Although the Ramones were categorized as an American punk rock band from Queens, they didn’t quite fit into the “stereotypical” definition of what a punk band was supposed to be. They adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname "Ramone", yet none of them were related. They had long hair, wore leather jackets, t-shirts, ripped jeans and sneakers which was to their UK counterparts “too uniform “and not very “punk style”. Everything about them was too basic for them to be true punk rockers and their music was simply three-chord rock’n’roll.

In the early days of CBGB’s, they had a few songs but were so broke that they were usually seen carrying their guitars and gear in laundry bags onto the stage. They had attitude, argued with each other incessantly on stage and when they did perform, you never knew what you were going to experience. Mesmerizing moments of “Avant Garde” antics or cheeky pop songs that were played loud and fast. They were also completely uncompromising with their musical format which was simple catchy lyrics, no solos and no songs over three minutes long. While this was weird to some musicians, the crowds loved them, and they soon garnered a large cult following. When their debuted album came out, it sparked a lot of interest not just in the U.S. but also when they toured the UK. Punk/Rock fanzines like “Sniffin Glue” and “ZigZag” glamourized the band to an almost mystical status. Their songs became fearless, energetic anthems during oppressive times. When they performed first, other bands didn’t want to follow them because the audience would be spent from their set. Somehow, through all the chaos back then, they also managed to become honorary members of the punk elite and changed the way punk was defined going forward.

For those of you who didn’t get to experience first-hand the early days of punk, you can still check out the Ramones music with the release of their fourth album “Road to Ruin” which was released at the end of September to mark the 40th Anniversary of its release. You can get it as a remastered single album or as a deluxe three-CD/one-LP box set. “The Road to Ruin: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition” set contains two mixes of the original album, some previously unreleased studio and live recordings, along with a hardcover book, photos, and the unused original album art. For more details, check out https://www.ramones.com. Also check out below an unearthed previously unseen video for their surging love song “She’s the One” - Michelle S.