38 replies to this topic

[The Ghost Who Walks]

Inspired by the recent "Beatles VS Queen" thread, I wanted to create a topic dedicated to one of my three favourite bands, the Ramones.

I started collecting their albums after getting hooked on their greatest hits collection with the brilliantly stupid name "Hey! Ho! Let's Go: The Anthology". After that, I've bought most of their CDs. The later years of their career are truly quite mediocre, but you can't beat "golden age" Ramones, from their debute "Ramones" to "Too Tough to Die".

Anybody else here into their music?

[Safari Suit]

Great band, but I've only got Hey! Ho! Let's Go!, which I've owned for seven years now, so it seems that it provides adequate fulfillment for my Ramones quota. Strangely, it doens't feature their Top 10 UK hit cover of Baby I Love You. I did have their film Rock N Roll High School on DVD which is great fun.

Stephen King is a big fan and has referenced them in some of his books, which lead to them doing the theme for the film adaptation of Pet Semetary which I believe was their biggest US hit (although not popular with some of their fans it seems; I like it personally).

[Sark2.0]

Much, much better than the Beatles. But that's just my opinion...

[Cruiserweight]

They're my favorite band of all time.
Joey,Johnny,Dee Dee,Tommy,Marky,Richie,CJ

I own every studio,live,& best of album you could think of

I own Rock N Roll High School as well as the documentries End Of The Century,Ramones Raw ,& the live concert dvd It's Alive.

Member of the Joey Ramone forum board & hell i even run a Ramones Myspace fan page.

Strangely, it doens't feature their Top 10 UK hit cover of Baby I Love You.

That's because despite it charting it's considered one of the worst Ramones songs ever in the eyes of die hard Ramones fans.It was a song they recorded to have a hit & because Phil Spector produced it. It's not even a Ramones song really.The only Ramone on that song is Joey singing.The rest of the band didn't record it.It was a bunch of Spector's session men.

[Cruiserweight]

Why does this thread only get 3 replies and barely 40 views?
Speakes miles on this board.

[jrcjohnny99]

Because
a) The Ramones are a cult band, not a populist one a la The Beatles
The Ramones, whilst admittedly are a lot of fun to listen to, are hardly grundbreaking-earth shattering artists
c) They have nothing whatsoever to do with Bond

[Vauxhall]

Thought you may have popped in to post this Johnny!

[DamnCoffee]

I can honestly say that I've never heard of The Ramones before in my life.

[B. Brown]

They're up there with The Beatles for me.

[Cruiserweight]

Because
a) The Ramones are a cult band, not a populist one a la The Beatles
The Ramones, whilst admittedly are a lot of fun to listen to, are hardly grundbreaking-earth shattering artists
c) They have nothing whatsoever to do with Bond

1.Cult bands don't make it into the hall of fame nor do they last for 22 years & they remain quite popular around the world to this day.Not a cult band at all.They're not The Velvet Underground/New York Dolls.
2.You obviously are quite unaware of the New York Punk/Punk scene in general then.
3.Neither do The Beatles.But of course this being a general topics forum the topics still must relate to Bond in some way right?

I can honestly say that I've never heard of The Ramones before in my life.

That's like saying you've never heard of bands like
The Clash
The Sex Pistols
Talking Heads
Blondie

Oh wait that's right. I forgot what board i was on.
They aren't The Beatles.

[Sark2.0]

The Ramones, whilst admittedly are a lot of fun to listen to, are hardly grundbreaking-earth shattering artists

What??? They are widely regarded as the first punk rock band. They practically invented an entire genre of music.

I can honestly say that I've never heard of The Ramones before in my life.

What are they teaching in schools these days? In the spirit of the Beatles v Queen thread, if it weren't for the Ramones, bands like the Clash, the Sex Pistols, hell, even ing Green Day would never have existed.

[Vauxhall]

That's like saying you've never heard of bands like
The Clash
The Sex Pistols
Talking Heads
Blondie

Oh wait that's right. I forgot what board i was on.
They aren't The Beatles.

As a board that doesn't specıalıse in The Beatles, the fact there was already a thread dedicated to them is purely a reflection of their unique position in popular culture rather than anything else.

The fact of the matter is that if you went up to people on the street, 80-90% would have heard of The Beatles, and no other band can lay claim to that sort of exposure and recognition.

For the record, there are probably 10-20 bands I prefer to The Beatles, but I still appreciate their influence on the industry.

[The Ghost Who Walks]

The Ramones, whilst admittedly are a lot of fun to listen to, are hardly grundbreaking-earth shattering artists

What??? They are widely regarded as the first punk rock band. They practically invented an entire genre of music.

Exactly. Countless terrific bands would never have started out if it wasn't for the Ramones. They ARE groundbreaking.

I can honestly say that I've never heard of The Ramones before in my life.

To quote your comment in another thread, "Then you haven't lived".

1.Cult bands don't make it into the hall of fame nor do they last for 22 years & they remain quite popular around the world to this day.Not a cult band at all.They're not The Velvet Underground/New York Dolls.

Yep. I actually think the Ramones are more popular these days than they ever were in their touring days. If Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee had been alive and had decided to go on a reunion tour, I believe it would have been huge. Ramones T-shirts are trendy, lots of people my age get into their music through downloading it from the Internet, and so on.

Stephen King is a big fan and has referenced them in some of his books, which lead to them doing the theme for the film adaptation of Pet Semetary which I believe was their biggest US hit (although not popular with some of their fans it seems; I like it personally).

I adore that song personally (the film is very underrated too, and the novel is great).

That's because despite it charting it's considered one of the worst Ramones songs ever in the eyes of die hard Ramones fans.It was a song they recorded to have a hit & because Phil Spector produced it. It's not even a Ramones song really.The only Ramone on that song is Joey singing.The rest of the band didn't record it.It was a bunch of Spector's session men.

I must admit I love "Baby I love you". It's kind of cheesy, but it is a wonderful listen during romantic summer nights (I know that sentence sounds very sappy!).

Great band, but I've only got Hey! Ho! Let's Go!, which I've owned for seven years now, so it seems that it provides adequate fulfillment for my Ramones quota. Strangely, it doens't feature their Top 10 UK hit cover of Baby I Love You. I did have their film Rock N Roll High School on DVD which is great fun.

I need to see that movie. I've seen some clips, and it looks like cheesy, silly fun. I love the album Road to Ruin, which I believe basically functions as the film's soundtrack.

Member of the Joey Ramone forum board & hell i even run a Ramones Myspace fan page.

Could you post a link?

Some of their "pop" songs are just perfect for this time of year. Classics like I Want You Around, their cover of Needles and Pins, and most of the stuff on Road to Ruin and the underrated End of the Century just gives me a great "summer feeling" (though I listen to them the rest of the year too...).

I remember when I got into the Ramones, it turned out to be something like an addiction. I barely listened to anything else for six or seven months.

[Cruiserweight]

Could you post a link?


[/quote]

Sure thing


To be more specific it's a fan page of my favorite Ramone & not the whole group but it's been approved by all the offical Ramones pages(Johnny,Dee Dee,& Joey) all have offical Myspaces that represent them. Monte The Ramones tour manager for the entire 22 years even features me on his top friends.

http://www.myspace.c...monefanemporium


Ps.
Favorite album:Too Tough To Die
Favorite song:Somebody Put Something In My Drink

[Cruiserweight]

That's like saying you've never heard of bands like
The Clash
The Sex Pistols
Talking Heads
Blondie

Oh wait that's right. I forgot what board i was on.
They aren't The Beatles.

As a board that doesn't specıalıse in The Beatles, the fact there was already a thread dedicated to them is purely a reflection of their unique position in popular culture rather than anything else.

The fact of the matter is that if you went up to people on the street, 80-90% would have heard of The Beatles, and no other band can lay claim to that sort of exposure and recognition.

For the record, there are probably 10-20 bands I prefer to The Beatles, but I still appreciate their influence on the industry.

I strongly disagree with you. I would say that there are several rock bands that can claim to have been heard of by that high a percentage of people.& i say The Ramones are one of them.Despite what people are saying on this board The Ramones are one of the most famous rock bands of all time.

I honestly don't understand how you can appreciate something like that but on the other hand have never heard of The Ramones. Like i stated a few sentences ago The Ramones were/are one of the biggest rock bands in Rock history & have had a huge influence on bands up to this very day.Not to mention that they may have been even bigger in the UK then they were in the USA. I'm not saying you have to be a fan of them but you never having heard of them truely baffles me.

[sharpshooter]

As a board that doesn't specıalıse in The Beatles, the fact there was already a thread dedicated to them is purely a reflection of their unique position in popular culture rather than anything else.

The fact of the matter is that if you went up to people on the street, 80-90% would have heard of The Beatles, and no other band can lay claim to that sort of exposure and recognition.

Agreed.

[Cruiserweight]

For Anyone who's interested in getting to know about The Ramonees i suggest two items.
If you're interested in the music then i suggest
Weird Tales Of The Ramones.
It's a 3 disc set that covers their entire musical career featuring songs from their first album all the way through to their last album. Also featured in special features are all of their music videos as well as a 3D comic book.



If you're interested in the behind the scenes story then i suggest End Of The Century. It's pretty the most in depth documentary & best look at the career of The Ramones from the ones who were a part of it.

As a board that doesn't specıalıse in The Beatles, the fact there was already a thread dedicated to them is purely a reflection of their unique position in popular culture rather than anything else.

The fact of the matter is that if you went up to people on the street, 80-90% would have heard of The Beatles, and no other band can lay claim to that sort of exposure and recognition.

Agreed.

I'd really like to see what streets you two are walking down.

[Scrambled Eggs]

What??? They are widely regarded as the first punk rock band. They practically invented an entire genre of music.

How widely? There are a lot of bands who could lay claim to the title of "First Punk Rock Band". The term "punk rock" was certainly coined a long time before The Ramones.
For me, I'd have to cite The Stooges as the first punk rock band.

For Anyone who's interested in getting to know about The Ramonees i suggest two items.
If you're interested in the music then i suggest
Weird Tales Of The Ramones.
It's a 3 disc set that covers their entire musical career featuring songs from their first album all the way through to their last album. Also featured in special features are all of their music videos as well as a 3D comic book.

Mate, but if you want to spread the word about The Ramones then a 3CD boxset and comic book is probably not the place to start. Most people who enjoy no nonsense good rock n roll would enjoy a Ramones complilation but a 3 CD set? Strictly for the hardcore.

Your truculent fanboy enthusiasm is laudable but slightly silly.

[Sark2.0]

How widely? There are a lot of bands who could lay claim to the title of "First Punk Rock Band". The term "punk rock" was certainly coined a long time before The Ramones.
For me, I'd have to cite The Stooges as the first punk rock band.

Well, it's the very first sentence on the Ramones wikipedia page (and it's got two citations).

[Scrambled Eggs]

How widely? There are a lot of bands who could lay claim to the title of "First Punk Rock Band". The term "punk rock" was certainly coined a long time before The Ramones.
For me, I'd have to cite The Stooges as the first punk rock band.

Well, it's the very first sentence on the Ramones wikipedia page (and it's got two citations).

As a rule of thumb, its best to check wikipedia's citations. Only one of those citations actually credits them with being the first punk rock band, and its not the most compelling case I've read.

Its one of those "chicken or egg" type questions and The Ranones are certainly an important band, but first punk rock band? I can't see it. If they are then Iggy and the Stooges must've had access to a time machine when they recorded Raw Power.

[jrcjohnny99]

Well you got what you wanted! loads of replies....

Lets see...

1st off; The Ramones did not 'Invent' punk.
As previous posters have stated, if anyone 'deserves' that claim, then it's Iggy & the Stooges. Then Bowie and the New York Dolls. It's those acts that infleunced the 75-77 British punk movement that spawned The Pistols, The Dammned, The Clash etc NOT the Ramones. No question the Ramones were part of the NYC punk movement (that I know ALL about) but they weren't even the first band in that scene; That would be Patti Smith.

2ndly; HOF honorees they certainly are, but one of the "biggest bands of all time" they are not; they're album sales, ticket sales etc puts them leagues behind the likes of The Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, The Police, Fleetwood Mac, Guns N Roses, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, REM, Iron Maiden, Oasis...
Those are bands that have sold MILLIONS on records and sell out arenas/stadiums...
Altho you can correct me if I'm wrong, I dont believe they ever had a) a million selling album in the US ever played Arenas; that makes them a cult band as opposed to a populist one.

now; none of the above doesnt mean they weren't great....they were, and I'm a pretty big fan, but do we have to have a discussion on EVERY band ever>>???

Here's the biggest caveat tho...
Without The Beatles; you almost certainly wouldn't have The Ramones.

[Cruiserweight]

Logic like that irks the hell out of me.Because they didn't have sales numbers in the millions they weren't one of the greatest bands of all time? BS! You judge a band on their talent,& longevity to truely judge on if they were one of the best or not.

Secondly they often played arenas outside of the United States. So obviously you don't know everything about the situation.

Thirdly,The Ramones didn't influence The Clash,The Sex Pistols,or The Damned? Well then you obviously don't know about The Ramones first UK show at The Roundhouse where members of all three of those bands attended.Memebers of those bands later cited it was because of that show that they formed their bands.Not any of the acts you named.

But lets not forget kids. The bottom line of this thread is it doesn't matter if you were around for 50 years & were the most talented band to ever live as long as you don't sell millions of copies of every album you put out & don't sell out arenas you can't be considered one of the best.

& when it comes down to it every band who ever existed must bow down & kiss the behind of The Beatles because they influenced everyone! To the point that it's mandatory that they be mentioned in every music topic here on this board.

[Scrambled Eggs]

& when it comes down to it every band who ever existed must bow down & kiss the behind of The Beatles because they influenced everyone! To the point that it's mandatory that they be mentioned in every music topic here on this board.

I quite agree. Stop going on about them. Anyone would think you had a Beatles obsession.

Incidentaly, out of curiousity, where did the name "The Ramones" come from?

[Cruiserweight]

It came from The Beatles actually.

Paul used to check into hotels as Paul Ramone.

The bass player Dee Dee thought that sounded cool so he started calling himself Dee Dee Ramone.The rest of tha band wanting to present a picture of the band as one big unit also adopted the name.

[Scrambled Eggs]

It came from The Beatles actually.

Well fancy that.

[jrcjohnny99]

Logic like that irks the hell out of me.Because they didn't have sales numbers in the millions they weren't one of the greatest bands of all time? BS! You judge a band on their talent,& longevity to truely judge on if they were one of the best or not.

Secondly they often played arenas outside of the United States. So obviously you don't know everything about the situation.

Thirdly,The Ramones didn't influence The Clash,The Sex Pistols,or The Damned? Well then you obviously don't know about The Ramones first UK show at The Roundhouse where members of all three of those bands attended.Memebers of those bands later cited it was because of that show that they formed their bands.Not any of the acts you named.

But lets not forget kids. The bottom line of this thread is it doesn't matter if you were around for 50 years & were the most talented band to ever live as long as you don't sell millions of copies of every album you put out & don't sell out arenas you can't be considered one of the best.

& when it comes down to it every band who ever existed must bow down & kiss the behind of The Beatles because they influenced everyone! To the point that it's mandatory that they be mentioned in every music topic here on this board.

1. In my post I deliberately used the phrase "biggest" not "greatest" because that was the word you initially used; to me, "biggest" means sales/popularity.
If you just mean most influential or just the band you happen to like the most, maybe you should've made that clear.

2. Arenas outside the US? occasionally maybe, I would imagine Japan; but I know for a fact they never played arenas in the UK, the one country where you stated they were bigger than in the US. (FYI , I think the biggest show they ever played in the UK may have been supporting U2 at Milton Keynes Bowl in 85)

3. Re the legendary Roundhouse show...well, lets get some facts straight. first off, interestingly, that show was on July 4th 1976. That very same night the Pistols and the Clash were playing in Sheffield; making it impossible for them to be at that show.
Members of both bands were supposedly at the show the night after at Dingwalls; as both bands were already formed and playing together (and at that point playing sets that comprised of the bulk of their classic debut albums) I'm not sure how much credit the Ramones can take for influencing them and clearly it was not because of that that they formed their bands as you stated.
Again, if you do some research, you'll actually find the biggest influences on the Pistols were teh Stooges, Bowie and the NY dolls.

I think it's great that your a big fan, and again, I like em, I like em a lot, but lets not play revisionist history and make them into something they weren't.
And if you're going to argue anything on a public forum where you dont know who you're arguing with, getting your facts right is always a good start.

And hey, no malice intended in any of the above. Lets be friends!

[Cruiserweight]

I am deleting the comment that was here because i honestly don't want to argue over opinions & things i know are facts.


Ps.I think David Byrne is a better song writer then either Lennon or MCCartney

[Vauxhall]

I'm not saying you have to be a fan of them but you never having heard of them truely baffles me.

I'm not sure you're referring to me, but I never said I hadn't heard of The Ramones.

As a board that doesn't specıalıse in The Beatles, the fact there was already a thread dedicated to them is purely a reflection of their unique position in popular culture rather than anything else.

The fact of the matter is that if you went up to people on the street, 80-90% would have heard of The Beatles, and no other band can lay claim to that sort of exposure and recognition.

Agreed.

Thank you.

I'd really like to see what streets you two are walking down.

Nice streets generally. I guarantee if I went into any town in the UK or any American metropolitan area right now, 8 or 9 people out of 10 would have heard of The Beatles. I wouldn't ever make a similar claim about any of the other current biggest bands in the world: The Rolling Stones, U2, Coldplay. Whatever you think of their music, The Beatles are unique in many respects.

[jrcjohnny99]

I'm not saying you have to be a fan of them but you never having heard of them truely baffles me.

I'm not sure you're referring to me, but I never said I hadn't heard of The Ramones.

As a board that doesn't specıalıse in The Beatles, the fact there was already a thread dedicated to them is purely a reflection of their unique position in popular culture rather than anything else.

The fact of the matter is that if you went up to people on the street, 80-90% would have heard of The Beatles, and no other band can lay claim to that sort of exposure and recognition.

Agreed.

Thank you.

I'd really like to see what streets you two are walking down.

Nice streets generally. I guarantee if I went into any town in the UK or any American metropolitan area right now, 8 or 9 people out of 10 would have heard of The Beatles. I wouldn't ever make a similar claim about any of the other current biggest bands in the world: The Rolling Stones, U2, Coldplay. Whatever you think of their music, The Beatles are unique in many respects.

I think this thread is officially done!
We like the Ramones, they're not as big as the Beatles!

How about discussing how terrible Coldplay are????

[The Ghost Who Walks]

How about discussing how terrible Coldplay are????

They are somewhat less terribble after Viva La Vida.

To be more specific it's a fan page of my favorite Ramone & not the whole group but it's been approved by all the offical Ramones pages(Johnny,Dee Dee,& Joey) all have offical Myspaces that represent them. Monte The Ramones tour manager for the entire 22 years even features me on his top friends.

http://www.myspace.c...monefanemporium

Nice one!
Joey is my favourite. Not an original choice, I guess, but there's something very cool about this geeky kid who turned himself into a rock god. How I wish he was still alive!

Favorite album:Too Tough To Die
Favorite song:Somebody Put Something In My Drink

Love that song too, Joey's vocals are amazingly cool on it.
Too Tough To Die is great, but I don't listen to it as much as some of their other albums. It's darker than their stuff usually is, and I can't help prefering the Ramones as something of a "feel good" act personally.