Today’s post is for celebrating the legacy of The Ramones, a band that managed to change the face of music in some small way by staying true to their vision.
This all started when I read with great sadness that Tommy Ramone (real name Tommy Erdelyi), the last founding member of band, passed away over the weekend. I only met him once at a Grammy event a few years ago, but he was a charming, soft spoken man if our brief conversation was any indication. Tommy played a major part in the success of the band, acting as their drummer for the first three albums and as one of their producers on several others, but also being somewhat responsible for their sound in the studio in the early days.
I hate to admit that I was never a big Ramones fan while they were at their peak. I shared a stage with them a few times and experienced their bandstand fury up close, which eventually led to a growing admiration for their singular journey through the music business, as they chose to stay the course of their vision at the expense of major commercial success.
Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone.
Joey Ramone and Johnny Ramone. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Years later I was lucky to work on three Ramones DVDs (Have A Nice Day Vol. 1, Have A Nice Day Vol, 2, and Around The World) that definitely gave me a different appreciation for the band. Around The World was comprised mostly of behind the scenes footage shot by drummer Marky Ramone (Tommy’s successor) while the band was on tour, which provided an inside look at what the band was really like. So many artists have a different stage persona than their real lives (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but The Ramones were always just a garage band from Queens at heart, and that never changed during the course of the band’s existence.
For a glorified garage band, The Ramones made a major mark on the music world that we’re still feeling. “Blitzkrieg Bop,” “I Wanna Be Sedated,” and “Rock n’ Roll High School” are songs that will survive for generations, which is more than 99% of so-called “hit” artists can say. There was a quiet genius in their music though, which is a good lesson for anyone getting into the music business today or any other day.
Consider:
* Right from the beginning The Ramones decided that there would be as few solos as possible in their music. They considered them fluff, and they weren’t good at them anyway, so why even bother? Talk about flying in the face of rock convention, especially when they first started.
* They wanted their songs to be as short and to the point as possible, so they played them as fast as could. The songwriting phrase “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” seems like it designed especially for the band. The boys could fly through an hour set playing 20 or more songs while most other acts would average seven or eight.
* Their branding was spot on. Black hair, black t-shirts and jeans and a black leather jacket – it doesn’t get any more rock n’ roll than that. All that black gave them the feel of a gang of toughs, and if there was a persona, that was it – it was hard to find a more gentle soul than singer Joey Ramone.
* They spearheaded the punk movement. The Ramones were punk rock. They were the first band you thought of when the words was spoken. They were the leaders and the blueprint for all that followed. Even today young bands that seek rebellion of the status quo (I wish there were more of them) look up to the group as a model. A hit record can be fleeting, but influence can last for generations.
The Ramones played their last show in 1996 after more than two thousand concerts over the 22 years the band existed, yet it almost seems like they never left. Their music can and will still be heard today and is as vital as ever. The next time you see some young lad with dyed jet black hair and dressed in black leather, just take note of who he reminds you of.
