Artist of the Week: The Ramones (11-21-11)

[ramonz]

Hard to know where to start here. My love for the Ramones goes way back, and it is equally split between my fascination with their distinct personalities and how they all worked together, and my love of their music. I've met them all many times over, saw them live somewhere b/w 10-15 times from '81 - '86, and have some fantastic memorabilia from the early days that I may at some point loan or donate to a museum. But most valuable to me are my memories of a band that gave all they had, every night, while living a pretty tough existence in terms of band dynamics and financial stress. Even though Neil and the Clash and Floyd all played their parts in my growing up, the Ramones were the definitive soundtrack to my youth.

Just a couple of facts to start off, the Ramones began playing together in 1974, four very different guys who had only boredom and a lack of traditional music training in common. Well, those things and the same made up last names (Dee Dee Ramone was Douglas Colvin on bass, Joey Ramone was Jeffry Hyman, singer, Johnny Ramone was john Cummings on guitar, and Tommy Ramone was Thomas Erdelyi on drums) and the same "uniform" of leather jacket, ripped jeans, t-shirt, long hair, and sneakers.

Dee Dee wrote most of the songs, although for the entirety of their "classic" period they were credited to the band. The song were all short, fast, and usually punctuated live with the now famous "1-2-3-4!" intro. In my opinion, without Dee Dee, there would not have been a band. Despite his constant troubles with heroin, his songwriting was at the core. Creeps, pinheads, sniffing glue, monsters in the basement, beating on brats with baseball bats - it was all there. Throw in a pinch of bubblegum 60's influence from Joey, and you had the Ramones songwriting sound. Dee Dee left the band as a touring member in 1989 - tried his hand at rap (bad!) and art (good!) - but still wrote a good chunk of the band's songs on its last 3 albums.

Johnny was the band's leader. His low-slung Mosrite guitar, defiant stance to Joey's right, and simple 3-chord playing anchored the band and its sound/image. He had a personality like a drill sergeant and was a real task master. He set the schedules, controlled the image, dispensed the money - in the band, you needed Johnny's approval for pretty much anything. Obviously this chafed everyone, but I think they all grudgingly respected how he held it all together. The saddest part is that after Johnny hooked up with (and remained with) Joey's girlfriend in 1982, the two reportedly never spoke again. Literally. Maybe a few grunts on stage or a pre-show update, but not a word was spoken between the two for over ten years as they traveled across the US (2,200 shows) packed like sardines in a white Econoline van.

Joey was the band's tall, lanky singer and frontman. Punching the air with his gloved hand on the mike, Joey, with his wild mop of long black hair and towering presence, was always on it. Even though he had really bad allergies and got sick on the road fairly often, he was always dependable. I even saw him play a show with a cast and cane once when her had hurt his leg or ankle. Sounds an awful lot like the words he'd written in I Wanna Be Sedated ("Put me in a wheelchair, get me to the show, hurry hurry hurry before I go loco, I can't control my fingers I can't control my toes, Oh no no no no..."), right? Life imitating art was a pretty normal thing for the Ramones. Joey's political views were much more liberal than Johnny's, who was a pretty staunch right-winger (he thanked George Bush during his Rock and Roll HOF acceptance speech). Those differing views also played a role in their mutual animosity. Joey was a sweet guy who never liked locking horns with the tough and sometimes bitter/jealous guitar player, but all indications are that he stood up for himself and his beliefs, especially during the later years.

Tommy Ramone was the band's original drummer and soon-to-be producer. Tommy was replaced early on by Marky Ramone (Marc Bell), who was replaced by Richie Ramone (Richard Reinhardt) in the early/mid-80's, who was then replaced permanently by Marky. To be a drummer in the Ramones, you had to be able to play. FAST. Marky was (and is) one of the fastest drummers alive, and as the band sped up their numbers more and more over the years at the live shows, that was a must. Marky had his troubles w/ booze and was booted because he did not show up for a show. One show. Out. That's how tight the ship was. Richie did fine, and even wrote a couple songs, but he left when he got tired of getting the shaft on merch sales. Marky jumped back in to his rightful spot, and thrashed away as only he could do until the band called it a day in 1996.

Can't forget CJ. CJ Ramone (Christopher Joseph Ward) replaced Dee Dee in 1989 and remained their bass player for the last 3 albums and until the end. He added a HUGE boost of energy and youthfulness to the boys and the band at a time when they needed it. CJ was a trooper, because no one can really replace Dee Dee. But he stepped up in classic Ramones fashion and even wrote/sang a few great tunes. I can only imagine the stories he might have as an "outsider" in the band, but something tells me he's not the type to kiss and tell.

This band worked their asses off and never really saw the fruits of their labors in their lifetimes. A band that influenced a generation of musicians and fans spent night after night after night playing small clubs and eating burritos at 7-11 after shows (where I had one of my best chats w/ Johnny). I read somewhere that they each made around $50K a year - not sure if that reflected today's dollars, but any way you slice it, $50K a year for as hard as they worked and the expenses of the road, well, I guess I just thought that they would have made more. That, combined with the fighting and drama within the band, and the fact that I don't think they ever felt like they got the credit they deserved, makes for a pretty sad story. Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee have all died, Joey of lymphoma in 2001, Dee Dee of a heroin overdose in 2002, and Johnny of prostate cancer in 2004. Over 2,000 shows, night after night - when it was all over in 1996, I'm not sure the guys had a whole lot left to live for. The phenomenon of spouses dying soon after their wife or husband dies is an interesting one. While the band was never the "....Happy Family" they joked they were in song, the show must go on. And when the show is over, it's over.

As I read over what I've written, it seems a little depressing. I'm sorry about that, but the truth is the band never saw the fruits of their labors and fought constantly. Yes, they were credited by many with "inventing" punk, along with the Clash and the Pistols, and did have a massive following in South America (they'd head down every year and play arenas) and played Lollapalooza their last year, but at some point you hope to make enough money to get out of the van, and for the vast majority of their career, that never happened.

It also seems that I've written much more about the personalities than the music. The truth is I am fascinated by how band members (and business partners, which is closer to my day-to-day world) get along. What they have to sacrifice for the good of the whole, how each plays a unique role in the whole. I'd like to write a book about it one day.

Anyway, here are my ratings on the Ramones albums:

Ramones (1976): A+
Leave Home (1977): A
Rockrt to Russia (1977): A+
Road to Ruin (1978): A+

These four classic albums, all released in 3 years(!), are as powerful and influential as any four-album run in rock history. If you own them, listen to them again. If you don't, run and go buy them. Run!

End if the Century (1980): B This Phil Spector-produced album was softer and just didn't really work. The band took a chance, and wanted a hit, but it didn't happen.

Pleasant Dreams (1981) & Subterranean Jungle (1983): B+ While still a little "softer" than the classics, there's some great stuff in there. The Pleasant Dreams tour was my first, so I have a special place in my heart for these two.

Too Tough to Die (1984): A This is their "comeback" album, although in my eyes they were still putting out good music and great shows. But TTTD really was and is fantastic - a return to the old school!

Animal Boy (1986), Halfway to Sanity (1987), and Brain Drain (1989): B Not bad but not great. Animal Boy is the best of the three. They experiment with hardcore punk in these, which was never really something the band did well, imo.

Mondo Bizarro (1992): A- While this one didn't get great reviews, I thought it was GREAT. Ed Stasium returned as producer, and the old sound and fun music was back!

Acid Eaters(1993) & Adios Amigos!(1995): B- & B+ Acid Eaters was a contract-filling album of 60's and 70's pop/rock songs and Adios Amigos was their swan song. If that album didn't make it (get some radio airplay and/or sell more), they'd decided they'd hang it up. It didn't and they did.

Finally, their live album It's Alive, from a tour of England in '76 or '77, is FANTASTIC. Spend $30 and get the first 4 albums (they now come, or at least did a while back, on 2 CD's) + It's Alive. You'll get the essence of what made the band great in those five.

Why I love the Ramones, in no particular order:

- Their music made me feel free when I was a kid, and it takes me back every time I listen to it today. It helped me get my teenage aggression out, slam-dancing with other kids in a sweaty mosh pit at the Boathouse in Norfolk. Maybe everyone didn't understand why I was so into it, but it didn't matter. I had my leather jacket, was with my friends, and it was all better.

- They worked hard and stuck it out for the good of the whole. It wasn't always pleasant, and the payday never really came, but damned if they aren't now one of the most respected and influential bands in rock (I think SPIN had them only behind the Beatles.).

- They helped create an entire genre of music.

- They created iconic images, such as their presidential seal with with baseball bat and apple tree limb (as American as apple pie) and band members names around it in a circle. Brilliant! (thank you Arturo) And the leather jack, jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers.....and same last names.....it may seem a little quaint or tame these days, but the reality was that they were absolute masters of their image.

- They wrote about (and sometimes for) the fuckups and delinquents of the world, just trying to get though the day. Their characters sniffed glue. Others we know sing about Zoloft. They talked about the job that ate their brain. Others we know sing about one shit job after another. Thank God that "our band" is in a better place financially and personally than the Ramones were, but it has hardly been easy on either of those fronts for DBT.

I love bands that write and play great music, passionately. And I'll go to the ends of the earth to support bands that do this.

Hey Ho, Let's Go!

[sactochris]

I was lucky enough to get to see them twice, once in 84 with Richie on drums, and once in 87 after Marky came back. It's cool to watch young punk rock kid's mouths fall open when I mention that. It's just like when I would go slack jawed listening to someone tell me about seeing The Band at The Felt Forum, or having seen the Pistols at Winterland.

[Steve French]

There's a very good book about the Ramones by Everett True:

http://www.amazon.com/Hey-Ho-Lets-Go-Ra ... 0711991081


Funny, when I was young (all those years ago) I disliked the Ramones intensely: not sure why: I think basically my thought process was "If its not English, its not punk, and therefore it is shit". Of course I know now how stupid that was.

and one of my friends was a massive fan, and they toured here (here of all places!) a couple of times.

What bought me round was the film, which was on at the film festival a few years ago (so relatively recently). I have a policy of going to see all the music documentaries that are screening at the festival, so I went to see this film:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368711/

and then I became a fan.

By the way, in addition to owning the first four albums (all reissued on vinyl by the way) and Its Alive, you can also check out the Ramones Anthology which has all the "hits" plus GREAT liner notes and some of the more obscure stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey!_Ho!_L ... _Anthology


One thing I don't have is a Ramones T shirt. I'm waiting for them to become unfashionable again. I always wonder when I see the yoof wearing Ramones shirts how many of their albums they own.

Thanks for a great writeup!

[LuthierJustin]

Tommy Ramone's bluegrass duo

[ramonz]

That's fantastic - thanks for Sharon!

[dime in the gutter]

[Steve French]

er, relevance?

[dime in the gutter]

er, relevance?

wrong thread, but it is a black and white cover.


i used to make a living, man...pickin the banana.

[ramonz]

Some Ramones (and Clash, Pistols) 8-Tracks I've collected over the years. The sealed Leave Home is sweet.


Various Ramones 45's from my collection. The earliest Sire ones are my favotites.


The owner of Cain's Ballroom sold a ton of old booking folders on eBay about 10 years ago. Some amazing items were for sale from the 70's - JJ Cale, Van Halen, Journey and bunch of other big name acts played there early on. But the Ramones folder from 1978 was the one I had to have - there's an autographed black and white by all 4 (with Tommy), the signed contract, the rider, and a canceled deposit check.

Tomorrow, the original concert t-shirts and more......

[Slipkid42]

Love the Ramones. This was a super write-up, ramonz. I only saw them once. It was near the end of their run. They headlined the HFestival in D.C., in '95. Tony Bennett was on right before them. Most of the 60,000 rain-soaked fans didn't know what to make of the old guy up there croonin' ; but they grooved right along anyway. Out pops the Ramones & the crowd went berserk (like a feeding frenzy @ the shark tank). It was like I'd just hopped outta my parents '64 Olds & jumped in a Maserati. It was a bona fide slice of culture shock to say the least.

It seems like the Ramones were just starting to finally get their recognition, when they called it quits. That's a damn shame They share another dilemma w/DBT in that they didn't fit into any particular niche. They were never really accepted as 'punk', by the punk purists. In fact, I think they were ridiculed by the hard core punkers. Their songs were catchy enough, though (and some were tame enough), to get radio play. But they were short songs & we had been trained by a decade of progressively longer songs into thinking that all that extra fluffery was necessary for a song to be good. It took awhile for the Ramones to be accepted by the mainstream rockers (longer than it should've). Not only did they influence those hard core punkers, more than they'd like to admit (or believe); they recharged all of Rock & Roll w/a return to the basic 3 chord roots that made it great in the first place.

[Gang Green]

Ramonz, thanks for doing this tribute. The Ramones are American heroes, and, I can't believe it wasn't done already. Can I add a few thoughts? Well, I am anyway,

You mentioned the fued between Joey and Johnny because Johnny stole Joey's girl. Joey was of jewish decent and very liberal and Johnny was extremely conservative (like very conservative) and when Johnny took Joey's girl, Joey wrote the song the "KKK took my baby away." as a tribute to the whole situation. So, it's funny Joey wrote the song, and the Ramones recorded the song, and Johnny didn't seem to have a problem recording it. In fairness to Johnny, he did either marry that girl or stay with her until the end.

You mentioned Dee Dee and his drug habit? Well, there's the song "53 and 3rd" which Dee Dee wrote about a corner in New York City where male prostitutes would solicit business from male clientele, and this song was based on some personal experience of Dee Dee's. How else was he going to raise money for his drug habit. Shocking? Not really, if you've read Jim Carroll's "Basketball Diaries" or, even, Patti Smith's latest book when Robert Mapalthorpe was hanging our with Jim Carroll. But, I think this song may have not been included in the first pressings of the first album in the US, but was included in the UK album.

I read about an incident when the Ramones were playing in the Roundhouse or whatever in London. At the show, Johnny was approached by future members of the Clash or maybe the Sex Pistols. These guys told Johnny that they were starting up a band, but that they weren't any good yet. Then Johnny said, you think you're bad, you should hear us. Priceless.

Then, the reason the Ramones used to go from song to song with no break (just the quick 1-2-3-4), was to avoid hearing the boos between each song.

You had Joey the New York Liberal Jew with OCD, Johnny the right wing nut job and Dee Dee the junky who would hustle to keep up his habit. What an incredible dynamic and they actually hung-on together for a significant time. I think the Ramones are inspirational, I think they're rock n roll.

[blessedcurse]

Sometimes I believe that hockey almost single handedly keeps the classic era of rock alive for future generations....My blurry eyed early Saturday and Sunday morning awakening is routinely enhanced by the assurance of my 8 year old that he is "all revved up and ready to go" Hey ho indeed. "Dad...who were the Ramones"?:....thanks for this summary Ramonz. I needed this refresher and guarantee I'll be educating the boy this weekend en route to his games.

[ramonz]

The classic tee. Only thing that makes it better (imo) is having an original Tommy or a Marky. My "Marky" version literally evaporated into dust from overuse. This is an original tour tee from the early 80's.



The band made shirts from some of their songs - very cool. I think we know another band that has done this. This one is from "Cretin Hop."



Original tour tee from Rock "N" Roll High School," the Harvey Corman movie they "starred" in in. I wore this one a ton as teenager.



The band did lots of tank tops and muscle tees and 3/4 sleeve tees. I wanted tees, so I actually sewed sleeved on a few (shirts that I've since lost). This was a baseball jersey tee from the Richie years. I actually dyed some of them b/c I had too many white ones - I think this is one I dyed blue.



Another one I dyed (what was I thinking with that brown?), and another song - We're a Happy Family - the tune they always closed with. I'm getting chills thinking about it.



I'm just gonna toss in an early 80's Clash because this was in HEAVY rotation back in the days, just like the others. I lost my Clash tee from the concert in Williamsburg I saw (Combat Rock tour) while I was in college - very sad day!



This one is NOT an original. While it's still from the mid-80's, this "Tommy" was a reprint from one of the post-Tommy shows. I still wore the crap out of it.



A good "Marky" 3/4 sleeve. Don't remember which tour of duty this was from, but my guess is it's from his second (after Richie).



The band had a great sense of humor! Remember that "We are the World"-type song/fundraiser called "Hands Across America?" Well, they had Hands Across Your Face. Gotta love it. Original mid-80's concert tee.



Probably my 2nd favorite, after the 1981 Marky that turned to dust. Another song tee, this time for "Rocket to Russia." It just doesn't get any better than this one.

[Steve French]

The owner of Cain's Ballroom sold a ton of old booking folders on eBay about 10 years ago. Some amazing items were for sale from the 70's - JJ Cale, Van Halen, Journey and bunch of other big name acts played there early on. But the Ramones folder from 1978 was the one I had to have - there's an autographed black and white by all 4 (with Tommy), the signed contract, the rider, and a canceled deposit check.

Tomorrow, the original concert t-shirts and more......

anything weird in the rider? no brown M & Ms etc?

[Steve French]

The band made shirts from some of their songs - very cool. I think we know another band that has done this. This one is from "Cretin Hop."

this is awesome.

[Steve French]

http://ramonesworld.com/store/tshirts.html

interesting that all the seal ones are Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy: not a Marky or CJ to be seen!

something to do with money maybe? presumably they or their estates get a slice off the top (or the end)? but the guys who are alive need it more maybe?

No Cretin Hop shirts though.

[Clams]

I just knew Ramonz would do up the Ramones thread. Way to go, Robert.

[LuthierJustin]

there was a richie ramone?

[ramonz]

Richie was on 4 albums in the mid-80's, from 1983-1987. Came in after Marky got booted for some booze-related reliability issues. He did a great job, imo. Even wrote the first single for Animal Boy, "Somebody Put Something in My Drink." He left when the band/Johnny would not give him what he thought was his fair share of the merch (tees) money. Supposedly THAT was where they made any money at all, and the story goes that Johnny would walk around after shows with a wad of cash and the rest of 'em would wonder who would get what.

Clem Burke from Blondie ("Elvis Ramone," believe it or not) subbed for a very brief period in '87 after Richie left (no album, and only a couple shows), but could not play at the speed necessary, and the band got Marky back - for good.

[ramonz]

You mentioned Dee Dee and his drug habit? Well, there's the song "53 and 3rd" which Dee Dee wrote about a corner in New York City where male prostitutes would solicit business from male clientele, and this song was based on some personal experience of Dee Dee's. How else was he going to raise money for his drug habit.

If you think you can, well come on man
I was a Green Beret in Viet Nam
No more of your fairy stories
'Cause I got my other worries

53rd and 3rd
Standing on the street
53rd and 3rd
I'm tryin' to turn a trick

53rd and 3rd
You're the one they never pick
53rd and 3rd
Don't it make you feel sick?

(repeat)

Then I took out my razor blade
Then I did what God forbade
Now the cops are after me
But I proved that I'm no sissy

53rd and 3rd
53rd and 3rd
53rd and 3rd
53rd and 3rd

[LuthierJustin]

Ramones TRibute album I have, its pretty good

Track listing

"Havana Affair" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Blitzkrieg Bop" - Rob Zombie
"I Believe in Miracles" - Eddie Vedder & Zeke
"53rd & 3rd" - Metallica
"Beat on the Brat" - U2
"Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio?" - KISS
"The KKK Took My Baby Away" - Marilyn Manson
"I Just Wanna Have Something To Do" - Garbage
"Outsider" - Green Day
"Something to Believe In" - The Pretenders
"Sheena Is a Punk Rocker" - Rancid
"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" - Pete Yorn
"I Wanna Be Sedated" - The Offspring
"Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" - Rooney
"Return of Jackie & Judy" - Tom Waits
"Daytime Dilemma (Dangers of Love)" - Eddie Vedder & Zeke
Silence - 0:10
Silence - 0:10
Silence - 0:10
"Today Your Love, Tomorrow The World" - John Frusciante (hidden track)

[oilpiers]

A friend of mine from high school never played any instument, but joined a punk rock band in 1980 called the Eddies. The lead singer was Brandon Cruz, AKA Eddie Corbett from the Courtship of Eddie's Father. I met my friend Mel 20 years later. He was in multiple bands simultainiously. Most notably the Phantom Surfers. He had a side project called the Ramonatures.
They do Ramones songs in surf style. They also did an album of X songs, with DJ Bonebreak and Billy Zoom helping out. He also headed the Go-Nuts, a childrens Snack Rock band that was on Monster Garage once. Big into Jug band music also.

[dime in the gutter]

great thread.

[Kudzu Guillotine]

End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

[ramonz]

Nice Addition KG.

http://nymag.com/arts/popmusic/features/johnny-ramone-2012-3/
Great article (excerpt) on the upcoming autobio Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone