RAMONES
RAMONES
(1976)
A1: BLITZKRIEG BOP (2:12); A2: BEAT ON THE BRAT (2:30); A3: JUDY IS A PUNK (1:30); A4: I WANNA BE YOUR BOYFRIEND (2:24); A5: CHAIN SAW (1:55); A6: NOW I WANNA SNIFF SOME GLUE (1:34); A7: I DON’T WANNA GO DOWN IN THE BASEMENT (2:35).
B1: LOUDMOUTH (2:14); B2: HAVANA AFFAIR (2:00); B3: LISTEN TO MY HEART (1:56); B4: 53RD & 3RD (2:19); B5: LET’S DANCE (1:51); B6: I DON’T WANNA WALK AROUND WITH YOU (1:43); B7: TODAY YOUR LOVE, TOMORROW THE WORLD (2:09).
CATEGORY: PUNK ROCK | DURATION: 29 MINUTES
Ultimately the most significant in the trinity of crucial New York albums that shook up the music world, and beyond, in 1975-76. Ramones, four long-hairs in ripped jeans and leather, delivered an opus which in one fell swoop annihilated the ramblings of the rock mainstream in favour of abrupt, stripped-back blasts of degenerate aggression, a blueprint for much of the music which would follow in the next few years. Track A3, “Judy Is A Punk”, gave the music press a tag it could cling onto to quantify and tame this startling new approach, but not before its ripples spread irrevocably across the planet. Despite the craven sound-mix which reduces Johnny Ramone’s “chainsaw” guitar to a mere texture beneath a painfully elevated vocal, Ramones retains its power to destroy through joy.
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF ROBERT YOUNG (1964-2014)
“ÆTERNUM VORTICE LACRIMARUM SOMNIAT”