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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZRAMONES, TheNYC punk band, formed in 1974 with Joey (b Jeffrey Hyman, 19 May 1951, Forest Hills NY; d 15 April 2001 of lymphatic cancer) on vocals, Johnny (b John Cummings, 8 October 1951, Long Island NY; d 15 September 2004 of prostate cancer) on guitar, bassist Dee Dee (b Douglas Colvin, 18 September 1952, Virginia; d 5 June 2002 of a drug overdose), drummer Tommy (Tamas Erdelyi; b 29 January 1952, Budapest; d 11 July 2014 of bile duct cancer). They all took the last name Ramone; their blitzkrieg brand of non-stop two-minute riffing influnced punk in the UK, especially after a headline gig at London's Roundhouse '76 with the Flamin' Groovies. They were contemporary at NYC's CBGB's club with Patti Smith, Blondie, Television; Ramones '76 remains an archetypal LP, with 'Beat On The Brat' and 'Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue'. Critics liked the cartoon vision of rock'n'roll; the no-nonsense, hard-edged approach seemed an antidote to the flaccid '70s scene. Leave Home '77 was more of the same, Rocket To Russia '77 broadened the sound; live shows were good value, with 13 songs crammed into half-hour sets. Tommy quit '77, replaced by Marky (Mark Bell). Road To Ruin carried on the joke, by then wearing thin; two-disc It's Alive '77 made at the Rainbow Theatre in London included 28 Ramones standards; they appeared in trashy exploitation film Rock And Roll High School '79, ideally suiting their image. To everyone's surprise, Phil Spector produced End Of The Century '80, their best-sounding LP, including an affectionate 'Do You Remember Rock'n'Roll Radio?', and a cover of the Ronettes' 'Baby I Love You'. Pleasant Dreams '81 was produced by Graham Gouldman and included the anthemic 'We Want The Airwaves' and 'The KKK Took My Baby'; by Subterranean Jungle '83 their appeal had diminished. Too Tough To Die '85 was an improvement, including 'Howling At The Moon', produced by the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. Animal Boy '86 was produced by Jean Bouvier, ex-bassist with Steve Van Zandt's Disciples of Soul. They retained a devoted cult following for Halfway To Sanity '87, Ramones Mania '88, Brain Death '89; switched from Sire to Radioactive for Mondo Bizarro '92; Acid Eaters '94, Adios Amigos '95. They signed off with live We're Outta Here! '97 on Eagle. |