listened to this this morning on the way to work. my only strong impressions dealt with production values. more on that later.
had i been around in '76 when this came out, i doubt i would have been all that into it. these are ugly unhappy thugs taking precious 60s girl-group music and turning it into a macho joke. this isnt pushing rock music forwards, its taking it backwards and mocking it. but from my current critical standpoint [a solar-powered dirigible that constantly hovers directly above your ivory towers, with a lazer-guided flushing mechanism that ensures my poops land directly on your roofs and/or ivory porchdecks], i do like them, a lot. their stupidity and simplicity are charming. ha i dont really have much to say about this album. i enjoy it, i appreciate it, but i dont love it. the production here is...well, it got a lot better on later albums. bass panned left, rhythm guitar panned right, vox and drums in the middle. everything sounds really thin and raw here, but not in the best way. i prefer their albums after this one, where they spent more time on everything, especially the rhythm guitar, and made it really frikin rock.
sarge, i can't believe you liked the buzzcocks and yet you tell us that the ramones are hard to listen to and you need someone to explain punk rock to you. i kno emerson (ralph waldo emerson, not dede emerson) said "consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds," but a little bit of consistency wouldn't hurt you :P
the ramones are a direct retaliation to led zeppelin, yes, and pretty much all prog rock and disco. these guys looked at the bloated egos and indulgent nature of pop music and said "fuck that. rock was better when it was buddy holly and dion and the belmonts."
of course, the ramones were terrible musicians and not nearly competent enough to craft the kind of melodies and harmonies that were the signature of the beach boys, the shirelles and all the music the ramones adored so much. so the ramones end up sounding like an agrier, stupider, uglier version of "oldies" rock and roll. just listen to track #12, "let's dance." then compare it with this version recorded by the songwriter Tony Sheridan and the Beatles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCBH4SYWZH0
pretty cool, no? does that change the way you hear punk at all?
disdainty likes to comment on the macho aspect of the ramones. i can't disagree with that, but well...i kind of disagree with it. i've always heard the ramones for their twisted sense of humor, sensitive nature (just listen to "i wanna be your boyfriend") and honesty in relating just how fucked up life can be and all the stupid shit we do to deal with it.
of course, my first concert was the ramones, and certainly nobody else in the audience could be qualified as "sensitive." serious, angry, fucked up people. but i think we all connected to the ramones BECAUSE they could be honest and open without being pussies. laf. i guess that's precisely what makes it macho, tho, huh?
when listening to the ramones, it's also really important to remember that these guys weren't trying to be anti-establishment the way that punk rockers often do. the ramones WANTED to sell out. they WANTED to be the most popular band in the world. they WANTED to be the beatles and were trying their hardest to be. when they worked with phil spector on "end of the century," they really believed that it would make them superstars. idk if that speaks to any larger point, other than that unlike the sex pistols and buzzcocks, the ramones weren't trying to be angry or pissed off or trying to say "fuck you" to the world. they were guys who wanted to be pop stars, but being three broke-ass morlocks from queens, their natural fucked-upness and lack of musical acumen, they could only write danceable noise about being a punk, being a freak, being a cretin, doing the cretin hop, doing the blitzkrieg bop, sniffing glue and the kkk. idk how to make somebody like that. god help me, i wish i did know how.
my suggestion: go back and listen to the first four songs on this album. don't listen to the whole album, just the first four songs. and listen to those four songs a few times. really focus on them, and focus on how weird and unlikely a combination of influences they are. and then remember that these guys lived in the SAME WORLD that stevie wonder did. this is how they saw nyc in the 70's.
if you can't understand why i would adore the buzzcocks but be somewhat revolted by the ramones, that should serve not as an invitation to wonder what could possibly be wrong with me, but rather moreso as an invitation to wonder what is different between the buzzcocks and ramones that could possibly inspire this reaction.
okay so the ramones were some very novice musicians who wanted to be stars and they put together these very simple, (some would say) catchy tunes with very elemental lyrics, and played out.
so despite not having anything in the way of musical ability, they chose music as their medium.
how is this any different from a russian immigrant who, despite his inexpert commend of the english language, decides that poetry will be his means to greatness.
love is happening now by vladimiar klitschko
love is happening now, i am saying. looking deep into eyes for to feel good emotions at you. bulge in pant throb in heart, also pant pressure wanting to handle and relief please. please to make the love happen. ... love is happening now.
bahahaha you're getting way off track. i think. um, that poem confuses me. in funny places where i dont like to be confused. i think i need an adult.
but seriously, i dont think this is the room to appreciate the ramones in. because rocket to russia is so much better. should you dare take a peek into the future, i suggest you BLAST the first track, cretin hop. sounds like this stuff, but way better produced. a gazillion guitars overdubbed to make that sweet rhythm and really express their power...the ramones at times could be more summer-y sounding than even the beach boys.
and i maintain that they were fine musicians, just very simplistic. the concerts in the 70s were insanely fast and energetic, often times playing like 18 of these songs in 20 minutes.
yes, the ramones totally wanted to sell out. these songs were meant to appeal to high school kids. and they are great at capturing - nay, at times, they actually define - 'summer,' especially for high school kids. and what high school kid doesnt frikin love summer??? lyrically, the topic that pops up in most ramones songs is probably boredom. [sniffing glue, walking around, etc] second is probably relationships and break-ups. its all super-high energy, and way different than all the annoying hippy shit going on around them. i mean, where led zep tries to impress the listener with tales of battles and guitar and drum virtuosity, the ramones actually try to sound like they're mentally challenged!!!!! the next time the weather's nice and the sun's out, drink a cup of coffee and put this on. allow yourself to feel a little dumber, and see just how infectious it is.
but at the same time...THIS MUSIC IS SO DUMB THAT ITS HARD FOR ME TO ACTUALLY EXPLAIN IT.
dis, by that poem i was saying that i don't know why we ought to be celebrating people for doing something inexpertly.
there's clearly all this other stuff going on with this band that makes them noteworthy, such that even the retarded simplicity of their songs becomes a source of celebration. but this all gets into a messy sort of postmodern realm, where the ramones are more "outsider art" than music.
lol not that i know of. cretin hop is basically any dance performed by what the ramones deem a 'cretin.' they're vague on the definition, but whatever it means, there's no stopping these 'cretins' from hopping. and i can hardly understand the lyrics to blitzkrieg bop. johnny mumbles on this album like he has some serious brain damage. you can almost hear the drool falling from his mouth onto the mic during the instrumental parts.
yeah the "cretin hop" was decidedly not a dance move. but these guys spent all their time listening to tunes like "do the hop" and "the mashed potato" and "the twist." so then, when these cretins made music, it's only natural that the hop would become the cretin hop.
i genuinely think any attempt to analyze the ramones or figure out what the appeal is or applying a postmodern frame of analysis on their "popularity" (only their greatest hits album ever went platinum) is the definition of misguided. ramones are beavis and butthead (the show, not the characters). it's idiot entertainment for idiots that makes fun of idiots and praises idiocy. there's a very clever insight and a decided thought process behind it, but it's reactionary and emotional. stop thinking about it.
yeah. its like a downward spiral of idiocy. to try to understand it is way harder than it looks. i just kinda enjoy the ramones for who they are and for their huge amount of influence, and not think too much about why i enjoy them.
haha that tony sheridan version of let's dance is a boss little tune! i see what you mean though, the ramones really filthied it up but good, kinda brought it up to modern code in a way.
by the way, i've been listening to this album nonstop the past couple of days. even while listening to the blag flag album, i was thinking how i'd rather be listening to this ramones album. its just somehow really comforting, and makes you feel good.
pitchfork's top 100 of the 70's + top 100 of the 80's, considered, scrutinized, explored, assailed, defended, appreciated and deprecated, fussed over, held up high, kicked to the curb and held back up again. education by fire and a middle finger to disdain. tea, anyone?
listened to this this morning on the way to work. my only strong impressions dealt with production values. more on that later.
ReplyDeletehad i been around in '76 when this came out, i doubt i would have been all that into it. these are ugly unhappy thugs taking precious 60s girl-group music and turning it into a macho joke. this isnt pushing rock music forwards, its taking it backwards and mocking it.
but from my current critical standpoint [a solar-powered dirigible that constantly hovers directly above your ivory towers, with a lazer-guided flushing mechanism that ensures my poops land directly on your roofs and/or ivory porchdecks], i do like them, a lot. their stupidity and simplicity are charming.
ha i dont really have much to say about this album. i enjoy it, i appreciate it, but i dont love it.
the production here is...well, it got a lot better on later albums. bass panned left, rhythm guitar panned right, vox and drums in the middle. everything sounds really thin and raw here, but not in the best way. i prefer their albums after this one, where they spent more time on everything, especially the rhythm guitar, and made it really frikin rock.
horatio q. schnitzel, our avowed punk rocker, i'm eagerly awaiting your input on this one.
ReplyDeleteay ay ay ... this is so hard to listen to. my brain doesn't really process it as actual music. CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN PUNK TO ME PLEASE!
ReplyDeletesarge, i can't believe you liked the buzzcocks and yet you tell us that the ramones are hard to listen to and you need someone to explain punk rock to you. i kno emerson (ralph waldo emerson, not dede emerson) said "consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds," but a little bit of consistency wouldn't hurt you :P
ReplyDeleteexplaining punk via the ramones:
ReplyDeletethe ramones are a direct retaliation to led zeppelin, yes, and pretty much all prog rock and disco. these guys looked at the bloated egos and indulgent nature of pop music and said "fuck that. rock was better when it was buddy holly and dion and the belmonts."
of course, the ramones were terrible musicians and not nearly competent enough to craft the kind of melodies and harmonies that were the signature of the beach boys, the shirelles and all the music the ramones adored so much. so the ramones end up sounding like an agrier, stupider, uglier version of "oldies" rock and roll. just listen to track #12, "let's dance." then compare it with this version recorded by the songwriter Tony Sheridan and the Beatles:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCBH4SYWZH0
pretty cool, no? does that change the way you hear punk at all?
disdainty likes to comment on the macho aspect of the ramones. i can't disagree with that, but well...i kind of disagree with it. i've always heard the ramones for their twisted sense of humor, sensitive nature (just listen to "i wanna be your boyfriend") and honesty in relating just how fucked up life can be and all the stupid shit we do to deal with it.
of course, my first concert was the ramones, and certainly nobody else in the audience could be qualified as "sensitive." serious, angry, fucked up people. but i think we all connected to the ramones BECAUSE they could be honest and open without being pussies. laf. i guess that's precisely what makes it macho, tho, huh?
when listening to the ramones, it's also really important to remember that these guys weren't trying to be anti-establishment the way that punk rockers often do. the ramones WANTED to sell out. they WANTED to be the most popular band in the world. they WANTED to be the beatles and were trying their hardest to be. when they worked with phil spector on "end of the century," they really believed that it would make them superstars. idk if that speaks to any larger point, other than that unlike the sex pistols and buzzcocks, the ramones weren't trying to be angry or pissed off or trying to say "fuck you" to the world. they were guys who wanted to be pop stars, but being three broke-ass morlocks from queens, their natural fucked-upness and lack of musical acumen, they could only write danceable noise about being a punk, being a freak, being a cretin, doing the cretin hop, doing the blitzkrieg bop, sniffing glue and the kkk. idk how to make somebody like that. god help me, i wish i did know how.
my suggestion: go back and listen to the first four songs on this album. don't listen to the whole album, just the first four songs. and listen to those four songs a few times. really focus on them, and focus on how weird and unlikely a combination of influences they are. and then remember that these guys lived in the SAME WORLD that stevie wonder did. this is how they saw nyc in the 70's.
if you can't understand why i would adore the buzzcocks but be somewhat revolted by the ramones, that should serve not as an invitation to wonder what could possibly be wrong with me, but rather moreso as an invitation to wonder what is different between the buzzcocks and ramones that could possibly inspire this reaction.
ReplyDeletebuzzcocks are to ramones as lego is to duplo.
a pretty good explanation, schnit. that wasn't so hard, was it?
ReplyDeletein any event, we're not leaving this room until i understand the ramones. because it SEEMS TO ME that this will be on the test.
okay so the ramones were some very novice musicians who wanted to be stars and they put together these very simple, (some would say) catchy tunes with very elemental lyrics, and played out.
ReplyDeleteso despite not having anything in the way of musical ability, they chose music as their medium.
how is this any different from a russian immigrant who, despite his inexpert commend of the english language, decides that poetry will be his means to greatness.
love is happening now
by vladimiar klitschko
love is happening now, i am saying.
looking deep into eyes for to feel
good emotions at you.
bulge in pant
throb in heart, also pant
pressure wanting to handle and
relief please.
please to make the love happen.
...
love is happening now.
bahahaha you're getting way off track. i think. um, that poem confuses me. in funny places where i dont like to be confused. i think i need an adult.
ReplyDeletebut seriously, i dont think this is the room to appreciate the ramones in. because rocket to russia is so much better. should you dare take a peek into the future, i suggest you BLAST the first track, cretin hop. sounds like this stuff, but way better produced. a gazillion guitars overdubbed to make that sweet rhythm and really express their power...the ramones at times could be more summer-y sounding than even the beach boys.
and i maintain that they were fine musicians, just very simplistic. the concerts in the 70s were insanely fast and energetic, often times playing like 18 of these songs in 20 minutes.
yes, the ramones totally wanted to sell out. these songs were meant to appeal to high school kids. and they are great at capturing - nay, at times, they actually define - 'summer,' especially for high school kids. and what high school kid doesnt frikin love summer??? lyrically, the topic that pops up in most ramones songs is probably boredom. [sniffing glue, walking around, etc] second is probably relationships and break-ups. its all super-high energy, and way different than all the annoying hippy shit going on around them. i mean, where led zep tries to impress the listener with tales of battles and guitar and drum virtuosity, the ramones actually try to sound like they're mentally challenged!!!!!
the next time the weather's nice and the sun's out, drink a cup of coffee and put this on. allow yourself to feel a little dumber, and see just how infectious it is.
but at the same time...THIS MUSIC IS SO DUMB THAT ITS HARD FOR ME TO ACTUALLY EXPLAIN IT.
what are these blitzkrieg bops and cretin hops i'm being asked to perform? are they actual dances?
ReplyDeletedis, by that poem i was saying that i don't know why we ought to be celebrating people for doing something inexpertly.
ReplyDeletethere's clearly all this other stuff going on with this band that makes them noteworthy, such that even the retarded simplicity of their songs becomes a source of celebration. but this all gets into a messy sort of postmodern realm, where the ramones are more "outsider art" than music.
lol not that i know of. cretin hop is basically any dance performed by what the ramones deem a 'cretin.' they're vague on the definition, but whatever it means, there's no stopping these 'cretins' from hopping.
ReplyDeleteand i can hardly understand the lyrics to blitzkrieg bop. johnny mumbles on this album like he has some serious brain damage. you can almost hear the drool falling from his mouth onto the mic during the instrumental parts.
yeah the "cretin hop" was decidedly not a dance move. but these guys spent all their time listening to tunes like "do the hop" and "the mashed potato" and "the twist." so then, when these cretins made music, it's only natural that the hop would become the cretin hop.
ReplyDeletei genuinely think any attempt to analyze the ramones or figure out what the appeal is or applying a postmodern frame of analysis on their "popularity" (only their greatest hits album ever went platinum) is the definition of misguided. ramones are beavis and butthead (the show, not the characters). it's idiot entertainment for idiots that makes fun of idiots and praises idiocy. there's a very clever insight and a decided thought process behind it, but it's reactionary and emotional. stop thinking about it.
to: disdainty
ReplyDeletethere are lyrics to the blitzkreig bop?
yeah. its like a downward spiral of idiocy. to try to understand it is way harder than it looks. i just kinda enjoy the ramones for who they are and for their huge amount of influence, and not think too much about why i enjoy them.
ReplyDeletehaha that tony sheridan version of let's dance is a boss little tune! i see what you mean though, the ramones really filthied it up but good, kinda brought it up to modern code in a way.
ReplyDeleteby the way, i've been listening to this album nonstop the past couple of days. even while listening to the blag flag album, i was thinking how i'd rather be listening to this ramones album. its just somehow really comforting, and makes you feel good.
ReplyDelete