Maps of Music

Ramones (1976)

Where the lyrics of Ramones take you, and where it was really made.

The debut that barely charted in the US went on to top Spin's list of the 50 Most Essential Punk Records.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1976)

Recording site Plaza Sound Studios — The band recorded Ramones at Plaza Sound studio, and the sessions were completed within a week for $6,400. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Debut studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones
• Released April 23, 1976 by Sire Records
• Runs 29 minutes 4 seconds across 14 tracks
• Opens with 'Blitzkrieg Bop', one of the band's most recognized songs
• Lyrics address violence, drug use, relationship issues, humor, and Nazism
• Contains a cover of Chris Montez's 'Let's Dance'

Background

• Lisa Robinson of Hit Parader and Rock Scene wrote about the band after seeing them at CBGB
• Robinson asked Danny Fields, former Stooges manager, to manage the band
• Fields agreed and became the manager in November 1975
• Fields convinced Craig Leon to produce the album
• The band recorded a demo on September 19, 1975, for prospective labels
• Leon persuaded Sire president Seymour Stein to hear the band
• Sire offered a contract, though the label had previously signed only European progressive rock bands
• Sire offered a single with 'You're Gonna Kill That Girl'; the band declined and asked for a full album

Recording

• The band began recording in January 1976, needing seven days and $6,400
• Recording at Plaza Sound studio, with sessions completed within a week
• Techniques resembled those used by many orchestras, with microphones placed similarly
• Guitars sit separately on the stereo channels; drums and vocals are mixed in the middle
• Overdubbing and doubling of vocals were used
• Mickey Leigh and Craig Leon added percussion effects that the liner notes did not mention

Cover

• Front photo by Roberta Bayley of Punk magazine
• The four members stand against a brick wall in New York City
• The wall belongs to a private community garden called Albert's Garden in the Bowery
• Back cover shows an eagle belt buckle with the album's liner notes, designed by Arturo Vega
• The cover became one of the most imitated album covers of all time

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• An American punk rock band formed in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, in 1974.
• Founding members Jeff Hyman, John Cummings, Douglas Colvin and Thomas Erdelyi took the stage names Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy Ramone.
• The name was inspired by Paul McCartney's pseudonym Paul Ramon from his Silver Beetles days.
• The band made its CBGB debut on August 16, 1974, and became regulars at the club.
• Sire Records signed them in late 1975.

Members

• Joey Ramone (lead vocals, 1974–1996; died 2001).
• Johnny Ramone (guitar, 1974–1996; died 2004).
• Dee Dee Ramone (bass, 1974–1989; died 2002).
• Tommy Ramone (drums, 1974–1978; died 2014).
• Marky Ramone, Richie Ramone, Elvis Ramone and C. J. Ramone joined as later drummers and bassists.

Career

• The debut album Ramones was released in April 1976 and helped spearhead punk; its influence on British and American punk is widely cited.
• The band performed 2,263 concerts and released fourteen studio albums.
• Rocket to Russia (1977) was its highest-charting album, reaching number 49 on the Billboard 200.
• The band broke up after a farewell show at the Palace in Hollywood on August 6, 1996, following the Lollapalooza tour.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.

Reception

At release

• The New York Times published a rave review in May 1976 by John Rockwell
• NME's Nick Kent commented favourably on the record
• Robert Christgau in The Village Voice praised the sheer pleasure of the music
• Creem called it the most radical album of the past six years
• Critic Gene Sculatti described it as a rock 'n' roll reactionary's manifesto
• Time's Theunis Bates called it the ultimate punk statement
• Charles M. Young of Rolling Stone called it one of the funniest rock records ever made, in 1977

Reappraisal

• AllMusic's Jeff Tamarkin said in 1995 that the album ignited the punk rock era
• April Long of NME gave a perfect score in 2001
• Spin placed it at the top of its 50 Most Essential Punk Records list in 2001
• Mojo named it the fourth best punk album in 2001
• The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame cited the band's first album as changing rock music back to basics at the 2002 induction

Records

• Peaked at number 111 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart
• Sold about 6,000 units in its first year
• Peaked at number 48 on the Swedish chart
• The album was ranked at number 33 in Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, dropping to number 47 in the 2020 reboot
• Placed first in Rolling Stone's 100 Best Debut Albums of All Time in 2022
• Certified Platinum by the RIAA for 1,000,000 copies sold in the US, in 2026

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The label paid only $125 for the front photo, which became one of the most imitated album covers.
• The album sleeve and a poster of the same design are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
• Johnny said the band did not want listeners confused about who was in the band, so backing vocalists and extra players went uncredited.
• Tommy wrote the opening track, which was originally called Animal Hop before Dee Dee revised the lyrics.
• Only two singles came from the album, and neither charted on the Hot 100.
• The band toured to promote the album, playing over 60 concerts, including two dates in London in July 1976.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

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