The Ramones
Ramones
UK: CD
U.S.: CD | MP3
Recorded February 1976
Released April 23, 1976

There are many who could argue all day long about who started punk rock. For me it has always been The Ramones. Last week it was the 10th anniversary of the death of Ramones lead singer Joey Ramone. Today however is a more cheerful anniversary for fans of the punk heroes. On April 23, 1976, the band’s debut album Ramones was released, and rock music would never be the same again.

Their first album still sounds like nothing I have heard before. Their lack of pretension and technical ability is far outweighed by energy, personality, and eccentricity.

Today marks a decade since the death of an icon from the most infamous genre in music history — 10 years ago today, The Ramones lead singer and punk rock legend Joey Ramone passed away.

The punk scene exploded into life in the late 1970s and Joey Ramone was key to this underground music scene gaining global popularity and notoriety. The UK had Johnny Rotten, the sneering, snarling, spitting hurricane of anger and energy. But in the U.S., Joey Ramone controlled the stage and his audience with a more laid-back attitude, which although appearing less volatile, called out to a generation as loud as any of his contemporaries — of which there were very few. The band never achieved the commercial success that bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash did, but The Ramones are often regarded as one of the most influential bands in both punk and rock, thanks in no small part to their iconic front man.

To get everyone familiarized with their new Amazon Cloud Player, Amazon offering is up 23 ALBUMS FOR $3.99 OR LESS. There are some great selections, like Beastie Boys Solid Gold Hits and Whitesnake The Definitive Collection, both of which are $2.99 each. Also, the spotlight deal on Foo Fighters Greatest Hits is still valid, so grab the album now for only $3.99 (contains exclusive track, “Have A Cigar,” a cover of the Pink Floyd song).

There’s also a 100 Albums for $5 Each sale, with selections from all music genres available at the discounted price through the end of the month. See below for my favorite picks from this sale.

Queen A Night At The Opera
The Who Who’s Next
The Ramones Greatest Hits
Pat Benatar Best Shots
Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream
Soundgarden Badmotorfinger
Poison The Best Of- 20 Years Of Rock
Yes Highlights – The Very Best Of Yes
Soundtrack Tron
Soundtrack Tangled

Today commemorates the 32nd anniversary of the death of one of the most infamous musicians in history: Sid Vicious.

Born John Simon Ritchie in London, England, Vicious began his music career in the 1970s appearing in various punk bands around the city. In 1977 he got a huge break when he was asked to play bass guitar for the notorious English punk band, the Sex Pistols.

Punk rock has always been far more about attitude than musical ability; Sid Vicious had little ability, but more than enough attitude. He had the gnarled, dirty look that early punk rock displayed and the snarling, dangerous personality that few genuine punk rockers before or since have been able to emulate. The late 1970s is defined by punk rock and Vicious has always been the poster boy.

He persuaded Motorhead bassist Lemmy to teach him to play, which according to the rock god, was not a success. But Vicious persevered and taught himself to play along to records by the Ramones, reportedly over the course of one night. He could also sing and his version of “My Way” plays over the end credits of Goodfellas.

As an 1980s teenager growing up in New York City, I got the chance to see The Ramones on a fairly regular basis. The beloved local band played clubs all over the city, including the famed CBGB on Manhattan’s lower east side as well as at my hometown haunt, L’amour, a heavy metal club in Brooklyn. Every kid with a token for the subway — whether they typically listened to hard rock, punk, metal, or hardcore — flocked to see the local heroes play their signature tunes like “Blitzkrieg Pop,” “Pinhead,” “Teenager Lobotomy,” and “I Wanna Be Sedated.”

The mop-topped liked-surnamed band members — singer Joey, guitarist Johnny, bassist Dee Dee, and original drummer Tommy — formed the band in 1974, and always donned t-shirts, jeans, Converse sneakers, and leather MC jackets on stage to play their fast-paced punk anthems, getting crowds to shout out catchphrases like “Hey, ho, let’s go!” and “D.U.M.B. everyone’s accusing me!”

The Ramones are considered to be the forefathers of punk rock, thanks to the aggressive simplicity of early tunes like “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” “Judy Is A Punk,” and “I Don’t Wanna Go Down To The Basement,” but their extensive collection of songs also features music heavily influenced by the 1950’s girl groups (“I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend”), Bobby Freeman (“Do You Wanna Dance?”), as well as surf music and British Invasion bands.