As recently as one week ago I could not have named for you five songs by the Ramones. Seriously.I can't really justify this transgression; it just happened. The little I knew about them - their mock "street" image (replete with leather jacket uniforms), the songs about sniffing glue (as I had of course read about in music zines), the pop-y vocals on the song or two that I came across in various punk compilations - none of this inspired me to actually check out their music. For me, "punk" began with, and was best exemplified by, the politically charged music of the Sex Pistols, and then later the Clash. The nihilism (and cliche, it must be said) of the punk scene, and the impenetrable vocals of hardcore bands, among other things, really turned me off of exploring other punk bands.
This changed last week when I saw End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones and I fell in love with the quirky personalities of the band members and their tragi-comic history. Afterward, I went straight to my computer and dug thru the Ramones tracks that I've had in my collection for years (though never listened to). I know I'm late to the party, but I have to say it: they put out some really good music.
6 comments:
This post eerily mirrors the post I was thinking of writing: Sniffing Glue Is Awesome.
What's worse: spending your days sniffing glue or watching the stock ticker on CNBC as I imagine Joey Ramone doing in the last stage of his life. How else do you explain his song "Maria Bartolomo", a love song for the CNBC anchor?
I can think of another explanation.
Next project: I check out these "Beatles" that Rex keeps yammering about
Feral Boy, I think you'll be surprised how good the Beatles are. I've picked up a couple of their albums. They sound like Oasis, but not as good.
I didn't know Beatles put out a second album. Same pop-y vocals?
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