Ramones [Original recording remastered]

Never underestimate the power of music. When I first heard this album in 1976 it changed my life. I'd always loved music but in the mid seventies the only guitar-based music coming out was prog rock or teenybop. This LP, the Ramones' first, changed all that - forever. It had fourteen songs in half an hour (the longest was 2:35!) and the songs had titles like 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and 'Beat On The Brat'. This was neither prog rock nor teenybop! The production harked back to the early days of rock 'n' roll in that the primitive recording made it sound loud at any volume. The bass guitar was in the left speaker and the rhythm guitar was on the right, with the drums and vocals in the middle - and virtually no overdubs! Back then, a Nick Kent review in the NME said something like "this record will destroy your speakers" and although time has lessened it's shock value, time cannot diminish this albums' power. It's hard to believe that anyone hasn't already got this record. If you like punk then you should already have this. If you're a music historian you'll already know that this album is as influential as "Sgt Pepper". If you drive a car you'll need this blasting out as an antidote to all the dullards driving around with disco music at full volume.

Rhino Records have done a fabulous job on all the other Ramones 2001 reissues - "Leave Home", "Rocket To Russia" and "Road To Ruin" are all essential purchases - and this album is no exception. The mastering is far superior to any previous Ramones CD compilations/reissues, being as close to the original (vinyl!) sound as is possible. The sleeve notes are extensive (and actually written by someone who was there) and the booklet is packed with rare photos, the lyrics and the original artwork. This CD has eight bonus tracks, seven of which are demos recorded before the original LP, thus giving an insight into how some songs evolved. The demo versions of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" and "Judy Is A Punk" were previously only available on the rare Norton Label 7" single while the demo versions of "I Don't Care", "Now I Want To Sniff Some Glue" and "You Should Never Have Opened That Door" are all previously unreleased. "I Can't Be" and "I Don't Wanna Be Learned/I Don't Wanna Be Tamed" were previously on the "All The Stuff (And More) Volume One" compilation but they sound better here - all the demos are decent quality recordings. The final extra track is the single version of "Blitzkrieg Bop" (memo to Rhino - there's a typo on the back cover!) which has dispensed with the extreme left/right panning of the bass and guitar.

One of my favourite moments is when the sound of a chain saw (brought into the studio to be recorded!) segues into the beginning of a song (erm... "Chain Saw") and you realise what Johnny's guitar sound is based on. Then there's the call to arms of "Hey ho, let's go!" from "Blitzkrieg Bop", the (often underrated) pop sensibility of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" and the (often unacknowledged) humour in "Beat On The Brat" and "Loudmouth". Since this album was originally released, I've enjoyed music from bands influenced by it's attitude (Black Flag, Clash, Smiths) and it's music (Buzzcocks, Pixies, Nirvana) but I still come back to the original. Over 25 years on and it still sounds right. Playing this record can still raise a confused frown from Squares the world over. The "back to basics" approach of punk began with this album and for anyone who heard it back in 1976, nothing would ever be the same again. You need this record.

Essential listening! if you buy any album in the next year and you don't already have this (where have you been!) buy it as this is a classic.

The Ramones are the godfathers of punk and this album probably encouraged a whole generation of bands to give it a go. The album does sound a bit like an angry wasp trying to explode and the Ramones rip through a bunch of great songs from the anthem Blitzkreig Bop to true love songs like Chainsaw and I wanna be your Boyfriend.

Love this album it is simply great. Rest in peace Johnny, Joey and Dee Dee you can be proud of this.

I have to say this is probably my favourite and most listened to album of all time.

Enough has been said about the impact of this band and their contemporaries playing at CBGBs, such as Blondie and Television. It's popularly supposed that the fun and excitement generated by The Ramones' stripped down pop was needed to flush away the pretence of prog and hard rock and give music back to 'the kids on the streets.' Actually, it didn't and the main reason to be thankful for it was to give us an alternative. Most of the people I knew who liked punk rock continued to listen to the so-called dinosaurs as well. Even so, you can trace the music of most indie bands from 1976 to the present back to this stuff. Considering The Ramones' musical limitations, the repetitive drum patterns, the d-u-m-b vocals and the bar chords, it's remarkable that they've been unsurpassed in this field.

'Blitzkrieg Bop' is one of the best pop singles of any decade and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' suggests what The Searchers might have sounded like had they been a punk band. There are no lame tracks here;it's all buzzing guitar, crashing cymbals and no padding. 'Havana Affair' is imaginative and '53rd & 3rd' evocative. I agree with the reviewer who says that the repetitive nature of the tracks lends a sameness to the album at times, but the brevity of each item compensates for that. There will always be debate too about some of the lyrics, which allow a wide range of interpretations. The violence of 'Loudmouth' and the Nazi references of 'Today Your Love...' are the most pointed examples.

'Ramones' was artistically very influential, though not so commercially; The Sex Pistols finished the job. Best of all, though, this album is a blast.