Great video. Always wonderful to re-visit The Ramones. I remember one journalist “back in the day” reviewing one of their albums and he said that on another planet this record represented yet another “smash” hit and yet another record full of more top 10 singles. That really resonated with me. If ever a band deserved to have a string of chart-topping singles it was the Ramones. The Archivist was right…they didn’t look the part. But for those of us in the know, they had one of the biggest strings of singles with a bullet. I think I’m long overdue to crack open my Ramones records once again. Gabba Gabba Hey!
Thanks Todd, this really got me in the mood to dig in deep to the later Ramones catalog which I really hadn't before and I've been rocking out to the Ramones all week, it's been great. I loved your story about seeing them at Summerfest, how awesome is that? Especially the part about getting all those beers from people of age, feels very fitting in Ramones culture. I liked what you said about seasonal music listening too, before we went up north for a week in August I had made this massive playlist of electric guitar rock that defied all sub-genres whether it was classic rock, metal, punk, whatever and it was glorious. It happened to include a lot of Ramones but mostly the earlier stuff but I'll have to go back and add in all these gems from later records that I've discovered in the last week. Even on the albums that might not be so strong overall, there are certainly some great songs to be found. I can't think of many bands that had more of an impact than they did on music. I remember reading an article about them in Rolling Stone or somewhere when I was about 18 and wanting to be a musician and listening to serious music and they kind of scared me. I'd thought maybe it was all an act but they really did come off as these glue-sniffing weirdos with girlfriends in psych-wards and all that and maybe it hit too close to home to what I was trying to get away from. Not long after there was a guy at work who wanted to exchange cassettes we liked, I remember bringing him "Late for the Sky" by Jackson Browne which I was really absorbing, trying to deal with my cousin's recent suicide and he handed me the first few Ramones tapes and I thought, "Oh no." But wow, what a game changer that was, I was just starting to play music around then, mostly with older people who put down the Ramones all the time, "They can't even play a guitar solo!" and all that. And I'd seen this quote from George Harrison who said a lot of punk was just an excuse for bad playing. So, between them and bands like KISS, it was bit of an artistic quandary for a while. Luckily I saw a quote from Gene Simmons that started to put things in perspective when he said something like, "You don't see people buying Stanley Clarke lunch boxes." When I returned those Ramones tapes to my coworker and raved about them I asked him what he thought of the Jackson Browne tape and he just said this cryptic thing about how he likes any music with energy, then trailed off and stared off into space.
Talking about their crazy lyrics, apparently they had trouble registering their lyrics to I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You. I don't wanna walk around with you I don't wanna walk around with you I don't wanna walk around with you So why you wanna walk around with me? I don't wanna walk around with you I don't wanna walk around with you I heard that they were initially told that they couldn’t claim publishing rights to 2 lines of lyrics. Not sure if that’s true but it always makes me smile.
@@fitzelectricbar9268 That’s hilarious. On my Ramones kick I was getting that song confused with I Want You Around to become something like “I want you around/so why don’t you wanna be around me/oh oh oh.”
Growing up, I would see older kids wearing Ramones T-shirts, and I initially assumed they were this really aggressive punk band. And then I listened to "Ramones Mania", and I was like, "These guys are a pop band at their core". Certainly, they played loud and fast, and the lyrics could be considered juvenile, but they had pop melodies and harmonies. I always really loved those rare-ish moments on those early albums when they slowed things down a bit and went into sweet ballad territory. One, it gave you a chance to catch your breath, but two, they were really, really good at those. Songs like 'Questioningly', 'Needles and Pins', and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend'. There is a specific demo version of 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' that goes right around 3:00 in length that is even better than the one on the album. Joey hangs on the word "Boyfriend" for an extra beat or so, and that subtle alteration just makes the song a little dreamier. ua-cam.com/video/0U6oYjPqzJ0/v-deo.html
@@aronpolasek4506 I love those sweet songs Joey would come up with. Makes me sad that he didn’t seem to be too lucky in the romance department. Yeah, based on their image you’d think they’d sound a lot more aggressive and less melodic. I have friends who when their kids were little loved their songs…just so catchy and fun. Well, as long as you’re not playing the ones about doing acid or sniffing glue.
Another great video. My entry point was Pleasant Dreams which weirdly was kind of vilified which I always found confusing. Totally agree on RamonesMania. End to end that is mind blowingly impressive. It’s a rich catalogue. I think The Archivist nailed it with the optics and imagery of the band which acted as both a propellant and deterrent in my opinion. I also think the brilliant simplicity of the band made some miss the point. My hard rock buddies would say “that music is awful” In any event I love your enthusiasm for a deep catalogue dive. 1-2-3-4 indeed!
I need to revisit Brain Drain. I don't remember it at all. My intro to the band was Mania, also. I actually liked their 90s records with CJ Ramone. Dee Dee still wrote, he was just didn't play with them any longer. He had that rap career to tend to.
Hi,Funny but my favorite ... by far... is 92' '' mondo bizarro ''...at their melodic best...well recorded and produced (Ed Stasium)...not a bad track ...top to bottom on fire...5 stars for me.
Weird coincidence, I just finished listening to End of the Century on vinyl a few minutes ago. I have all their studio albums plus their first live album It’s Alive (they kinda went a little nuts with the live cash-ins in their final days, Its Alive is really all the live Ramones you need). Of their studio albums, there are maybe 2 or 3 that aren’t worth much, all the rest are at the very least pretty good and those first four are all stone cold classics.
@@briangonigal3974 Yeah, I bought Loco Live back in the day and didn’t really care for it. I’d probably add End of the Century to their classic run. Crazy that you were just listening to it!
Great video. Always wonderful to re-visit The Ramones. I remember one journalist “back in the day” reviewing one of their albums and he said that on another planet this record represented yet another “smash” hit and yet another record full of more top 10 singles. That really resonated with me. If ever a band deserved to have a string of chart-topping singles it was the Ramones. The Archivist was right…they didn’t look the part. But for those of us in the know, they had one of the biggest strings of singles with a bullet. I think I’m long overdue to crack open my Ramones records once again. Gabba Gabba Hey!
Thanks Todd, this really got me in the mood to dig in deep to the later Ramones catalog which I really hadn't before and I've been rocking out to the Ramones all week, it's been great. I loved your story about seeing them at Summerfest, how awesome is that? Especially the part about getting all those beers from people of age, feels very fitting in Ramones culture. I liked what you said about seasonal music listening too, before we went up north for a week in August I had made this massive playlist of electric guitar rock that defied all sub-genres whether it was classic rock, metal, punk, whatever and it was glorious. It happened to include a lot of Ramones but mostly the earlier stuff but I'll have to go back and add in all these gems from later records that I've discovered in the last week. Even on the albums that might not be so strong overall, there are certainly some great songs to be found. I can't think of many bands that had more of an impact than they did on music. I remember reading an article about them in Rolling Stone or somewhere when I was about 18 and wanting to be a musician and listening to serious music and they kind of scared me. I'd thought maybe it was all an act but they really did come off as these glue-sniffing weirdos with girlfriends in psych-wards and all that and maybe it hit too close to home to what I was trying to get away from. Not long after there was a guy at work who wanted to exchange cassettes we liked, I remember bringing him "Late for the Sky" by Jackson Browne which I was really absorbing, trying to deal with my cousin's recent suicide and he handed me the first few Ramones tapes and I thought, "Oh no." But wow, what a game changer that was, I was just starting to play music around then, mostly with older people who put down the Ramones all the time, "They can't even play a guitar solo!" and all that. And I'd seen this quote from George Harrison who said a lot of punk was just an excuse for bad playing. So, between them and bands like KISS, it was bit of an artistic quandary for a while. Luckily I saw a quote from Gene Simmons that started to put things in perspective when he said something like, "You don't see people buying Stanley Clarke lunch boxes." When I returned those Ramones tapes to my coworker and raved about them I asked him what he thought of the Jackson Browne tape and he just said this cryptic thing about how he likes any music with energy, then trailed off and stared off into space.
Talking about their crazy lyrics, apparently they had trouble registering their lyrics to I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You.
I don't wanna walk around with you
I don't wanna walk around with you
I don't wanna walk around with you
So why you wanna walk around with me?
I don't wanna walk around with you
I don't wanna walk around with you
I heard that they were initially told that they couldn’t claim publishing rights to 2 lines of lyrics. Not sure if that’s true but it always makes me smile.
@@fitzelectricbar9268 That’s hilarious. On my Ramones kick I was getting that song confused with I Want You Around to become something like “I want you around/so why don’t you wanna be around me/oh oh oh.”
Growing up, I would see older kids wearing Ramones T-shirts, and I initially assumed they were this really aggressive punk band. And then I listened to "Ramones Mania", and I was like, "These guys are a pop band at their core". Certainly, they played loud and fast, and the lyrics could be considered juvenile, but they had pop melodies and harmonies. I always really loved those rare-ish moments on those early albums when they slowed things down a bit and went into sweet ballad territory. One, it gave you a chance to catch your breath, but two, they were really, really good at those. Songs like 'Questioningly', 'Needles and Pins', and 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend'. There is a specific demo version of 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend' that goes right around 3:00 in length that is even better than the one on the album. Joey hangs on the word "Boyfriend" for an extra beat or so, and that subtle alteration just makes the song a little dreamier.
ua-cam.com/video/0U6oYjPqzJ0/v-deo.html
@@aronpolasek4506 I love those sweet songs Joey would come up with. Makes me sad that he didn’t seem to be too lucky in the romance department. Yeah, based on their image you’d think they’d sound a lot more aggressive and less melodic. I have friends who when their kids were little loved their songs…just so catchy and fun. Well, as long as you’re not playing the ones about doing acid or sniffing glue.
@@aronpolasek4506 “Swallow My Pride” one of those slower gems off Leave Home.
@@lostmixtapes carbona ok? 😬
@@fitzelectricbar9268 Thee Headcoatees do a fun cover of 'Swallow My Pride' on one of their albums. Not as good as the Ramones version, but still fun.
Another great video. My entry point was Pleasant Dreams which weirdly was kind of vilified which I always found confusing. Totally agree on RamonesMania. End to end that is mind blowingly impressive. It’s a rich catalogue. I think The Archivist nailed it with the optics and imagery of the band which acted as both a propellant and deterrent in my opinion. I also think the brilliant simplicity of the band made some miss the point. My hard rock buddies would say “that music is awful” In any event I love your enthusiasm for a deep catalogue dive. 1-2-3-4 indeed!
Thanks. Yeah, there weren't any virtuoso instrumentalists in the band, but you could say they were songwriting virtuosos in some sense.
I need to revisit Brain Drain. I don't remember it at all. My intro to the band was Mania, also. I actually liked their 90s records with CJ Ramone. Dee Dee still wrote, he was just didn't play with them any longer. He had that rap career to tend to.
@@Thedarkstuff I’m going to check out the ones I missed. Dee Dee’s rap career…hilarious. Brain Drain is good. Heavier record.
Hi,Funny but my favorite ... by far... is 92' '' mondo bizarro ''...at their melodic best...well recorded and produced (Ed Stasium)...not a bad track ...top to bottom on fire...5 stars for me.
@@stephanevillatte5970 I’ll give it another listen. I find a lot of records sound better when they no longer have to be the “new” record by an artist.
Weird coincidence, I just finished listening to End of the Century on vinyl a few minutes ago. I have all their studio albums plus their first live album It’s Alive (they kinda went a little nuts with the live cash-ins in their final days, Its Alive is really all the live Ramones you need). Of their studio albums, there are maybe 2 or 3 that aren’t worth much, all the rest are at the very least pretty good and those first four are all stone cold classics.
@@briangonigal3974 Yeah, I bought Loco Live back in the day and didn’t really care for it. I’d probably add End of the Century to their classic run. Crazy that you were just listening to it!
Just like Motorhead, The Ramones never put out a bad album, IMO.