Ramones
Ramones

THE REVIEW

It was 1976, global music was dominated by hard rock and disco music, progressive was slowly losing its aura but still holding on in the sophisticated circles of rock music. Four guys with a strong passion for music but limited technical skills, however, forever turned the music world upside down… they were the Ramones. This debut album was born after several lineup changes and role swaps, mainly due to their ineptitude (if we can call it that) in mastering their instruments. Jeffrey Hyman (aka Joey Ramone), initially the drummer, found himself as the frontman and singer of one of the most influential bands ever, while guitarist and their manager Tamás Erdélyi (aka Tommy Ramone) decided to take on the role of drummer due to the shortage of suitable drummers for a steady position. Their songs are simple, distorted, short, but absolutely effective; the band's intention was to express their passion for music transparently, despite their technical shortcomings. Inspired by bands like the Stooges and garage rock in general, what would later become punk rock was born. The album opens with "Blitzkrieg Bop," three distorted chords repeated, zero solos, basic 4/4 rhythm, and a strong desire to play expressed in just over 2 minutes. The following tracks maintain the same structure; as the saying goes, "squadra vincente non si cambia," in fact, they decide to show themselves for what they are, without pretension. Many of the tracks on this record have become anthems of rock music, just like their signature "one-two-three-four" at the beginning of every song; besides the previously mentioned tune, there's also "Beat On The Brat," "Judy Is A Punk," and "Havana Affair," just to mention some memorable moments. Regarding the themes of the lyrics, more often than not they refer to life stories and/or anecdotes, without real social commentary as would have been the case for many later punk bands; of course, there are exceptions, such as in "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue," where there's a clear reference to the then-common practice in poor neighborhoods of sniffing glue to get high. Even the structure of the lyrics themselves is rather simple: verses and choruses with repeated phrases, that stick in your head like a mantra; most likely, this too contributed to fixing certain songs in the collective imagination. The only track on the album that differs from the others is "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," a song that's definitely more traditional and inspired by the pop-rock of the previous decade, but combined with their original style, it becomes instantly recognizable. This album, even more than others in music history, should be understood in its context and origin. If judged purely on technical grounds, it's a very barebones and one-note record (compared to them, AC/DC are an avant-garde band), and the mix itself is quite unusual for the seventies, with the guitar only in the left channel and the bass only in the right. Still, it's equally true that sometimes "less is more," and the rest is history; all their subsequent albums certainly have more musical maturity, but the cultural impact, even before the musical one, of this record is unprecedented. If today we listen to genres such as alternative rock, thrash metal, or even just some radio songs by bands like Blink182 or Green Day, it's thanks to these four guys who, most likely, had no idea what they were about to create.

Best tracks: “Blitzkrieg Bop”, “Judy Is A Punk”, “I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You”, “Havana Affair”