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I reckon theres no mystery that I love the Ramones. But why, you may find yourself asking? (Or not. likey you could give a flying f**k...)

Anyway, the appeal of the Ramones for me at first- back in 1980 when I first discoverd them, was the unabashed stupidness. Like the 3 Stooges, they're just mindless fun. Unlike most punk, which is just angry spitting, anti-social noise, the Ramones music took they're geekness and celebrated it. Other punks at the time were lashing out in anger. The Ramones were celebrating. They WANTED to be pop stars. They WANTED to be on the radio. Never happened....which is too bad. But in a way I'm glad. It makes them MY favorite band.

Joeys hiccup singing, Dee Dee's the Flash on speed playing, Johnny's Nazi bass, and Marky's drooling robot drum...dam- It's  so life affirming. It makes me happy! Not much punk does, most p**ses me off (and I don't need much fuel for that). The Cramps make me happy. As does the Stooges, the New York Dolls, and (oddly) the Dead Kennedys. Stuff like the great Black Flag and the Sex Pistols I can only listen to for a song or two. I can listen to albums in a row by the Ramones.

http://youtu.be/x09XSa1X1eU (http://youtu.be/x09XSa1X1eU)

Gawd, yes! The Ramones are one of my all time favorite bands and have been ever since I saw "Rock N Roll High School" on TV one Saturday afternoon in the early 80s.

They were my first concert in a small venue/nightclub when I was a freshman in college (1988) - and therefore my first mosh pit experience.

Got to meet them in 1992 at a record-store signing for the "Mondo Bizarro" album. All four guys (Joey, Marky, Johnny and C.J.) signed my copy. I want that thing buried with me when I die.

My man!  :thumbup:

I love THE RAMONES.  I hear their recordings used often in commercials, and think to myself, how ironic that their music would make money NOW that they're all DEAD...  the heirs to their estates sure are doing well NOW!! 

Overlooked, except as an oddity, in their own time (like a lot of the great PUNK bands) THE RAMONES have risen to the top of GREAT Rock n' Roll music.  Strangely, a lot of Punk bands and fans then and since don't seem to realize that THE RAMONES got their name from (of all people) PAUL McCARTNEY !!!  PAUL used to sign hotel registers as "Paul Ramone" (or something along those lines) to make it easier to NOT be identified.  THE RAMONES were emulating great songs by early BEATLES, STONES, and other acts.  Rejecting what most Punk bands thought of as the psychedelia, huge production (and pomposity) of late '60s early '70s bands, THE RAMONES wanted to get back to those short, fast, hot Rock N' Roll songs, like THE BEATLES had. 

I only have a Greatest Hits CD but that's all I need.  They're fast, they rock, and their songs are all SHORT!  Just perfect.  "Twenty twenty twenty four hours to go.."

This is all true. They were taking rock and roll away from the hippies.
The Beatles took rock and roll and turned it into hippie music.
The Ramones took hippie music and turned it into rock and roll.

I think it is worth pointing out that THE BEATLES originally revitalized Rock N' Roll after years of girl groups, schmaltz, and some great MOR Pop records... even ELVIS had schmaltzy records like "Are You Lonesome Tonight" or "It's Now Or Never" (great, of course, they are THE KING!)  Psychedelia was a logical progression (particularly in the wake of very popular recreational drugs) but they continued to ROCK even if they produced a lot of schmaltz themselves (again, think PAUL... even other BEATLES would call his songs "old lady music").  Even so, THE BEATLES still kicked ass with recordings like "Helter Skelter" and "Oh Darling" (both PAUL compositions...)  

Oddly enough, I like the older Beatles music better than the post RUBBER SOUL era....
like WHEN I SAW HER STANDING THERE-which rocks!

I know.  You like the mop top era, but not the later stuff.  I have come to appreciate the mop top era best, too (though I like all BEATLES stuff).   Early records like "I Feel Fine" "Tell Me Why" and "Hard Days Night" kick ass! 

I also love the Ramones. I saw them live 3 times and they blew the doors off the place every time. The first Ramones album I bought was END OF THE CENTURY and I played it over and over. Then I got ROCKET TO RUSSIA and played that over and over. Then I bought several others. Love those guys. Wish they were still around.

This must be my favorite YouTube : 

http://youtu.be/TYh1lRR1m6Y (http://youtu.be/TYh1lRR1m6Y)   

I'd never heard them ( I heard of them since 1976), until I went to NY in 1984- my brother Mike made me buy their first album.

http://youtu.be/79S5k1pgWZU (http://youtu.be/79S5k1pgWZU)

Who woulda thought that one day there'd be more surviving Beatles than surviving original Ramones? :(

Ramones are probably my favorite group.  (Misfits are right up there for me.)
Beat on The Brat
http://youtu.be/3HUGeA2lur4 (http://youtu.be/3HUGeA2lur4)
Spider-Man
http://youtu.be/i5P8lrgBtcU (http://youtu.be/i5P8lrgBtcU)

This is true.

I remember them all dying right in front of me.
And they aint much older than me.

I was born in NYC. They were from Queens, I lived in the Bronx.


http://youtu.be/IwsVWZ-c8Eo (http://youtu.be/IwsVWZ-c8Eo)

LOVELOVELOVE the ramones! to this day, i am known among my brother's friends as "sheena"!

Everybody loves RAMONES now.  Everybody knew them then if you were old enough... but "nobody" listened to them.  If you read CREEM or ROLLING STONE back then, they always had a bit about them.  RAMONES got a lot of press.  But, no REAL radio play.  'Course, there were a few of us who listened to PUNK... and MOR radio.  What was once shocking seems now innocent. 

http://youtu.be/yCW7Aw8ugOI (http://youtu.be/yCW7Aw8ugOI)   

Ramones were a band that should've enjoyed the apparent success and financial rewards they seem to be reaping nowadays.  How's that even happen?
Granted I grew up in the '80s and '90s with MTV and not during that initial punk 'explosion' of sorts but, we were exposed to the Heads and Blondie via music videos. 

Believe it or not- when they we're first marketed by Danny Fields, he had them in teen heart throb magazines, right next to Leif Garrett and Shaun Cassidy!

Dee Dee was supposed to be "the cute one." :D

It's hard to imagine.
Not surprising, the band were hired for the film ROCK AND ROLL HIGH SCHOOL only after Todd Rundgren (who no one remembers now), Cheap Trick, Devo and Van Halen all turned it down.
I can't even imagine RARHS without the Ramones!

Cheap Trick (who apparently wanted too much $$ as they were at their commercial peak at the time) or Van Halen might have worked, but I could not see DEVO working at all. Can you imagine Riff Randell wearing an "energy dome" hat, rockin' out to "Jocko Homo," and swooning over Mark Mothersbaugh? Nah, me neither. :D

Yeah...that don't work!  :bouncegiggle:

RAMONES were perfect for ROCK N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL !!! 

f**k yeah!

http://youtu.be/lu_lQpnHDhQ (http://youtu.be/lu_lQpnHDhQ)

Beat on The Brat, but covered by Weird Al.
http://youtu.be/eJBwotLwOV8 (http://youtu.be/eJBwotLwOV8)

It's pretty straightforward, not a parody.  The accordion really adds to the song.  Al should do more covers. 

I estimate that 75% of the music I listened to in high school was comprised of:

* The Ramones
* Elvis Costello
* Blondie
* The Police
* Devo

And your point?  You think RAMONES sold even half the records the other acts you mention did?  My remark was hyperbolic.   :thumbup: :wink:

 that first Stooges record had some ramones in it. I know Johnny was very in to the New York Dolls and that sort of retro but not Sha na na style of playing

I forget where I read it or who said it, but years ago I saw a great quote about the Ramones: "They never sold a lot of records, but the ones they did sell made it into the hands of the right people."

Which is true...think about how many bands they influenced over the years, in just about every genre. So many kids heard a Ramones record, thought to themselves "I can do that," and picked up an instrument.

During the 70s, wherever the Ramones played, a "scene" would suddenly pop up soon afterwards as all the kids who were at the show would start forming their own bands.

One of their most famous gigs was July 4, 1976, in London ...  and if you believe the legends, pretty much everybody who became anybody in British punk was there - members of the Clash, the Damned, the Sex Pistols, etc.

I think Joe Strummer of the Clash said that seeing the Ramones that night made him realize that his own band needed to step up its game, big time.

the record companies thought punk would take off like disco or heavy metal or something. in the end, it required a very different sort of approach. It wasn't until Green Day and all that that the mall set really embraced it

box your ears, ronny! todd is our hero! from an interview i read, he only turned down RARHS because he was still in post production for bat out of hell.
   but yeah, it could only work with the ramones in my eyes too.

Yikes!  :buggedout: A progressive rock fan!
(I'm kidding. I kinda liked YES in the 1970's...)

I like that the Ramones did the theme for PET SEMATARY

http://youtu.be/F3J0iwwsq-w (http://youtu.be/F3J0iwwsq-w)

TODD RUNDGREN? 
He did one album that will always be remembered:
http://youtu.be/g-YBDxak1QQ (http://youtu.be/g-YBDxak1QQ) 

I have great friends that saw TODD somewhere here in NJ or NY.  They thought the show was terrible. 

He was in an earlier band NAZZ who were also great.

http://youtu.be/PjKx-yLOGEY (http://youtu.be/PjKx-yLOGEY) 

RAMONES Live At Us Festival '82

http://youtu.be/smnHPXSKE4w (http://youtu.be/smnHPXSKE4w) 

http://youtu.be/Sp3zaeOyL7Q (http://youtu.be/Sp3zaeOyL7Q) 

oddly enough, something/anything ISN'T my fave todd solo album. it's not even in the top 3. those are " acapella", "with a twist" and "nearly human".

What is always amazing to me is that the Ramones never had a radio hit, hell- they were never on the f**king radio!
They just played live alot and put out lotsa great records and did it for 20 years!

http://youtu.be/kJizV-d3sEQ (http://youtu.be/kJizV-d3sEQ)

Here's a great interview on the TOMORROW Show in 1981-!

http://youtu.be/GyVmdYtvWgk (http://youtu.be/GyVmdYtvWgk)

http://youtu.be/r6tMyCQQUY0 (http://youtu.be/r6tMyCQQUY0) 

I mean, that's how I got into punk.  Essentially.  Granted I wasn't even alive in the 70s when punk started.

I was 8-10 when Green Day/The Offspring/Rancid/Sublime were becoming a thing in the early 90s.  Nirvana had a 'punky' feel to them.  I got into them and via interviews with those guys on MTV, etc, and them saying they dug Ramones/Black Flag/Misfits, etc, I checked them out and really got into punk.

One could argue the validity of say, Green Day being 'punk' but it got me into it so, I'll always have a special place in my heart for that band.

There's all kinds of records.  In vinyl days, record companies controlled public tastes to large extent (but hardly all).  The A&R man had fallen out of favor and style by the time Punk came along.  Record labels didn't know what to do with Punk.  I can't think of a significant original Punk band that "sold any records".  BLONDIE?  Nah; they really started that "New Wave". 

The Clash. Who I never liked anyway.

Seconded on The Clash. 

I mean, could Blonde be considered punk? I mean, not really, but where's one end and one begin, so to speak? I mean, later bands you could hear the huge difference.  I mean, Wall of Voodoo compared to say, Dead Boys is two different things.  But that's more a different conversation entirely, I suppose.

Yes!  I should have specified USA band... though Brits copied Yanks, Punk did much better in Britain than here.  That is a significant original Punk band that SOLD RECORDS.  BELA gets the gold star.   :thumbup:

Not really Ramones related, but kinda is.  Would Nevermind by Nirvana be considered punk? Rolling Stone thinks so as it's ranked #10 at the top punk albums ever:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/40-greatest-punk-albums-of-all-time-20160406/nirvana-nevermind-1991-20160406 (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/40-greatest-punk-albums-of-all-time-20160406/nirvana-nevermind-1991-20160406)

I know the band were fans of bands like Ramones/Black Flag, etc.  There's a pop quality to it, but it's also hard, and Ramones were very pop-punk, so it's not far off.  And Nirvana compared to say, Pearl Jam or other 'grunge' bands were a bit more on that side of rock than they were metal or anything.

Of the Seattle bands, all that 'grunge' scene, I like Nirvana the best, simply becuase they really were punk rock. Kurt Cobain was a very talented musician, And I like them very much.
Also, I don't know if you ever heard of them, the GITS- from the area and era, could have been great had not the lead singer been murdered.

"grunge" was just a term coined by the media because the bands dressed in thrift shop clothes. I was considerd 'cool' once the grunge scene came around- because I had long hair and I did drugs and dressed like  I was poor and went to metal concerts dressed that way instead of wearing denim and leather-because I was poor. I never really got into the scene. But folks who didn't know me thought I was affecting a "look". I wore my work clothes- with "Ron" and "Honee Bear Canning" patches stiched on the front and my  Dickies. And Work boots. And no-they weren't Doc Martins- they were Red Wings.
I still were Dickies and my old work shirts (even though I am retiired) and work boots. I turn 56 this year.  I'm an getting old, man. I also have really long hair and use a cane when I walk, beacuse my health is BAD, and I have to rest alot when I walk to town.

Merry Christmas, I Don't Want To Fight Tonight by Ramones is on my holiday playlist.
http://youtu.be/4Y5GtaTrPHM (http://youtu.be/4Y5GtaTrPHM)

I've heard a little bit of the GITS.  I dig what they put out, which wasn't much based on what I've found.  Nirvana was a band I still listen to very much, to this day.  Of the bands of that 'scene' I really dug them and Alice in Chains, but AiC were more 'metal' than anything else of that group.  Their singer was fantastic, too, such a shame his addictions overtook him. 

http://youtu.be/n6P0SitRwy8 (http://youtu.be/n6P0SitRwy8)

I'd say yes, Nirvana was definitely punk. Their first album (Bleach from 1988) in particular is pretty damn punk in my book. It's raw, catchy and obnoxious. Legend has it the entire recording was done in a matter of days and cost a mere six hundred bucks.

Nevermind is and was a great record, and it was definitely a much needed shot in the arm for rock at the time of its release, but it's been overplayed as hell so I barely listen to it anymore.

In Utero is really cranky sounding, it feels like they were trying to lose all their trendy MTV fans by being as abrasive and weird as possible.

Even their MTV Unplugged album is pretty damn punk - maybe not musically, but definitely in terms of attitude. That was taped at the height of their popularity, yet the set list is mostly obscure cover songs and deep album cuts (i.e. none of their "hits.") You could practically hear them saying "Yeah, we know, you want us to play 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' but f*** you, we aren't gonna do it."

In Utero and Unplugged are my favorite things they did as a group, actually.  From what "You Know You're Right" sounds like, their 4th album probably would've pushed away more of that Nevermind fan base.  But I respect that.