Punk and The Ramones

As we cruise deeper into the 70s music, we hit a time period in which punk is quickly on the rise. Punk is a very interesting genre to contemplate because its development is the complete opposite of that of rock and rap. Through history, rock and rap started off all the same and rather innocent and throughout the years it diverged into more wild forms. Rock grew from innocent Beatles to Stones to Led Zeppelin until all of a sudden; we’re in the middle of Black Sabbath! On the contrary, punk started off as a group of different artists that sounded very different but the press merely grouped them all together under the key word “punk”. I feel that punk is similar to rock in that it is not any particular sound but rather an idea of individuality and rebellion. Punk was the idea that you can do anything and I think this message is interestingly displayed through this type of music. This is shown by a bunch of artists that were not necessarily the most talented but were out there doing what they love. This music environment is one that produced very wild music with a great message.

A great example of classic punk art is the band Ramones. The Ramones are at the heart of 70s punk and represent a sound that is completely insane and in-your-face.  Unlike many, I have mixed feelings about the Ramones. The music that they churn out seems like it would be best for passive listening without much thought from the listener. On the whole, their music seems almost greasy (to give a food metaphor for lack of better description). Their songs are rather repetitive and monotonous for in depth analysis. While it sounds like a mess, they have some pretty crazy guitar vibes. Overall, though, I can’t really bring myself to write a lot of positive things about this music because it goes against everything that I have trained my ears to search for in music. Honestly, the vocals sound like they have a mild speech impediment and the music lacks so much versatility that it’s hard to listen to. I feel like throughout their entire first album, “Ramones”, it was constantly in my face and I couldn’t escape the steady blaring of punk sounds. Their heavy accents also act as a blockade to the point where I wouldn’t know if they were good lyricists even if they were.

In their second album, “Rocket to Russia”, I feel that they had grown and developed at least a little in their musical ability. But not by much. I feel that the songs that the Ramones churn out are similar to the modern day songs that I called ‘pump up’ songs in one of my previous blogs. All they are to me is a louder and more in-your-face version of the Beach Boys. There is little substance to their music but it is definitely catchy. In modern day, pump up songs are crazy and wild like this and somehow appeals to the listener despite having limited musical talent at best. I think I would also enjoy listening to this band in smaller doses with singles rather than complete albums because of the sameness that dominates the albums. In smaller doses, I could appreciate more that harder sound and catchiness of the beat without being beaten into a monotony of punk rock (and focus too much on their general lack of talent).

Despite my criticism of the band, I also can appreciate the talent that goes on in the background. While some may argue that this band is absolutely horrible, I think they definitely have some musical capabilities that make them capable of rocking out. True, their lyrics and vocals are non-existent and their countermelodies are constantly loud and obnoxious. But, their wild guitars and blaring bass and insane beats meshes together into a conglomeration of noise that somehow works in a way. Once again, observing as a passive listener, for once, this high-energy music invigorates the listener. Overall, while not even coming in the same universe as other artists we’ve listened to (like Stevie Wonder or the Beatles), the Ramones definitely made their mark on the history of music. While they might not sound good today, they definitely had major influences on the music that followed their time all the way up to present day.

If you want to check out some classic Ramones, listen to some of the songs below: