Ramones (Ramones album)

Ramones
Studio album by Ramones
Released April 23, 1976
Recorded February 2–19, 1976 at Plaza Sound, Radio City Music Hall, New York
Genre Punk rock
Length 29:04
Label Sire (US & UK)
Philips (Europe)
Producer Craig Leon, Tommy Ramone
Professional reviews

Original release

Rhino Records expanded release:
Ramones chronology
Ramones
(1976)		 Leave Home
(1977)

Ramones is the debut album by the American punk rock band the Ramones who are widely cited as the first punk rock group.[6][7] It was released April 23, 1976 through Sire Records, and again by Rhino Records June 19, 2001. The group started recording in February 1976 with a budget of US $20,000, and spent an estimated US $6,400. There were two singles released, neither of which charted. The cover art was ranked number 58 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Album Covers. The album has been released approximately seven times and peaked at 111 on United States chart Billboard 200. The album was ranked number 33 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and VH1 ranked it number 53 on their 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll.

The album features several themes, including Nazism, violence, and male prostitution. It has fourteen tracks and is twenty-nine minutes and four seconds long. The group covered the song "Let's Dance", a Chris Montez song that was his first single. Several of the tracks have backing vocals by Mickey Leigh, Tommy Ramone, and executive producer/engineer Rob Freeman. The album received very high ratings by reviewers, with Allmusic and Rolling Stone magazine, both rewarding it with a maximum rating of five out of five stars. Robert Christgau gave the album an A, writing " For me, it blows everything else off the radio."[3]

Contents

Recording and production

In early 1976, the Ramones began playing at several gigs, and was seen by Linda Stein, the ex-wife Seymour Stein, one of the owners of Sire Records.[8] Especially praising the song "53rd & 3rd," Linda later discussed the event with Seymour, which lead to the Ramones performing in front of Seymour, Craig Leon, and others from Sire Records.[8] After the Ramones signed to Sire Records, they organized several local shows.[9] They took a temporary break from their performances, in order to prepare to begin recording at Plaza Sound studio.[10] The band had a $20,000 budget (an advance from Sire Records), with which they bought needed equipment [9] and began recording in early February 1976.[9] [11]

The album was produced by Craig Leon, and co-produced by drummer Tommy Ramone.[12] Conflict arose between guitarist Johnny Ramone and Tommy Ramone, over the topic of whether to overdub, a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously recorded performance.[12] The main purpose of overdubbing is to give the recording a more "thick" sound. Tommy Ramone was planning on overdubbing, while Johnny Ramone refused to do it.[12] The result of the argument was not to overdub.[12] The album was released April 23, 1976.[13][14] The album has three singles: "Blitzkrieg Bop"/"Havana Affair," "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"/"I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You," and "53rd & 3rd." None of the singles charted.[15] Despite the lack of airplay in its first few months, Blitzkrieg Bop has appeared in the media on many occasions, and in 2009 it was named the 25th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.[16]

Album cover

Before the album's release, the Ramones had planned to make an album cover similar to The Beatles's 1964 album Meet The Beatles!.[17] John Holmstrom said that the original idea "came out horribly." The Ramones later met up with Roberta Bayley, at the time a photographer for Punk magazine, to make the album's cover.[17] Holmstrom also noted that "getting the Ramones to pose was like pulling teeth," and also said it turned out to be "the classic Ramones album cover." The cover photo features (from left to right) Johnny Ramone, Tommy Ramone, Joey Ramone, and Dee Dee Ramone. Each stand against a brick wall and are in a straight line. Legs McNeil insists that "Tommy [is] standing on his tip-toes and Joey [is] hunched over a bit."[17] The cover was ranked number fifty-eight on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Album Covers.[18]

Lyrical and musical themes

"Blitzkrieg Bop," the album's opening track, was written by Tommy Ramone. Tommy originally named the track "Animal Hop",[19] but after Dee Dee Ramone reviewed the lyrics, they changed the lyrics as well as the name.[20] The song's original concept was "about kids going to a show and having a good time."[20] After Dee Dee reviewed the song, he made the concept related to Nazism.[20] Spin Magazine said that the song "is like watching the atom split."[21] "Beat on the Brat" was described by Dee Dee Ramone as a true story. "Joey saw some mother going after a kid with a bat in his lobby and wrote a song about it."[22] "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" was written about the adolescents of Forest Hills, Queens, who constantly sought cheap thrills to cure their boredom. The Ramones later recorded the similarly themed song "Carbona Not Glue" for their second album, Leave Home. Dee Dee joked that after writing songs like "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement", "I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed", "I Don't Care", and "I Don't Wanna Walk Around with You", "We didn't write a positive song until 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.'"[23] The song "53rd and 3rd" is about "Dee Dee turning tricks," said Johnny Ramone.[24] Johnny said that the when writing the lyrics, they were "trying to be offensive."[25] The Ramones features the song "Let's Dance", which is a cover song originally performed by Chris Montez.[26]

The album's final track, "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World", refers to a Hitler Youth member.[24][27] Seymour Stein complained about the song and insisted that the track was offensive, contending that the lyrics "I'm a Nazi baby, I'm a Nazi yes I am," could not be claimed on a record. Before they released the album, they came up with alternate lyrics or the line that read "I'm a shock trooper in a stupor, yes I am." They went with the alternate lyrics and released the album, and has since been the group's "signature closer at live shows," says Mickey Leigh.[24][28]

Several songs from the album features backing vocals from several different guests. Mickey Leigh, Joey Ramone's brother, sings backing vocals on "Judy Is a Punk", "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", and in the bridge of "Blitzkrieg Bop".[26] Drummer Tommy Ramone sings backing vocals on "I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You", "Judy Is a Punk", and during the bridge of "Chainsaw."[26] The album's executive producer, Rob Freeman, sings lead vocals for the last refrain of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend." The album does not feature overdubbing of any instruments.[26] The album's length is twenty-nine minutes and four seconds, and features fourteen tracks.[11]

Reception

Ramones was well received by critics. Reviewing for Allmusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine awarded the album five out of five stars, saying the album "begins at a blinding speed and never once over the course of its 14 songs does it let up." Erlewine also noted that the album "is all about speed, hooks, stupidity, and simplicity."[2] Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone magazine gave the album five out of five stars as well, and noted the album "is one of the happiest albums ever made."[4] Robert Christgau gave the album an A, and said that he "loved" the album,[3] and About.com gave the album four and a half stars out of five.[1]

"When the [Ramones] hit the street in 1976 with their self-titled first album, the rock scene in general had become somewhat bloated and narcissistic. The Ramones got back to basics: simple, speedy, stripped-down rock and roll songs. Voice, guitar, bass, drums. No makeup, no egos, no light shows, no nonsense. And though the subject matter was sometimes dark, emanating from a sullen adolescent basement of the mind, the group also brought cartoonish fun and high-energy excitement back to rock and roll."

—Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,[7]

Charles M. Young, an employee for the Rolling Stone Magazine praised the album, saying that the album is "one of the funniest rock records ever made and, if punk continues to gain momentum, a historic turning point."[29] Jeff Tamarkin of Allmusic said that "Punk rock begins here," referring to the album, and also proclaimed "rock's mainstream didn't know what hit it."[29] In 1999, Collins Gem Classic Albums wrote that "They stared from the cover of this magnificent debut album with dumb defiance written all over them.[29] The songs within were a short, sharp exercise in vicious speed-thrash, driven by ferocious guitars and yet halting in an instant. It was the simple pop dream taken to its minimalist extreme. There just couldn't be anything faster or harder than this. The Ramones was the starting gun for English punk."[29] Joe S. Harrington declared that the album "split the history of rock 'n' roll in half."[29] Theunis Bates, a music writer for Time magazine and an editor at worldpop.com, composed that "Ramones stripped rock back to its basic elements," and noted that its "lyrics are very simple, boiled-down declarations of teen lust and need." Bates later went on to say that it "is the ultimate punk statement."[29]

The album was included in Spin's List of Top Ten College Cult Classics, noting that "everything good that's happened to music in the last fourteen years can be directly traced to the Ramones."[30] The album was ranked thirty-three in Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time."[31] The album debuted at number one-hundred eleven on the Billboard 200.[32] In 2003, Ramones was considered by Spin magazine's Chuck Klosterman, Greg Milner, and Alex Pappademas to be the sixth most influential album of all time.[21] They noted that the album "saved rock from itself and punk rock from art-gallery pretension, bless their pointy little heads," and also said that the their songs had "one lightning-bolt riff."[21] In Spin's 1995 Alternative Record Guide, the album is listed in the top spot of their Top 100 Alternative Albums.[33] It was ranked number 33 on the Rolling Stone Magazine's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[34] VH1 named the album number fifty-three on their 100 Greatest Albums of Rock & Roll'. Despite the lack of airplay in its first few months, Blitzkrieg Bop has appeared in the media on many occasions, and in 2009 it was named the 25th greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.[35]

Track listing

CD release
# Title Writer(s) Backing vocals Length Ref
1. "Blitzkrieg Bop" Tommy Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone Mickey Leigh 2:12 [11]
[26]
2. "Beat on the Brat" Joey Ramone — 2:30
3. "Judy Is A Punk" Leigh, Tommy Ramone 1:30
4. "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" Tommy Ramone Leigh, Rob Freeman 2:24
5. "Chainsaw" Joey Ramone Tommy Ramone 1:55
6. "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" Dee Dee Ramone — 1:34
7. "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" Dee Dee Ramone, Johnny Ramone — 2:35
8. "Loudmouth" — 2:00
9. "Havana Affair" — 2:00
10. "Listen to My Heart" Ramones — 1:56
11. "53rd & 3rd" Dee Dee Ramone — 2:19
12. "Let's Dance" Jim Lee, Chris Montez — 1:51
13. "I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You" Dee Dee Ramone Tommy Ramone 1:43
14. "Today Your Love, Tomorrow the World" Ramones — 2:09

Personnel

Ramones Production Ref
Joey Ramone – lead vocals Tommy Ramone - associate producer Greg Calbi - Mastering [38]
Johnny Ramone – guitar Craig Leon – producer Roberta Bayley – Photography, Cover Photo
Dee Dee Ramone – bass, backing vocals Rob Freeman – engineer Arturo Vega – Photography, Back Cover
Tommy Ramone - drums Don Hunerberg – assistant engineer

Release history

Region Year Label Format Catalog Ref
Worldwide release 1976 Sire Records Vinyl SR-6020 [2]
1999 WEA International Compact disc RR 1805
2001 Rhino Vinyl SR-7520 [39]
2006 WEA International Vinyl SR-24323-5 [2]
2007 WEA International Compact disc RR-7506-0
US release 2008 Wrong Records RR-9274-21
Worldwide release Sire/Rhino/London RR-7520

Chart positions

Chart Peak Position
Billboard 200[32] 111
Swedish charts[40] 48

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Ramones 1976: Album review and spngs from answers.com". Retrieved 2010-06-09
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas "allmusic ((( Ramones > Overview ))) Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-05-15
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Christgau, Robert Robert Christgau: CG: ramones Retrieved 2010-05-15
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Wolk, Douglas [artists,9620,40234,115712 Music -- Latest News --The Ramones -- RollingStone.com] Retrieved 2010-05-15
  5. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas allmusic ((( Ramones [Expanded > Overview )))] Retrieved 2010-05-15
  6. ↑ "The Ramones". MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/ramones/artist.jhtml#bio. Retrieved 2008-04-11. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Ramones". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum. September 15, 2004 (last update). http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/ramones. Retrieved 2007-07-25. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Leigh 2009 p. 126
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Leigh 2009, p. 128
  10. ↑ Leigh 2009 p. 131
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 (1976) Album notes for Ramones by Ramones [Liner]. Sire Records.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Leigh 2009 p. 132
  13. ↑ The Ramones - The Ramones Retrieved 2010-03-24
  14. ↑ "MoMA | Looking at Music: Side 2 | The Ramones". MoMA. Retrieved 2010-06-09
  15. ↑ "Chart Stats - The Ramones". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=2790. Retrieved 2008-12-22. 
  16. ↑ VH1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs Retrieved 2010-02-18
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Leigh 2009, p. 138
  18. ↑ "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Album Covers". Rate Your Music. http://rateyourmusic.com/lists/list_view?list_id=12793&show=50&start=50. Retrieved 2010-05-23. 
  19. ↑ Leigh 2009, p. 120
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Leigh 2009, p. 121
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Chuck Klosterman, Greg Milner, and Alex Pappademas (July 9, 2003) Fifteen Most Influential Albums... | Spin Magazine Online Spin Magazine. 2003-07-09 Retrieved 2010-05-24
  22. ↑ McNeil and McCain 2009, p. 183
  23. ↑ McNeil and McCain 2009, p. 212
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Leigh 2009, p. 134
  25. ↑ Jim Fields (director) Michael Gramaglia (director). (January 19, 2003) (in English) (DVD). End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones. [Motion picture]. United States: Rhino Records/Sire Records. Event occurs at 30:25 – 20:45. AISN = B000642JG8. ISBN Unavailable. OCLC Unavailable. Archived from the original on 2010-06-04 13:27:54. http://www.webcitation.org/5qEvcAqd1. Retrieved 2010-06-04. ""trying to be offensive"" 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 26.5 26.6 Leigh 2009, p. 135
  27. ↑ Leigh 2009, p. 131
  28. ↑ Leigh 2009, p. 133
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 Craig Zeller and others "Ramones". Superseventies. Retrieved 2010-06-04
  30. ↑ Eric Weisband; Craig Marks (1995). Moshpit: The Violent World of Mosh Pit Culture. Vintage. ISBN 0679755748. 
  31. ↑ Levy, Joe (2005). 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Wenner. ISBN 1932958010. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "allmusic ((( Ramones > Charts & Awards )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-05-19
  33. ↑ Eric Weisbard; Craig Marks (1995), Spin Alternative Record Guide, Vintage, p. 3-22, ISBN 0679755748 
  34. ↑ The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-03-24
  35. ↑ VH1 Top 100 Hard Rock Songs Retrieved 2010-02-18
  36. ↑ (1976) Album notes for Ramones (2001 Expanded Edition CD) by Ramones [Liner]. Rhino Records.
  37. ↑ Leigh 2009, p. 113
  38. ↑ "allmusic ((( Ramones > Credits )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-05-23
  39. ↑ "allmusic ((( Ramones (Expanded) > Overview )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-06-08
  40. ↑ "swedishcharts.com - Ramones - Ramones". Retrieved 2010-06-04

References

Ramones
Joey Ramone · Johnny Ramone · Dee Dee Ramone · Tommy Ramone
Marky Ramone · C. J. Ramone · Richie Ramone · Elvis Ramone
Studio albums
Ramones · Leave Home · Rocket to Russia · Road to Ruin · End of the Century · Pleasant Dreams · Subterranean Jungle · Too Tough to Die · Animal Boy · Halfway to Sanity · Brain Drain · Mondo Bizarro · Acid Eaters · ¡Adios Amigos!
Live albums
It's Alive · Loco Live · Greatest Hits Live · We're Outta Here! · You Don't Come Close · NYC 1978
Compilations
Ramones Mania · All the Stuff (And More!) Vol. 1 · All the Stuff (And More!) Vol. 2 · Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology · Ramones Mania Vol. 2 · Masters of Rock · Best of the Chrysalis Years · Loud, Fast Ramones · The Chrysalis Years · The Best of The Ramones · Weird Tales of the Ramones · Greatest Hits
Films
Rock 'n' Roll High School · Lifestyles · We're Outta Here! · Around the World · End of the Century · Raw · It's Alive 1974–1996
Full tribute albums
Ramones (by Screeching Weasel) · Leave Home (by The Vindictives) · Rocket to Russia (by The Queers) · Road to Ruin (by The Mr. T Experience) · End of the Century (by Boris the Sprinkler) · Pleasant Dreams (by Beatnik Termites)
Other tribute albums
Gabba Gabba Hey · Blitzkrieg Over You · Ramones Maniacs · The Song Ramones the Same · We're a Happy Family · Brats on the Beat: Ramones for Kids
Related articles
Discography · List of Ramones concerts