Vinyl Bay 777, Your Music Outlet, takes a brief look at the legacy of the influential punk band
Today marks the fourth anniversary of Tommy Ramone’s (nee Thomas
Erdelyi) passing. The former Ramones
drummer was 65 when he passed away from bile duct cancer in 2014. As the last remaining original member of the band, his passing marked
the end of an era.
The Ramones, (made up of Tommy, frontman Joey (Jeffrey Hyman),
guitarist Johnny (John Cummings) and bassist Dee Dee (Douglas Colvin) Ramone) were
the most influential band to come out of the New York punk scene. Best known
for songs like “I Wanna Be Sedated,” “Blitzkrieg Bob,” “I Wanna Be Your
Boyfriend” and “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker,” among others, the band popularizing
the short, fast and loud sound and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) aesthetic that came to
characterize New York punk.
When most people think of the Ramones, it’s their short, loud
and fast sound that comes to mind. Playing at a quicker pace than most of the
artists at the time, their songs often didn’t go past two minutes in length. The
sound quickly came to define the scene surrounding New York clubs like CBGBs
and Max’s Kansas City.
What also made the Ramones so special was how relatable the
music was. Coming out of a period where rock was very polished and, as the band’s
manager Danny Fields puts it in an article from The
Guardian, “pretentious,” everything about the Ramones was DIY. As none of
the band members had that much experience with their instruments, many of the
songs were very simple, sticking to the same three chords throughout. The same
thing went for their look. Their leather jacket, t-shirt, denim jeans and
sneakers “street gang” style was very attainable and reproducible.
Many a band has tried to emulate the Ramones’ intensity. When
the band’s self-titled debut came out, fellow CBGB regulars conceded that they
had to “step up their game” to compete with the new sound. Hardcore punk bands,
as well as the subsequent punk scene in California found inspiration in the Ramones’
pacing as well. This intensity even had a hand in influencing UK punk. Though
the sound coming out of the UK was much rougher and angrier than its US
counterpart, it was the Ramones’ fast pace that carried over across the pond
and left its mark. According to The
Stranglers’ Jean-Jacques Burnel in the same Guardian article, when ‘Ramones’
came out “A lot of British bands wanted to sound like that. Everyone sped up
afterwards.” In the same article, Sex
Pistols drummer Paul Cook recalls that “Sid Vicious was a massive fan. He
tried to imitate them with his playing, but they were a lot faster.”
And it wasn’t only punk bands that found inspiration in the
Ramones’ work either. Indie rock, metal, grunge and alternative bands all counted them as an influence on their respective sounds.
Despite the band’s influence, the Ramones were never really
popular in the mainstream. Even though their music can still be heard on rock
radio today, most of their “hits” never charted or failed to chart high.
With a sound and style all their own, the Ramones became
legends in the New York punk scene. Over the last four decades, their range of
influence has come to span multiple countries and genres without the help of
mainstream support. Even though the original band is no more, their legacy will
continue to live on in rock history, being discovered by countless generations
of kids looking to get something more from their music.
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Find music from the Ramones and more at Vinyl Bay 777, Long
Island’s favorite new independent record shop. From punk, metal, rock and pop
to dance, R&B, rap and more, we have thousands of titles to choose from in
a variety of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records,
CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia in store at our Plainview location
or online at vinylbay777.com. With more titles being added to our selection all
the time, you never know what you might find at Vinyl Bay 777.
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