Comments on: The Ramones – part 2

By: Terence Ruffle

Terence Ruffle — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 09:07:10 +0000

Thanks mate. And I bow to your superior knowledge!
I spoke to Chris Wilson via email, he remembers THE Roundhouse gig, and a couple of others, but otherwise zilch!
Also, tried to garner further info from Lindsy Hutton, whose memory is virtually blank pre 1976!
Ah well, it’s so good you noted important dates like that, perhaps it’ll help me fill in other missing links.
I remain Sir, your obediant Serpent etc etc.

By: Henry Wood

Henry Wood — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 06:16:18 +0000

Hello Terry, Paul, Alan and Coffer…..Terry, old bean. I too was at that gig, but wasn’t quite brave enough to make it to The Groovies dressing room! However, the date they played with Radio Birdman at Essex University was 27th May 1978…..Not 1977. Good site mate. Keep Rockin’. Henry.

By: Coffer

Coffer — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:04:40 +0000

Aaah Sheena – so strange that it was also the first 12 inch ‘limited editon’ single I bought (or was that Televison’s Marquee Moon). Even then marketing was being used to promote, what we believed was, this anti-establishment movement reclaiming rock back from the industry. But then again, Malcom McLarren used his superb marketing skills almost perfectly to promote the Sex Pistols.

Just how many limited edition singles were released in those short wonderful years?

By: terence ruffle

terence ruffle — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:28:20 +0000

Again, thank you Alan.
“Sheena” is a wonderful piece of pop, whenever I hear it, I flash back to then, mid ‘77, and of course the t-shirt which Will and I wore til they looked too worn out to be cool. Not a prob these days!
The Ramones, new religion, like a pidgeon.
Never bettered……

By: Alwills

Alwills — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:09:12 +0000

‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ is to my mind the greatest pop single of all time. Not just handclaps, but tambourine and sleigh-bells AND handclaps! NY’s Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy may be the ulitmate punk band, but they were also the punk band that made their music out of an undying love of, rather than a sneering contempt for, Great Radio Pop. Despite the unfortunate fact that radio at the time really didn’t want pop that sounded like the malformed runt at the end of your street herding buffalo through a sweet shop. I mean, what the hell is a ‘pung roggher’ anyway?

The Ramones’ own greatest single creases up with joy at how many bits of the The Beach Boys and Phil Spector it manages to round up and pummel the living s**t out of. It is about simple heroism, of course, because when the gorgeous Sheena saw those sick kids greasing up their surfboards and trooping off the discotheque (probably somewhere that required tie wear, and the girls were nothing like Sheena), well, she just couldn’t stay. She had to break away. Don’t you see? It was a matter of survival.

By: paul

paul — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:53:21 +0000

There was and is something so beautifully processed about the Ramones. Like a rocknroll smoothie containing the everything great about the 60’s from the shangrilas to the fabs and the everlys and the who all whipped up with that ear shredding guitar sound. I saw them a paltry once at the Hammersmith Odeon around the time of Animal Boy. Who supported them?? psychedelic furs? who gives a shit. They were perfect. Like Hurricane Gustav with a bowl haircut. Palpable disregard for health and safety.