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Staring back at you from their iconic debut in April ’76 were: Johnny Ramone (27, guitar); Tommy Ramone (27, drums); Joey Ramone (24, lead vocals) and Dee Dee Ramone (24, bass). This was a short, sharp wake-up call for docile Rock n Roll fans the world over. The 14 songs were all over in an adrenalin-filled 29 minutes, with no pausing for wanky guitar solos. Hurrah! John Peel was all over it, and couldn’t wait to get it on the tables. Several tracks were played out over the course of two nights in May, much to the consternation of many within his overly hairy listenership. He revelled in the freshness – they found the use of three simple chords revolting. The album did nothing commercially, peaking at #111 in the Billboard album charts and completely failed to register in the UK chart. This must have been a disappointment for producer Craig Leon and Sire’s head-honcho Seymour Stein, both of whom had backed the band with a crisp production and a decent distribution network. On the plus side, sparks flew in underground circles as scenes and zines went ape for it, enthusing bands and fans on both sides of the Atlantic. By the summer of ’76, Punk was on the march, with the Brotherhood of Ramone at the forefront chanting “Hey-Ho LET'S GO!”
The Jukebox Rebel
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