Ramones - Debut LP

50 years ago today, NYC band Ramones released their debut LP (our copy here). 14 short songs packed into 29 minutes, the album was recorded during seven days in January 1976 for $6,400, all but one song is original. Two singles “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” + “Blitzkrieg Bop” did not chart and the album only reached #111 Billboard but is now considered foundational and vital to the punk rock movement that followed. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked it 47th Greatest Album of All Time. Cover photo by Roberta Bayley: Ramones (l-r Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) were ages 24-27. More in Comments.

April 23 Birthdays: Sergei Prokofiev b.1891; Cow Cow Davenport b.1894; Jimmie Noone b.1895; Bobby Rosengarden b.1924; Bunky Green b.1933; Milton Banana (João Gilberto) b. 1935; Roy 'Lefty Wilbury' Orbison b.1936; Roland White (Kentucky Colonels / Country Gazette) b.1938; Dale Houston (Dale & Grace) b. 1940; Glenn Cornick (Jethro Tull) b.1947; Steve Clark (Def Leppard) b.1960; Tommy DeCarlo (Boston) b.1965; John Allen (Nashville Teens) is 81; Alan Broadbent is 79; David Cross (King Crimson) is 77; Cliff Hugo (Supertramp) is 75; Narada Michael Walden is 73; Rob Dean (Japan) is 71; David Gedge (The Wedding Present) is 66; Sam Coomes (Quasi / Heatmiser) is 62; Matt Freeman (Operation Ivy / Rancid) is 60; Brent Muscat (Faster Pussycat) is 59; Stan Frazier (Sugar Ray) is 58; Dennis Culp (Five Iron Frenzy) and Boyce Johnson (The Apologists) are 56; Carlos Dengler (Interpol) is 52; Jónsi (Sigur Rós) is 51; Aaron & Bryce Dessner (The National) are 50; Syd tha Kyd (Odd Future / The Internet) is 34; Josh & Jake Kiszka (Greta Van Fleet) are 30; Laufey is 27; Lee Wall (Luna) is ??

Farewell Gregg Foreman, founder of D.C./Philly punk-garage-R&B band The Delta 72 and later musical director for Cat Power, member of Pink Mountaintops and more. He was also a music journalist. Gone at 53.

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Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

With the three-chord assault of "Blitzkrieg Bop," The Ramones begins at a blinding speed and never once over the course of its 14 songs does it let up. The Ramones is all about speed, hooks, stupidity, and simplicity. The songs are imaginative reductions of early rock & roll, girl group pop, and surf rock. Not only is the music boiled down to its essentials, but the Ramones offer a twisted, comical take on pop culture with their lyrics, whether it's the horror schlock of "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement," the gleeful violence of "Beat on the Brat," or the maniacal stupidity of "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue." And the cover of Chris Montez's "Let's Dance" isn't a throwaway -- with its single-minded beat and lyrics, it encapsulates everything the group loves about pre-Beatles rock & roll. They don't alter the structure, or the intent, of the song, they simply make it louder and faster. And that's the key to all of the Ramones' music -- it's simple rock & roll, played simply, loud, and very, very fast. None of the songs clock in at any longer than two and half minutes, and most are considerably shorter. In comparison to some of the music the album inspired, The Ramones sounds a little tame -- it's a little too clean, and compared to their insanely fast live albums, it even sounds a little slow -- but there's no denying that it still sounds brilliantly fresh and intoxicatingly fun.

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Ramones - Debut LP

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