True originators of the brisk, three-chord punk song, the Ramones came onto the scene hard with this self-titled debut. It's an assault on the ear drums, but not in the brutal, joyless way that some punk rock tends to favor. The Ramones is more like when a dog jumps up on your lap and starts lashing your face with its tongue. He wants you to love it as much as he does. Not to take anything away from "I Wanna Be Sedated" or "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker," but nothing they put out after this record can quite compare to the excitement or potency of what's presented here. And it could have been stretched out to twice its length if they'd simple calmed down a little and played the songs at a normal speed. They would have sounded like great, classic rock songs. But then, that's not punk, is it? A Little Taste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HUGeA2lur4
