most of the songs are GREAT! Blitzkrieg Bop, I Wanna be Your Boyfriend, Chain Saw, Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue, I Don't Wanna G to The Basement, there's just no let up. The Ramones were the cause of a musical revolution...and the revolution starts here 5 🌟
There's something wrong about listening to this album on your phone, or your computer. You need to hear it on a record, or a dubbed tape on a crappy tape player. The Ramones should not be remastered for quality sound. My first encounter with the Ramones was when I was 15 or 16. My sister had two songs of theirs on a mixtape: "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." The second song made me pause because I wasn't sure if this band was a serious band or not. Even if they weren't, I still liked them. My kid came in and said "Is that the Ramones?" "Yeah," I said. "Every song of theirs sounds the same," he protested. "Not really," I countered. "Once you listen to the album, you start to notice the differences between the songs. Yeah, the songs are all at about 160 beats per minute. But you can still tell." Every song on this album has been covered by someone. I think that tells you something about the album in and of itself. I like this album a lot, but I can see how non-punk fans (like my kid) could be standoffish to it. It is pure energy (Almost every song you can hear the "1-2-3-4!" in the beginning.) and not much else. I understand how progfans can be towards punk (lack of talent and intricacy), but you cannot deny what the Ramones did and how this album really started it all. It is a great album. I did start to listen to the 40th anniversary edition, and it does get a bit repetitive. So steer clear of that one. The Blitzkrieg Bop single version has some weird reverb on it. Never heard it like that before.
Lo-Fi Hi-Energy punk rock. Makes me want to be a wild eyed teen sweating my tits off at underground gigs again.
Solid 5 star, could and did listen to it all day. Epitome of punk/rock/new wave/whatever.
Wonderful, just wonderful. I love the Ramones, such a sound and such nostalgia for me. The sound of the Ramones just throws me back to listening to them when I was 13/14. They epitomise so much of the music I love, so much of it can be traced to the Ramones.
Love this album! Many have copied it but I think it was something really new and fresh about this debut. Such a simple sound. I love his voice, I love the length of the album. I love how the album starts with the classic "Ay oh let's go!" You can't beat that, absolute classic deserves to be on this list!
Great album. Catchy and fun as fuck, I could (and do) listen to this over and over and never get bored. In fact, I like this sound so much that many of the bands I listen to just straight-up copy it. There's a reason why this album was so influential on punk in general and why an entire subgenre of pop punk formed around it. This is what an album should be like--upbeat, energetic, catchy, under 30 minutes with over 13 songs. The first three Ramones albums are all classics that deserve to be on this list and this one might even be my favorite out of them.
Perfect bopping with no fat and perfect tunes. What a blitzkrieg of an album - end to end.
I loved this album. I never got around to listening to them. I’m sure glad I did
El disc de punk rock definitiu. L'actitud, les cançons, les lletres, l'imatge, la portada...
For someone who isn't a huge fan of punk, I gotta say that these guys know how to make a punk rock album. The songs don't overstay their welcome and things don't blend together like I was worried they would do. Just a great, high-energy time.
Punk clásico con canciones enérgicas, cortas y llenas de espíritu. Guitarrero y con melodía.
What can you do? With a brat like that always on your back What can you lose, lose?