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The Ramones, who got their start at New York City’s CBGB Club, apparently spent the 60s listening not to the Beatles, the Stones, and Dylan but to Count Five, Music Machine, and the Gentrys.
Offering punk rock at its punkiest, their self-titled debut album features relentlessly paced versions of such calculatedly mindless tunes as “Beat on the Brat,” “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” and “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue.” The songs, which clock in at an average of two minutes, incorporate a minimum of lyrics (one utilizes just 10 words) and only three or four clamorous guitar chords. I wouldn’t recommend a regular diet of this and fervently hope that the Ramones don’t spark a trend. But I do recommend the album, which redeems itself with humor and hysteria, to everyone except recent heart-attack victims.
Note: For a more extensive look at this album, see my review of the 40th-anniversary edition.
By Jeff Burger 