Album Review: The Ramones - Road to Ruin (1978)

The first four Ramones albums are probably the most revered and respected, and I can see why - musically, their sound was so simple, and yet so captivating.  And to begin with, they weren't very good at playing their instruments either - their debut album is a bit sloppy in that regard - but nonetheless this was quickly overlooked in favor of the simple, yet surprisingly innovative sound that'd just arisen.  The first and third albums really do it for me - the debut, despite only having gone gold a mere few years ago, is one of the best debuts I have ever heard, and by the time Rocket to Russia came about, they'd quickly become more polished and more competent in their playing.  But of the first four albums, their fourth is my least favorite, although of course, this doesn't mean I would go so far as to consider it bad by any means.  "Don't Come Close", "I Wanna be Sedated", and "She's the One" are the songs I go to when I can't be assed playing the album from start to finish, and if I were really pressed to cherry-pick another song, I would probably go for "It's A Long Way Back."  "Needles & Pins" sticks out like a sore thumb with it's acoustic guitar, and everything else in between just sounds far too alike this time around.  In summary, this isn't a playthrough album, but there's certainly some good enough numbers here for me to cherry-pick at my own leisure.  B+

Album Review: The Ramones - Leave Home (1977)

I LOVE The Ramones.  Not because of any perceived technical proficiency (their songs were delightfully basic and straightforward) but because if the first four albums are anything to go by, they're a band who sounded like they were about good clean fun, conjuring up songs without an overload of excessive piety and fuss.  Simple rock and roll was their game, and it worked out brilliantly to boot.  Great material through and through.  I've already reviewed their eponymous debut album, as well as Rocket to Russia, and now I'm reviewing their second album, Leave Home.  Released in the same year as Rocket to Russia, it's not as good, but nonetheless still a very good album and definitely worth buying and listening to.  Filled with classics such as their excellent cover of "California Sun", the assertively brilliant "Glad to See You Go"as well as the deliciously somber "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment."  "I Remember You" sounds like a Blondie song, and I love that.  "Oh Oh I Love Her So" is appropriately named, because it's one of the best on the album.  It's punk rock in its element.  A great album all around.  Now, go out and get it.  A-

Album Review: The Ramones - Rocket to Russia (1977)

In the past decade and a half, I've been at odds with modern rock music and its overall tendency to produce what I would call a 'cacophonic odyssey of noises.' But to call it that would be far too complimentary - I would best define it as being stale, boring, lazy, cheap and an insult to the great institute that is rock 'n' roll. I felt (and still feel) that the only sub-genre of rock that will save it is pop punk. OK, you may say it appeals to squealing little girls, particularly with the word 'pop' in it, but to be quite frank, I'd rather suck a lemon with a festering case of mouth ulcers than listen to some of that other cack that spews forth from the radio nowadays. Now, I'm not saying that it's all bad, but for the most part I would say that the recording industry's forte now lies with making frisbees, beer coasters and shaving mirrors, rather than the bona fide rock albums of old. The reason why modern punk sounds so darn good is it seems to stick to its roots better than, say, heavy metal. Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple sound worlds away from Sepultura, Probot, or Slipknot, but the Ramones' sound can be clearly heard in the music of bands like Green Day and Rancid, so much so it sticks out like an anorexic at fat camp.

In contrast to their first album, Rocket to Russia by the Ramones sounds a lot more like its modern pop punk descendants. Its injection of surf rock makes it sound like the Beach Boys to Ramones' The Beatles, whereas Ramones sounds a lot more like the English punk that would follow in its own pioneering wake. And musicological analysis and historical background aside, it's a corker of an album too. Songs like, "Rockaway Beach" and an interesting cover of "Surfin' Bird" make this quite obvious. Coupled with fantastic, uplifting 'feel-good about yourself' ballads like "Locket Love", "Do You Wanna Dance?" and "Cretin Hop", and quirky numbers about the reality of family life (for some anyway) like, "We're A Happy Family", you've got a classic album that everyone except for the deaf should own. The way I see it, this album doesn't just belong on your turntable, CD player or iPod, but the album cover itself should be worn on the front of a black t-shirt by government decree. It is that worthy. So, go out and buy it. A

Album Review: The Ramones - Ramones (1976)

As I've said 10,000 times before in my previous posts, I've developed an unexplainable infatuation with punk rock, 30 years after the rest of the world got sick of it and decided singing songs about Satan was a more pressing issue than getting rid of coppers, pollies, arguing that indecent exposure was perfectly decent, and that dope smoking and telling pensioners to sod off was none of the government's business. And some of the more conformist types will argue it's a bizarre genre in terms of it's social implications and impact on individuals - after all, these are people who buy their fashion accessories from pet stores. Even the cockatiels will take one look at their hairdos and wonder what they're doing out. But hey, I'm a man of liberty, I'll stand up for their right to wear dog collars, and their colorful hair is a refreshing change from the split-ended blond dos and salad-bowl haircuts that pepper the Auckland CBD.

Now, after listening to The Ramones' debut album, I've been suffering from a rather nasty case of psycho-motor agitation, it is that good I can't help but keep moving. This really is punk rock at it's finest, which makes a lot of natural sense, really. After all, they are regarded as being the very first punk rock band. Three chords and two minute length songs make for musical heaven for those with equally short attention spans. There is a notably consistent and comparable sound to many of these songs, such as in "Blitzkrieg Bop", "Judy is a Punk", and in "I Don't Wanna Go Down to the Basement" and "Loudmouth", which may be a problem if you have a tendency to get bored very quickly. But for me, it works out great. So much so that I'll probably starve to death by the time I'm through listening to them. Therefore, in concluding this review, if you want advice on what to buy if you're going through a punk-curious phase, may I suggest you buy this album. A-