A Mania for the Ramones
by rick olivares
Last July 5, I was able to pick
up for the first time on vinyl, Ramones Mania; a greatest hits compilation released
in 1988 that gathers songs from their first 10 albums (they went on to record
four more after its release for a total of 14 studio albums). I previously
purchased this on compact disc and the opportunity to get the first pressing of
this record was something that greatly appealed to me.
While reading the album’s liner
notes and brushing up on Ramones history that day, it dawned upon me that 5th
of July was the 42nd anniversary of the of one of the most important
days in punk rock, let alone, music history.
On the evening of the 5th
of July, 1976, the Ramones played their second show outside their native USA. They
played back-to-back nights at the Roundhouse in Camden, London, England. The
first show coincided with the American Bicentennial and at that time, the band toured
in support of their self-titled debut album that came out some three months earlier.
Yet, the Ramones weren’t the
headliner for those shows – something that said a lot about their career in
hindsight – it was fellow American band, the Flamin’ Groovies. British band,
the Stranglers, was the opening act after which the Ramones played a 33-plus
minute set that featured 17-songs.
During the second show, in
attendance were members of the Clash, the Damned, the Sex Pistols, and one
expatriate American, Chrissie Hynde who would later go on to form, the
Pretenders. Every one of them would go on to be inspired by the Ramones as punk
rock arrived in Britain. Within a year’s time, those three bands all released
albums with the Pretenders following suit four years later.
The Ramones and their British
offspring also went on to inspire a number of Filipino youth who later put up
their own bands and released self-produced albums.
Speaking of albums, the Ramones
never sold a lot of records or received acclaim during their heyday. The
mainstream derided them for their music and look. They were a casualty of the
derision that followed in the wake of the Sex Pistols appetite for destruction.
Punks were seen as anarchists; a stigma that is still there to this day. In
fact, their debut album finally achieved gold status – 500,000 units sold –
only in 2014!
That their songs were blitzkrieg
fast and ended in about two minutes didn’t sit well with rock cognoscenti at
this time when progressive rock performed 10-minute epics. Stadium rock was on
a roll and fans celebrated guitar heroes. The Ramones and other punk acts
eschewed that. And their songs of violence, protest, having a good time, and
nihilism put off others.
The lack of success, in addition
to other problems, caused a lot of friction within the band, some of which was
never resolved even up to the death of all the original members (original
drummer, Tommy Ramone, passed away in 2014).
On the other hand, 26 years after
their first album came out, the Ramones were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 2002. Today, they are looked upon more fondly; recognized by their
peers, critics, and perhaps more importantly, today’s music-loving kids. You
walk into any HMV store and you’ll find the famous Ramones presidential seal on
t-shirts next to ones that feature the Clash’s London Calling album or the
cover to Nirvana’s Nevermind.
Many an artist from the Misfits,
Metallica, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Green Day, the
Beastie Boys, the Strokes, Shonen Knife, and the White Stripes to name but a
few were also influenced by these punk purveyors. Locally, underground punk
band, the Dead Brains wear their Ramones influence literally on their sleeves
right down to the look and the band logo. Today, there are over a dozen tribute
albums to the Ramones that can be found on music shelves and for sale online. There’s
even a Ramones Museum in Germany of all places!
Having lived in New York City at
one point in my life, I recall how one time, I made that trip to Forest Hills.
I wanted to check it out as I knew it to be the fictitious home of Spider-Man’s
alter ego of Peter Parker, the US Open of tennis, and of course, the Ramones. My
cousin thought I was half mad.
That fixation on the Ramones took
a fortuitous turn the next day one August afternoon in 2003 as I took the
subway with my cousin from Elmhurst, Queens to Times Square. We were going to
watch a performance by the Misfits who were promoting their new album at that
time, Project 1950. Their drummer at that time was none other than Marky
Ramone.
Much to my surprise inside the R
Train was this tall and oh-so familiar man standing next to a bass drum. It was
Marky Ramone and there was that famous drum kit with the Ramones seal on it.
I sidled up to him and told him
we were on our way to watch the show. We had a brief conversation and
eventually got a picture together. I later had my Misfits CD signed not only by
Ramone but the other members of the Misfits.
To date, that subway ride and
subsequent show and autograph session with one of my music heroes is one of the
best days of my life.
And going to CBGB – and later, Joey
Ramone Way (a block along East 2nd Street) – was like a pilgrimage.
As a youngster in sixth grade, I quickly
gravitated towards punk rock when I heard the Ramones. I thought then that they
were the Buddy Holly and Beach Boys of aggro music and I still feel the same
way today.
I formed my first band a year
later with “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School” one of the first songs we ever played. Man,
we played our guitars like Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone with our legs stretched
far apart, our heads bowed and bobbing – the anti-guitar hero.
My first ever punk rock records
were a pair of compilation albums. Then I got the Sex Pistols’ The Great Rock
‘n’ Roll Swindle. Then I was able to get End of the Century, the Ramones’ fifth
album, right before my freshman year in high school. I got their debut album a
short while later and have all their albums on vinyl and compact disc. “Hey ho,
let’s go” remains a catch phrase for me as does “gabba gabba hey”. “Blitzkrieg
Bop” remains one of my all-time favorite songs. End of the Century, given the
Wall of Sound treatment by producer Phi Spector and sounding like a throwback
to the 1950s music that I love, will always make my Top 50 Albums list.
To this day, punk rock remains
one of my favorite subgenres of rock music along with shoegazer/dream pop,
rockabilly/jump swing, and reggae/ska. In my record collection, outside my OPM
records, my punk rock albums are perhaps my most treasured.
Punk resonated well with me as I
was approaching my teen years. I got the words of rebellion, angst, and having
a good time. Unlike the British bands that were hell bent on destruction, I
appreciated the Ramones more.
It is a moment of serendipity
that thirty years after the release of Ramones Mania, I got the vinyl record
also on the anniversary of their second show in Britain. Today as it was
yesterday, their music still takes ahold of my senses the same way it did back
in the 70s.
Ramones Mania?
Indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment