Ramones In Forest Hills - Birthplace Of Punk Rock - The Ramp & Rock 'n' Roll High School
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- Ever wonder where PUNK ROCK began? Step right up as we land in Forest Hills, Queens, New York to bring you along as we walk in the footsteps of the Ramones. This is the neighborhood they grew up in and formed this iconic band. Let us be your guides to their high school and hang out spots such as The Ramp.
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I like your attention to detail, address location and what occurred on that spot. Very cool.
Thank you so much. That means a lot to us!
The Saints were also playing in a punk style in 1974
Very cool. It was the time for Punk to take off.
@@JoeJoyHaveLanded I mention a Ramones album and my reaction to them in 1975 in my article on the best punk albums. If you like I could post it.
@@willieluncheonette5843 I would love to read it.
@@JoeJoyHaveLanded Thanks !!
Rocket to Russia: Released November 12, 1977. Reached #69 on the U.S. charts.
Ramones formed in Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. There is a video on CZcams of them playing at CBGB's that year and an argument breaks out over which song to play next. They already had their signature style in 1974 for God's sake! So please let's not have any more fighting over who was the first punk band, Ramones or Sex Pistols. I saw them play in 1975 and years later I wrote. " Saw them at CBGB's and was blown away by their power. What a wall of sound! What a rush! Would have loved to talk to them after their set but their leather jackets gave me pause. The only other people who wore leather jackets at that time in the East Village were the Hell's Angels and I had already had an experience with one of them near their clubhouse on East 3rd Street. Not really a big deal, but after that I decided not to start up any conversations with them. So, my fear got the best of me and I missed an opportunity to talk to the greatest band in the world in the mid 70's. To this day I play their records and they remain one of my favorite bands."
For most people who weren't around punk music and the Ramones at the outset, it is difficult to imagine the effect they had. Mary Harron interviewed them for the first issue of Punk magazine in January, 1976. This will give you some idea of what it was like. "When I first saw the Ramones I couldn't believe people were doing this. The dumb brattiness ‘Beat on the brat with a baseball bat.' There was this real cartoon element, and yet you're in a real place, you want to do something real, so you're in a situation where they could be real, they could be genuinely delinquent. It had an edge to it: they looked dumb-smart, smart-dumb."
From the Ramones' press kit in June, 1975: " Their songs are brief, to the point, and every one a potential hit single...The Ramones all originate from Forest Hills and kids who grew up there become either musicians, degenerates or dentists. The Ramones are a little of each. Their sound is not unlike a fast drill on a rear molar."
When their eponymous debut LP came out all my punk friends bought it and played it to death. Believe me, we had never heard anything like it. It was brutal and undeniable. Listening at stun levels we were in awe of its relentless buzzsaw power. In light of hardcore (the louder, faster, more aggressive music that came after punk and spawned slam dancing and stage diving) Ramones songs now seem almost mid-tempo. But I've read people at their live shows were literally holding onto their tables when they played--it was such a potent force coming at you.
Choosing a best between the first three Ramones' albums has always been difficult for me. I must have heard them all fifty times and for this write-up I listened to all three twice again. And you know what? It’s still difficult. Their debut, Leave Home and Rocket To Russia all contain loads of great songs. How to pick just one? It would have been easy to pick their debut. That would have put everything neatly in chronological order, but this is not the 15 most important punk albums, it is the 15 best. There are two major differences that for me narrowed it down to just two. The mix on their first album is different from a more conventional one found on the others--Johnny's guitar is in the right channel and Dee Dee's bass is in the left. Some listeners might like this, others might not. It does have its perks. When I was giving punk lessons in my apartment, I could turn the knobs on my amp to isolate the two. The kids I was teaching loved hearing how skillful these two musicians were. Man, those guys could play! Let me tell you, hearing "I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement" like this was a joyful thing. Secondly, some of the best songs are faster and longer on the next two albums.
So my two preferences narrowed it down to either Leave Home or Rocket To Russia. These are not 1 and 2 in my book; they are 1 and 1A. I would have chosen both of them, but decided in the end to pick only one album from each band. Actually, any of the first three LP's would make a fine choice on any best list.
I nearly choked at the prospect of leaving off an album that contains "Glad To See You Go," "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment," "Carbona Not Glue," "Pinhead," "Commando" and "You Should Never have Opened That Door," but that's just what I did. Rocket To Russia has great songs too, leading off with "Cretin Hop" (what an attack they had!) Then there's the classic "Rockaway Beach" (which reached #66 on the U.S, charts), and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" (which reached #81). Colin Abrahall, singer in the great British punk band G.B.H. has said that hearing "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" at age 15 on the radio was a huge influence in his life. But more on that when we come to G.B.H. "Locket Love" is a sweet little bubblegum song disguising a murder. "We're A Happy Family" has just about the wittiest, funniest, pop culture lyrics ever in a song and "Teenage Lobotomy" is not far behind. I think the album has just a smidge more power than Leave Home, there are fewer songs under two minutes and Johnny Ramone's signature lightning downstrokes unleashing pure punk power are better showcased. Rocket To Russia is my choice to start our quest for the top 15 punk LP's.
@willieluncheonette5843 that is so great. Thank you for sharing that with me. I love describing the sound ro a dentist drill. That was so incrediblely written. Great!!!