Ramones
The Sire Years 1976–1981

“One, two, three, four!”

How many Ramones songs open like that, with Dee Dee setting the tempo? Countless, and who knows if they themselves, disappointment after disappointment, ever imagined that nearly fifty years after the group's inception, we'd still be here talking about them. Rightfully associated with the explosion of punk, the Ramones, in reality, went beyond that, with a formula more multifaceted than the simple “learn three chords and start a band”. They started out in New York back in '74, well before the legendary '77, revitalizing a rock scene worn out by years of eighteen-minute suites in odd times that were all about themselves, turning the clock back almost twenty years, reviving the splendor of '50s and '60s rock 'n' roll, along with many melodies that had made millions of young people dance in the post-war boom. In short, the brothers were indeed fundamental in kicking off the punk dance, but they always maintained a very precise identity, made of irony, nonchalance, and a cartoonish and nostalgic imagery, from the improbable Pinhead mascot to the Marlon Brando-style "uniform" from The Wild One. So if you were wondering, no, there are neither "anti-Christs" here to scare your parents nor third-worldist stances, just a simple yet hardly imitable style and plenty of vitality, even when things start to go wrong behind the scenes.

After the false start as a trio, with Dee Dee on vocals, they soon settled with the classic lineup of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy. The 1976 debut is a breath of fresh air: they go straight to the point, bringing rock back to its primal nature, and, most importantly, they succeed on the first try, with Ramones becoming a classic. Blitzkrieg Bop, Beat On the Brat, Judy is a Punk, and I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend indicate the direction the four would, in fact, follow until the end of the band in the '90s: fast rhythms and sharp guitars but also sweet melodies and more intimate moments, all combined with Joey's crooner voice.

The formula is repeated the following year with Leave Home and works again. If Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment, Carbona Not Glue, and Swallow My Pride become instant classics, I Remember You highlights Joey's vocal skills and California Sun is one of the many '60s tracks that the Ramones gave a new life to.

The peak of these early years is reached a few months later with Rocket to Russia, among the manifestos of the genre, and which Joey himself on numerous occasions would indicate as his favorite. All the elements of an already proven recipe are there and at their best, with the usual mix of speed and irony, with iconic tracks like Sheena is a Punk Rocker, Rockaway Beach, and Teenage Lobotomy alongside new versions of Do You Wanna Dance? and Surfin’ Bird, confirming that party side that had already appeared in previous LPs.

For the fourth album, Tommy leaves the drumsticks, Marky comes on board, and the result is Road to Ruin in '78. They seek, within limits, a more melodic approach, with keyboards adding color here and there, but the sales boom remains distant, generating frustrations and tensions. I Just Want to Have Something to Do, Questioningly, and She’s the One, up to the cover of the melancholic Needles and Pins, are among the highlights of the album.

After the appearance in the '79 musical comedy Rock 'n' Roll High School, perhaps also to try to relaunch the group, a new LP with Phil Spector, a heavyweight in production, is planned. Despite the huge budget available for the new End of the Century, however, the feeling is that in the end, the mountain gives birth to a mouse. Despite a good reception from critics, Spector's exhausting "care," made of meticulously detailed arrangements, takes away the freshness that had always characterized the Ramones, without considering that a certain fatigue begins to show even at the compositional level. Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? and Rock 'n' Roll High School, however, work with the group as convincing as at the beginning.

The following year, in 1981, with Pleasant Dreams, the best phase of the quartet comes to an end. This time it's Graham Gouldman from 10CC at the helm, giving the whole thing that "pop" touch already heard with Road to Ruin, with keyboards softening the sound. It might be the last time there's real hope for a commercial breakthrough, which still will never come. Set aside Spector's exhausting work methods, with individual passages reworked endlessly, it seems they're returning to that formula that had made the band appreciated at the beginning, combined with a variety of styles that make the LP the most eclectic among those considered here. We Want the Airwaves, The KKK Took My Baby Away, It’s Not My Place (in the 9 to 5 World), and 7-11 are all noteworthy, and thanks to the captivating melodies, forty years later have not lost their shine. The record may not have the weight of the historic first three albums, but it remains certainly enjoyable.

They carried on, through ups and downs, until the mid-'90s, when they decided to finally lower the curtain. Despite the interest shown in those years by countries like those in South America, in the USA the Ramones would always remain tied to the small club circuit, but their influence on successive generations would nevertheless be immense. The accolades from new punk and grunge stars would be of no avail, in '96 the white flag would be raised. It's sad to note that Joey, Johnny, and Dee Dee couldn't even really enjoy the "posthumous" success: they all passed away between 2001 and 2004. With Tommy's passing in 2014, Marky is the only one left from the iconic lineup, keeping alive the repertoire and memory of this legendary group. As for Sire, they would continue working with the Ramones throughout the '80s, but it's objective that the records they are still remembered for today are these, now contained in the box set The Sire Years 1976-1981. Needless to say, it's a great way to rediscover the entire historic discography of these eternal kids from Queens, as well as to get an idea of what early punk was.

Ramones:

• Joey Ramone, vocals
• Johnny Ramone, guitar
• Dee Dee Ramone, bass and backing vocals
• Tommy Ramone, drums (until '78)
• Marky Ramone, drums (from '78)

The Sire Years 1976-1981:

• Ramones (1976)
• Leave Home (1977)
• Rocket to Russia (1977)
• Road to Ruin (1978)
• End of the Century (1980)
• Pleasant Dreams (1981)