Blitzkrieg Bop

Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones

Editor's Note: It was an innocent point that I made on a Wednesday night between rounds of Trivia. R.E.M. was the greatest American band ever. The table looked at me as if I had just called Mao a great human. Thus the debate began: Who is the greatest American band? We eliminated every singer song writer or solo performer. So Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, and Billy Joel were eliminated. Other than that anything went. This week I present the arguments for who I think should be in the running.



Pros: They're fun. And maybe they aren't what you think of when you hear punk, but they were punk. One of the first punk bands they also defined American punk. Unlike British punk, American punk wasn't about anarchy and over throwing the system. It was about playing songs really really fast and being a bit ironic at the same time... The band is totally unique, it's hard to really find a band that sounds like the Ramones. I'm sure many have tried, but I think they have one of the most unique sounds in all of rock... Who doesn't love three cords played as fast as you can while symbols crash and Joey's sort of mumble over it all... In the many covers that the band preformed, they put their own stamp on each and every song. Sure this usually meant they just took the song and played it as fast as they could, but no one else really had done this. And they did this really really well. Compare the original by Bobby Freeman and the Ramones cover of "Do You Wanna Dance"... they rock out and they're one of the first bands to really 'get' irony.... So let's see, they were loud, fun, fast, and ironic—if that isn't American—then I don't know what is (unless your one of those apple pie, football, and freedom types—if that's case all I can say is move to France).

Cons: Yeah... so every song can sort of sound the same... and since every song sort of sounds the same, it's hard to say the band ever really matured... they're lasting impact on rock'n'roll is sort of hard to figure out at the moment. Since the late 70s no one has really tried to sound like the Ramones. They're short term impact on rock is undeniable, but now 30 years later, their 'legacy' isn't as clear... also don't they have a few too many songs about teenage angst?... Did their songs mean anything?

Best Album: Rocket to Russia -- Teenage Lobotomy, Rockaway Beach, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, We're a Happy Family, and Do You Wanna Dance?, that's a hell of a record right there. The album comes at your hard and fast—like every Ramones record—but this is their most consistent album mainly because the songs don't run together. We're a Happy Family—seemingly over looked by many is a stinging indictment of they typical American family: "Sitting here in Queens/eatting refried beans/We're in all the magazines/Gulpin' down thorazines/We ain't got no friends/Our troubles never end/No Christmas cards to send/Daddy likes men."

Best Song: Blitzkrieg Bop -- Played in every stadium in the world (or so it seems) this seems to be sort of a cliche pick since this is for many THE punk rock anthem. But think about it for a second. In 1976, no one sounded like this. Sure the Sex Pistols were around and playing in London, but "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" wouldn't come out for another 18 months. So when you hear Johny nail those first chords, ripping through the air like a F-18, Dee Dee laying a fast bass line, Tommy subtlety working the drums over like a speed bag, and then Joey chanting "Hey! Oh! Let's go!", well if that doesn't get your blood flowing then nothing will.