The Ramones : Classic Or Dud

Alice (now 11), as regular readers know, her first favourite band was the Ramones..

cf: Parents forbidding music

.. anyway, not that long ago we were in a shoe shop and "Baby I love you" came on, she'd not heard it before.

"That's the Ramones!" I say.

"Really?"

"Yep. That was their biggest hit."

"Oh! Was that because....." she begins.

"what, because it sounds nothing like their other stuff?"

"Yeah"

"Yup"

i had no idea it was a hit, let alone their biggest.

No 8 in 1980. Made it to Top of the Pops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4H9yZBjgSI

It's the easiest Ramones single to find on 7" in the UK, so they must've sold a lot of them.

I agree with the abundant praise for It's Alive on this thread. and for any doubters - here's the 26 minute edit of the show from the dvd; one of the greatest half hours of rock concert footage ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imf25Squ8ro

has anyone read johnny's book?

A young music critic at the time speaks:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/c12.0.403.403/p403x403/408392_4798168918970_1487741182_n.jpg

I assume that was the Morrissey letter that was going around Facebook earlier, but I'm not seeing anything linked to. Is that my computer?

It is -- odd, working for me here.

would love to know what lp this young'un won.

I have this impression that Morrissey only likes 12 bands and that that has never changed (Patti Smith, the Dolls, T. Rex, Sparks, Bowie eh who cares who the others are)

Jobriath would be another.

the last sentence should be referred to his solo career

I remember when he was a big supporter of the Woodentops, then they put out a single he didn't like (as good as anything else they did) and he started referring to them as "the Suddenflops" and spent about twenty hours dismissing the single. Which was actually pretty great. He did a similar thing with James, but they probably deserved it.

funny you should say that, as i clearly remember having a discussion with a smiths fan, and he hated the woodentops, whereas i loved them, and we used to have heated debates as to the merits of each band.

the line in the sand was drawn, and i have often wondered what caused the rift.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mao35421NH1qaxybpo1_500.jpg
not sure what's worse, writing that letter or drinking a corona on johnny's grave

behave. he never drank the beer.

lol regrets?

wow never seen Johnny's grave before that is amazing! where is it

i think it's in the Hollywood Forever cemetery.

http://www.hollywoodforever.com/stories?ls_id=20259

Morrissey was apparently a big Ramones fan during the Smiths days, so I guess it didn't take him <i>too</i> long to come around.

Forgot to hit that "convert to BBcode" button. Rookie mistake.

welcome rookie.

nicholas cage's johnny impression!!

aw that nicholas cage thing is actually really sweet

The Ramones meet Regis and Kathy Lee

Meanwhile, on the 6 train...

awesome clip - thx!

xpost -- I see you noticed that as well.

i don't know if i've ever seen a human male with skinnier legs than joey ramone.

inventing post rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MPEqGJqqSI

has anyone read johnny's book?

― fit and working again, Saturday, August 11, 2012 8:02 AM (5 months ago

Yep. It's a great read. Not brilliantly written - it jumps all over the place, he skips a lot, repeats a lot and a few other problems. But you really get a sense of his character - and what a character he is. He's a grouchy, conservative, misanthrope with a chip on both shoulders who won't tolerate bullshit of any kind and loves baseball, movies and punk music (in that order). He's paranoid about the Ramones' image but loves them and is so proud of them, regards as the best ever and loves his celebrity friends (there are probably hundreds of photos of him with famous people). Seems like he and Joey were complete opposites and Joey made him crazy. Dee Dee he loved and he really respected him, while openly admitting to bullying him and considering him a fuck-up. There's good, non-judgmental insights into the various drug problems etc that they went through. He writes about each album and rates them etc, like a true music geek. There's lots of lists actually. Then it ends as he is dying and it's pretty touching as he does the "I couldn't have wished for a better life" routine. Worth your time if you love the Ramones.

Here's an interesting question that was asked on twitter...who played the keyboards on "Let's Dance"?

Craig Leon. This is mentioned in Mickey Leigh's book "I Slept With Joey Ramone".

The two of them, plus other people like Arturo Vega added quite a few tiny details on top of the bass/guitars/drums/vocals of the Ramones after the formal recording of the album - handclaps, a few "ooooohs" here and there, that weird tss-boom sound on the chorus in Havana Affair etc. For Let's Dance he specifically mentions that Leon played a huge pipe organ that was in the studio.

Via Facebook via Rolling Stone--the Sun Sessions 1974:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI4EDSw3K3A

Tommy (who I seem to remember from the documentary had a more normal rock group pedigree): "I can't take it."

Weird--seems to have been taken down seconds after I posted.

seems to not have been taken down to me. nice show.

Because of the Rolling Stone piece, maybe the link was overwhelmed for a while. I love that they don't seem 100% sure of what image they want to project yet. Joey's swishing around bipperty-bopperty during "Basement," while Johnny's bare-chested, like he's Iggy Pop or Robert Plant or Roger Daltrey (amazing close-up at 3:30). The music's already in place, though. Sept 15, 1974: "I Shot the Sheriff" #1 song, Chinatown film, new president about a month in office.

"#1 film"

love the argument at 2:00, it's like Mean Streets dialogue.

Joey: I DON'T WANNA GO DOWN TO THE BASEMENT!
Marky: Aw come on, let's do Loudmouth alright?
Dee Dee; I wanna do I Don't Wanna Go Down To Basement too!
Johnny: Yeah, come on, it's three against one.
Marky: Fuck you all.
Johnny. OK OK Let's go. Quick. Lively.
Dee Dee: 1-2-3-4!

tommy, not mark

yeah of course right

In honor of July 4th, I posted a bunch of Ramones clips on fb. I especially dug this one, a PBS story on them from '78. It was recorded in Minneapolis--I wonder if any future 'Mats or Husker Du-ers were in the house?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1QG8MJ7jv4

I love that they don't seem 100% sure of what image they want to project yet. Joey's swishing around bipperty-bopperty during "Basement," while Johnny's bare-chested, like he's Iggy Pop or Robert Plant or Roger Daltrey

Did they ever really resolve this tension? It always seemed unlikely that Joey and Johnny should be in the same band. Part of their charm, I'd say.

Fascinating to see those two clips next to each other. There's assurance and speed after four years, but so much is in place in 1974, even as it drips with stage fright. They already can't control what they've created, like there's only one direction this can go. Impossible to separate what they wanted to do from what just came out that way.

xp johnny's leopard skin lapels show the glam influence just as much as joey's posturing.

Ramones filling the State Theatre with 3,000 people in 1978 explains so much about Minneapolis. Love the Batman tee!

RIP Tommy Ramone. Does this make the Ramones one of the few bands where every original member is dead? Sad, regardless.