Ramones are often regarded as the first Punk rock group. After forming in Forest Hills, Queens, New York in 1974, they performed and played 2,263 concerts, touring virtually nonstop for 22 years. In 1996, after a tour with the Lollapalooza music festival, the band went on a brief club tour and then disbanded. Three of the band's four founding members - Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee - died within eight years of the break up.
The Ramones never achieved much commercial success during their years of recording and performing. Their only album to reach certified gold status in the U.S. was their compilation album Ramones Mania. Appreciation of the band has grown since the 1980s, and they now regularly appear on "all-time greatest" lists, such as Rolling Stone’s list of Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, and Mojo's 100 Greatest Albums. In 2002, the Ramones were voted the second greatest rock and roll band ever in Spin Magazine, trailing only The Beatles.
On March 2, 2002, The Ramones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
History[]
The pre-history of the band is centered in and around the middle-class neighborhood of Forest Hills in the New York City borough of Queens. The band members were drawn together by a mutual love of the New York Dolls, The Stooges, MC5 and '60s garage rock. Most of the members had been in various bands since the late 1960s. Johnny and Tommy had both been in a high school garage band circa 1966-67 known as the Tangerine Puppets, and Joey was in a brief, early 1970s glam rock outfit called Sniper.
Musical style[]
The Ramones' musical style was influenced by various parts of rock and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s; bands such as The Beach Boys, The Who, The Kinks, The Troggs, the Yardbirds, and primarily The Beatles, on whom they based their image (bowl haircuts, four members). The Ramones recorded cover songs of such "garage" classics as "Surfin' Bird" and "California Sun". Joey often cited Ronnie Spector as one of his favorite singers. The various love songs he sang for the band are reminiscent of the 1960s girl group sound. This type of material alternated with harder rock songs in the vein of Proto Punk bands The Stooges, MC5, and the New York Dolls.
Band Members[]
- Joey Ramone
- Johnny Ramone
- Dee Dee Ramone
- Tommy Ramone
- Marky Ramone
- Richie Ramone
- Elvis Ramone
- C. J. Ramone
Discography[]
Title | Release | US Albums Chart | UK Albums Chart |
---|---|---|---|
Ramones | April 23, 1976 | 111 | - |
Leave Home | January 10, 1977 | 148 | - |
Rocket to Russia | November 4, 1977 | 49 | - |
Road to Ruin | September 22, 1978 | 103 | 32 |
End of the Century | February 4, 1980 | 44 | 14 |
Pleasant Dreams | July 29, 1981 | 58 | - |
Subterranean Jungle | February, 1983 | 83 | - |
Too Tough to Die | October, 1984 | 172 | - |
Animal Boy | May, 1986 | 143 | 38 |
Halfway to Sanity | September 15, 1987 | 172 | - |
Brain Drain | May 18, 1989 | 122 | - |
Mondo Bizarro | September 1, 1992 | 190 | - |
Acid Eaters | December, 1993 | 179 | - |
¡Adios Amigos! | July 18, 1995 | 148 | 62 |
Live[]
- It's Alive (1979)
- Loco Live (1992)
- Greatest Hits Live (1996)
- We're Outta Here! (1997)
- NYC 1978 (2003)
- Live At The Roxy: August 12, 1976 (2016)
- Live In Glasgow: December 19, 1977 (2018)
- Live At The Palladium: New York, NY (12/31/79) (2019)
- It's Alive II (2020)
- Triple J Live At The Wireless - Capitol Theatre, Sydney, Australia, July 8, 1980 (2021)
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Audio[]
Chainsaw (1976) Havana Affair (1976) 53rd & 3rd (1976) Commando (1977) We're A Happy Family (1977) Why Is It Always This Way (1977) Time Has Come Today (1983)
Reference[]
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/135478-Ramones
- https://www.last.fm/music/Ramones
- https://www.punk77.co.uk/groups/ramonesuk.htm
- https://punkygibbon.co.uk/bands/r/ramones.html
- http://www.mtv.com/news/1820/the-ramones-last-hurrah/
- https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/the-curse-of-the-ramones-165741/
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/ramones-206065/
External links[]
- Ramones at Todomusica.org Spanish