a musical history – by Terence Ruffle

I believe I’ve seen the Ramones in excess of 27 times. I simply can’t comprehend that Joey, Johnny and, my personal favourite Dee Dee, are dead. If I had to choose just one band to take to heaven, a desert Island, or where ever, it would be Da Brudders, hands down. To say they totally rock out would be a massive understatement! Johnny’s guitar, Joey (and Dee Dee’s) vocals, the lyrics, the simple nursery rhyme-like fluidity of the song. The sunny, Beach Boys type melodies, the melancholic tunes, the raw aggressive more-punk-than-the-rest songs. But most of all, that adrenalin, amphetamine charged raw power.

Looking back in this year 2008, 1976 seems like a whole lifetime ago. But that was the first time I ever saw them, at the Roundhouse (a favourite haunt of mine and Will’s) on July 4th 1976.

We must have seen the Pink Fairies numerous times there in 74-75, a fabulous venue always populated by Freaks, with much stoner and freak rock on the menu from the early 70s, though of course numerous bands, like the Pink Floyd and Doors, played there in the late 60s, a fabulous venue.

There was a minor buzz about Ramones prior to the Charles Shaar Murray review of their first album, and CBGB’s had been written about in the NME. We’d also bought the ‘California Sun’ live import Ramones single which we thought was brilliant and life changing.

Added to which, under some influence from Edwin Pouncey (later “Savage Pencil”), who’d given us such delights as the Blue Oyster Cult, and the very wonderful Dictators, (both produced by Sandy Pearlman and Murray Krugman) we dashed down to our local Parrot records, in Colchester, to order the Ramones first album, on import. We played it to death in the late spring/early summer of 1976, and of course when the UK dates were announced, we had to have tickets, and were deliriously happy that the first gig was at the Roundhouse, our old stamping ground.

Of course the other band that made the gig unmissable were the Flamin’ Groovies. I’d been championing Cyril and the boys since I’d bought their second album (Flamingo) and third album (Teenage Head) as cheap imports whilst still at Art school in 1975. I had already seen the Groovies, I think it was at the Lyceum in the Spring of 1975. The following day I went to Rock On record shop (what a record shop that was!!! It totally turned my head around, lots of imports and original 60’s LPs) and bought their French UA singles “Slow Death” and “Married Woman”.

I must say, I’ve searched the Net high and low for more info about the UK Groovies gigs prior to ‘76, and found absolutely nothing! Please, please, if somebody reading this knows of a link or somesuch, please mail it to me. The memory of walking into the gig(and little else!) is still with me, help!!! By 1976 they’d mutated into Beatle clones, dressed in fabulous Tonik (the old Skinhead fashion fabric that changes colour depending on how the light hits it, lots of purples and mauves) Beatle suits., frock coats in the old 60s psyche style, embroidered waist coats (Teddy boy Edwardian style) and beautiful bottle green Anello and Davide Beatle boots.

The single version of “Shake Some Action” was getting some national airplay, and certainly on the fledgeling Capital Radio, (still a relatively hip channel ) and we’d already had the delights of the “Shake Some Action” album, produced by Dave Edmunds at Rockfield studios, sounding like a glorious Gumbo of Phil Spector and the Beatles, with some English Rock’n'Roll inflections, both from the early 60s – the Mod era – and the Psychedelic era.

I have to mention Paul Revere and the Raiders too. I think Cyril Jordan must have been mightily impressed with their hook filled Garagey pop, and of course the Groovies covered “Kicks” (on “One Night Stand” in 1987) and “Him or Me” (the b – side of “You Tore Me Down” single on Bomp, 1974). I read in Mojo in 2006(?) that Cyril had seen the Beatles at Shea stadium in 1965 and had decided that he would put together a band that emulated the Beatles style completely, and find fame and fortune as a result! Guess he was still banging that drum in 1976. It was prime Beatles influenced Power Pop, with added kick. And we thought it was very hip – certainly it influenced Paul, Will and me as the Accidents, both musically and sartorially, and when the Jam came along a year later in their cheap looking 60s suits it just confirmed it for us.

That the Beatles were hip once more (cue an avalanche of Beatles bootlegs, all hungrily snapped up by Paul and yours truly), that the 60s were still extremely influential on modern music, specifically guitar and Powerpop. And I suppose the vibe and inspiration the Groovies gave me further inspired me to reappraise the music of the 60’s to this day. Because the 60s still looks to me like a huge, not yet fully explored, Rock’n'Roll Goldmine, with many diverse seams and avenues just waiting to give up their delights to me.

This is the first part of a two part article about the Ramones. The second part will be published very soon…

If you’d like to find music by the groups mentioned in this article, you can buy it on CD and vinyl from netsoundmusic.com.

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