Rating: 8/10
Best Tracks: Judy is a Punk; I wanna be your Boyfriend; 53rd & 3rd
Considered by many to be the first Punk album (personally, I believe Raw Power to be), there is no doubt that Ramones is the first Pop-Punk album. Almost 20 years before Greenday recorded Dookie, The Ramones were crafting this collection of 2-minute gems, blending catchy rock n’ roll melodies with the aggressive snarling backing that would become commonplace in the Punk genre.
Listening to this album, it’s hard to shake the image of four men, clad in leather jackets and torn drainpipe jeans, thrashing away at their instruments in a garage, having the time of their lives. Ok, so Ramones probably wasn’t recorded in a garage, but there is no studio-trickery here; no overdubs, no effects, just the infectious energy of the band pounding from the speakers.
The lyrics are simple, the melodies uncomplicated, and the arrangements sparse, but in this setting these are good points. After listening to this 29-minute offering 2 or 3 times, most of its 14 tracks will be lodged in your head, and you will feel compelled to put it on again, jump up and down like a lunatic and drive the neighbours insane by shouting ‘Hey Ho, let’s go’ at the top of your voice.
Or maybe that’s just me.
Listen here:
Splendid Fred Magazine 