had confirmed that the current template for savvy party rock was more than 90% Ramones DNA. By 2004, when Johnny became the third member of the original four-man lineup to die since the end of the century, such performers as Andrew W.K. Regarded as radio unfriendly in its day, the stuff retains its freshness and kick, while the music that was outselling it back in the day- Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, like that-has all the charm, appeal and forward momentum of a rusted-out pick-up truck on blocks on a hillbilly’s front lawn. Both were, in their different ways, an expression of generosity.īut the Ramones‘ commitment to their own sound and vision paid off in the long run by the end of the twentieth century, that sound had gone mainstream, used in commercials and action movies and at sports arenas to epitomize stoopid, good old American fun. But neither choice, to chase the big audience or serve the more exclusive one, was made cynically. For a while, the greatest creative tension in the band came from the split between those, like Joey, who wanted to expand their territory to reach as many listeners as possible, and Johnny’s belief that to flirt with greater commercial appeal was a betrayal of the audience who loved, and needed, them as they were. Douglas Wolk came closer to capturing the essence of the band’s greatness when he asserted that, unlike many of his imitators, Joey Ramone “never, ever sneered.” There was a tenderness at the heart of their noisy attack that came from the band members’ sincere commitment to what they were doing and to whatever audience wanted to hear them do it. West Coast chauvinist Greil Marcus denounced them from their first onstage belch to their dying day for the same reason many East Coast chauvinists claimed to revere them-he took them for postmodern ironists. (Amazingly, this most New York of bands never performed on Saturday Night Live, although the It’s Alive 1974-1996 DVD collection does include appearances on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and Sha Na Na‘s syndicated variety show.)Īnd though they were critically beloved, they were often misunderstood by the smartest rock writers.
#RAMONES ALBUMS PROFESSIONAL#
The Ramones were commercial pariahs in their great days, ignored by the mass audience and shunned by professional tastemakers. The line everyone uses about the Velvets is that only a few thousand people ever heard their albums when they were first released, but every one of those people was inspired to start a band. Nor are they “classic” in the special sense that the Velvet Underground, say, became some years after their breakup.
Today, the Ramones are safely enshrined as an American classic.
Once upon a time, Jeffrey Ross Hyman, John Cummings, Douglas Colvin, Marc Steven Bell, and Thomas Erdelyi (neé Erdélyi Tamás) were just five mooks from the outer boroughs, and so far as most of America was concerned, that period extended well past the point when, having dubbed themselves the Ramones, they took to the stage at CBGB and started putting out records. This piece originally appeared in Burning Ambulance issue 4 get it in print, as an ebook, or for Kindle.
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