Not many bands can honestly say they changed the shape of rock & roll as we know it and upended part of the larger global culture at the same time. The Ramones did just that; by stripping down and speeding up rock & roll like a hot rod that could outrun all competition, and injecting it with a massive dose of snotty, absurdist humor, they gave the music a new lease on life, and left behind a handful of brilliant recordings that are still a solid kick to hear nearly four decades after their debut hit the streets. Punk rock first emerged from a very specific time and place, but the best of it is timeless in its joyous roar, and the first four Ramones albums absolutely live up to that description.
Ramones is one of the happiest albums ever made: fourteen songs recorded for $6200, all about the joys of cartoon stupidity ("Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue"), cartoon violence ("Beat on the Brat"), cartoon male prostitution ("53rd & 3rd"), and gigantic cartoon riffs. "Second verse, same as the first," Joey chirps like he's just discovered the secret of pop; the whole thing sounds a lot simpler than it is.
01. Blitzkrieg Bop
02. Beat on the Brat
03. Judy is a Punk
04. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
05. Chain Saw
06. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
07. I Don’t Wanna Go Down to the Basement
08. Loudmouth
09. Havana Affair
10. Listen to My Heart
11. 53rd & 3rd
12. Let’s Dance
13. I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You
14. Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World
*2013 Rhino / Sire / Warner | 8122796278 {From The Sire Years 1976-1981 [6CD BoxSet] (2013) {Rhino}
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